Winter 2025

USF Health Pediatrics Newsletter Winter 2025

Chair's Message

We are living in historic times. As I watch the events of the last two months unfold, I feel frightened for the future of our scientific community. But then I go to work and interact with all of you–our providers, clinic staff and administrative support teams–and I see how dedicated to our patients and learners you all are. We are here for the right reasons, we care about the patients we serve, we care about the health of all children, and we care about scientific integrity and truth. I also reflect on the community organizations we work with in our city, county, state, and country, who also hold the same values and goals. I know that we will speak up and make sure that children’s healthcare is protected as our federal infrastructure is dismantled. We have come too far to go backward.

Let me tell you how far we have come: Prior to the development of the measles vaccine (1963) there were an estimated 500,000 cases per year, in 2022 there was 121 cases; prior to 1955, there were 16,000 cases of paralytic polio per year a disease which we have practically eliminated in North America, during this time period infant mortality has dropped from 10% to 2.8%, while seat belt and car seat laws have saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of children. And every one of our physicians can name a disease whose incidence and morbidities dramatically decreased due to new drug development, implementation science, new guidelines, and the hard work of translational research. Cystic fibrosis, HIV/AIDS, acute lymphocytic leukemia, just to name a few. Our scientific community is under attack, and I want to speak out and highlight the importance of the CDC, the FDA, the NIH – the vital work they have done over the years to improve our nation’s health and well-being.  It is such a privilege to live in the U.S. and have access to all the amazing scientific discoveries and access to information from these trusted sources. I believe in finding common ground; every person wants safe water and food free from chemicals and preservatives–no one wants another epidemic, and no one wants their child to die of a vaccine-preventable illness. So let us continue to push back on the false narratives and disinformation. Let's continue to promote the facts and support our colleagues in public health, which is ESSENTIAL to our health and wellness. I agree that patients need choices, but they also need evidence and solid information and health literacy to help make those choices – and that is where we all play critical roles. I am confident that all of us can help to restore the trust in our national health system and in the work we do every day.

Kudos

John Wiegand, MD won the USF Health Research Day Outstanding Medical Resident/Fellow Award, presented by Tampa General Hospital.



Dr. Jennifer Takagishi was quoted in a Nov 22 WUSF story titled Florida Surgeon General Advises Communities to Stop Adding Fluoride to Drinking Water Supply. 

Congratulations to Laura Stefanic, ARNP, who passed the Lifestyle Medicine Certification exam.

The fourth infusion of gene transfer therapy for spinal muscular dystrophy was successfully completed at the TGH Pediatric Day Hospital! Congratulations to the dedicated team, which includes Dr. Maria Gieron, Heather Huyser, RN, and pharmacist Samuel Patel, PharmD, for their outstanding work!

Dr. Jaqueline Larson was accepted into a competitive program for intestinal ultrasound training for gastroenterologists. Currently, only Miami provides this service for pediatric patients with IBD in Florida. Division chief Dr. Racha Khalaf hopes that USF will be the second!

Thanks to Drs. Karyn Gerstle and Meredith Plant for arranging the Angel Tree donations for families at 17 Davis and Health Park, and to the many folks who donated!

Kudos to Elizabeth Czyzowski, Peds Administrator, for serving on the Annual Meeting Planning Committee for the Association of Academic Administrators in Pediatrics.

Congratulations to Nichol John-Lewis Edwards, a PhD student in Dr. Tara Randis’s lab, for winning the Southern Society for Pediatric Research Trainee Travel Award!

USF Peds was well recognized at the Association of Pediatric Program Director Annual Spring Conference held in Atlanta, March 25-28. Dr. Jean-Claude Guidi presented AI in Residency: A Project to Promote Individualized Learning for Med Peds Residents, while Dr. Elimarys Perez-Colon won the Medicine Pediatrics Program Directors Association Brendan P. Kelly MD Award, which honors an associate program director of a med peds residency program who demonstrates teaching excellence, collaborative leadership, and compassionate patient care.

Congratulations to our faculty who passed their boards!

Hospitalists : Drs. Ryan Dean, Kavita Patel and Eva Desrosiers

Critical Care : Drs. Molly Childers, Raymond Rios and Brett Russi

Clinical Team Members of the Month

December : Kailee Young, RN - she is on the department float team

January : Selika Hunter, RN - she is at the 17 Davis clinic

February : Marisa Flores, RN - she is on the department float team

March : Jaqueline Arens - she is the secretary to the Pediatric Gastroenterology Division

Happenings

We celebrated the retirement of Lucia Barajas, Nurse Supervisor, in April. Lucia joined our USF Health Department of Pediatrics in 2015, and we are incredibly grateful for her dedication and contributions to our ACH OCC team. We sincerely appreciate everything she has done and wish her all the best in her retirement! 

A Fellows Research Retreat was held at JHACH on December 13, during which faculty presented the research projects they are working on. The event gave first year fellows the opportunity to choose a mentor and project. Drs. Larry Dishaw, Panida Sriaroon, Jolan Walter and Mark Ballow described their research projects at the event. 

Resident News

Thanks to all our interviewers this year: Drs. Ford, Plant, Siraj, Panzarino, Murphy, Adams, Galligan, Nereim, Purandare, Gavira, Woodard, Randis, Torres and Blanco and Wright. 

Our residents who graduated last year had 100% pediatric board pass rate! This includes our two chiefs, Drs. Taylor Tragesser and Jamin Shahrestani. 

Congratulations to our pediatric residents who matched into fellowships this year! 

• Avram Rago – University of Texas, Cardiology
• Jessica Creech – USF, Allergy/Immunology
• Monica Singh – University of Florida, Neonatology
• Kristen DeMayo – Lurie Children’s Northwestern, Critical Care

Match Day 2025 was held at Ulele again this year. Welcome to our new housestaff who matched at USF Pediatrics!

Faculty Promotions

Congratulations to Drs. Keisha  Adams, Claudia Gaviria, Amol Purandare, Lisa Sanders and Luis Seguias on their promotion to Associate Professor for the 2025-2026 academic year!

Congratulations to Dr. Houriyah Ayoubieh who was promoted to Associate Professor on appointment to USF.

Keisha Adams,MD

Claudia Gaviria, MD

Amol Purandare, MD

Lisa Sanders, MD

Luis Seguias, MD

Houriyah Ayoubieh, MD

Welcome New Faculty

Molly Childers, MD, will serve as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Critical Care Medicine. She earned her MD at Indiana University and completed her residency at National Capital Consortium, Bethesda and a fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins/ACH.

Emily Frierson, MD, will serve as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Nephrology. She earned her MD at the University of Central Florida and completed her residency at Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor, and a fellowship in Pediatric Nephrology at Texas Children’s Hospital. 

Kavita Patel, MD, will serve as an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Pediatrics-St. Joseph’s Hospital. She earned her MD at the University of Florida and completed her residency at the University of California, San Francisco.

Welcome New APRNs/PAs

Dianna Inman, Child Development

Laktib Radouane, Student Health

Jessica Rosbach, Med-Peds

Nicole Marie Gibbons, Physician Assistant, Student Health

Welcome New Staff

Rosamaria Teresa Gigliotti, Speech Pathologist

Elizabeth Joy Delafuente, Human Services Practitioner/Social Worker

Mikaela Johnson, Prof Support/Svc; Child Protection Team

Courtney Ross, Community Outreach Caseworker; Early Steps

Carmen Gonzalez Lopez, Community Outreach Caseworker; Early Steps

Melinda Weeratunga, Registered Nurse; Infectious Disease

Lauryn-Maggie Smith, Human Services Practitioner; Gastroenterology

Maria Alvarez Aramayo, Fiscal & Business Analyst I; Administration

Jennifer Jean-Jacques, Prof Support/Svc; Neonatology

Rahim Miller, Research Support Specialist; Allergy Immunology

Cheryl Sardy, Technical and Paraprofessional; Early Steps

Betsy Harrisberger, Insurance Specialist; Early Steps

Irene Earley, Community Outreach Caseworker; Early Steps

Publications

Root MA, Pavlich CM, Sochet AA, Roberts AR, Russi BW. Oral Nutrition During Continuous Albuterol for Pediatric Critical Asthma: A Matched Cohort Study. Pediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr. 2024 Nov;27(6):364-371.

Dr. Jolan Waler is an author on:

Congenital T cell activation impairs transitional to follicular B cell maturation in humans. Blood Adv. 2024 Dec 3. Online ahead of print.

Novel Inherited N-terminus TAP1 Variants and Severe Clinical Manifestations- Are Genotype-Phenotype Correlations Emerging? J Clin Immunol 2025 Jan 3;45(1):63.

Multiomics dissection of human RAG deficiency reveals distinctive patterns of immune dysregulation but a common inflammatory signature. Sci Immunol. 2025 Jan 10;10(103): eadq1697.

Dr. Mark Ballow is an author on Controversies in Allergy: If and When to Consider Prophylactic Immunoglobulin Replacement Therapy in Secondary Hypogammaglobulinemia. Review Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2024 Dec. 24: S2213-2198(24)01266-2.

Dr. Monica Hajirawala is an author on Insect Allergy: Barriers in Training and Practice: A Work Group Report of the AAAAI Anaphylaxis Committee. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract.2025 Jan 2: S2213-2198(24)01286-8. 



Presentations

Eastern Food Allergy and Comorbidity Conference, Palm Beach, Jan 9-12

Bindernagel C, Hajirawala M and Sriaroon P presented a poster titled Hyper-IgE Syndrome Presenting as Peanut Allergy

2025 Symposium Update in Allergy and Immunology, CAMLS, January 17-18

Oral Presentations:

• Sher M. Differential Diagnosis, Comorbid Conditions, and Treatment of Mild Atopic Eczema

• Sriaroon P. Non-Allergic Diseases Associated with Foods

• Ballow M. Immunodeficiency – Outpatient Evaluation

• Walter J. Genetic Tests for Allergic and Immunologic Diseases

• Hajirawala M. Drug Challenges and Desensitizations

• Sriaroon P. Food Allergy and Intolerance and the Microbiome   

• Walter J. Immunodeficiency and Other Allergic and Immunologic Diseases

Inaugural Johns Hopkins Medicine Child Health Research Symposium, January 29-31

Larsen K, Milota T, Toth M, Nomula K, Potts DE, Walter J. The Role of B Cell Activating Factor in CD21loTBET+CD11c+ B Cells in Inborn Errors of Immunity

Southern Society for Pediatric Research, New Orleans, Feb 13-15

Cornwall M, Deall T, Wright T presented a neonatal clinical case symposium titled Feeding Difficulties in Three Infants with Prenatal Fentanyl Exposure

Chavez SM presented a poster titled A Sacrococcygeal Teratoma in a Premature Infant: A Case Report

Osmani T, Wright T presented a poster titled Parental Visitation and Neonatal Outcomes in Very Low Birth Weight Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

John-Lewis Edwards N, Pearah AN, Lindon A, Darch S, Randis T presented an oral abstract titled Advancing Group B Streptococcus Research: Human Intestinal Organoids as a New Model for Neonatal Infections *won the Pediatric Research Trainee Travel Award!

Pearah AN, Lindon A, Dominguez K, John-Lewis Edwards N, Handel T, Zelaya Aparicio CN, Darch S and Randis T presented an oral abstract titled Candida Albicans Impacts Group B Streptococcus Virulence

St. Jude/PIDS Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Conference, Memphis, March 5-7

Narkans A, Vidwans A presented a poster titled, Impact of Social Determinants of Health on HPV Vaccination Rates  at a Youth Sexual Health Clinic * awarded Best Research Poster!

USF Health Research Day, Feb 28^th

Fleming Z and Shaffer-Hudkins E: Getting Connected with Early Intervention: Referral Rates for Black Children with Developmental Delays

Commaroto S, Jowers B, Chang J, Schall R. Assessing Vaccine Hesitance: A Comparison of Dot and Paper Survey Methodologies in a Youth Sexual Health Clinic. *won the USF Health Dean’s Interprofessional Research Award  

Narkhede A, Vidwans A, Armstrong V. Impact of Social Determinants of Health on HPV Vaccination Rates at a Youth Sexual Health Clinic

Goff W, Quin N, Guitierrez A, Aydin R, Peng C. Clinical Characteristics and Response to Treatment in Youth with Newly Diagnosed HIV Infection

Dr. Racha Khalaf was an author on two presentations at the 7^th World Congress of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition held in Buenos Aires, in Dec 2024: Utilizing the Trinetx International Database of Rare Disease: GI manifestations in children and young adults with cystic fibrosis in the pre and post highly effective triple modulator therapy era AND Pancreatic cystic lesions in children: A comprehensive scoping review

MedED Symposium

Van Cleve M, Sizemore A,Chang J presented The Ybor Clinic AfterHours Program - Real World Education on Health Inequities, Social Determinants of Health, and Their Impact on Young Adults. The presentation was organized by M Baker

Society of Behavioral Medicine Conference, San Francisco, March 29th

Guitierrez A, Miller C. Youth GPS: Lessons Learned from the Development of a Substance Use Screening and Education Intervention at a Youth Sexual Health Clinic

Clinical Trials

USF Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery is recruiting subjects for a phase 3, open-label study of apremilast in pediatric subjects from 6-17 years old with mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis. Contact Lucy Lam, RN at llam@usf.edu

Scientific Review

• Faculty and trainees are reminded that all investigator-initiated studies need to be submitted for departmental scientific review prior to being submitted to the IRB. Departmental review is required before the IRB will consider the application. Please send your protocols and any inquiries about the process to Jane Carver (jcarver@usf.edu).

Save the Dates

April 7:           Child Abuse Symposium

April 17:         Lewis Barness Lecture and Fellows Forum

April 24-28:   Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting

April 25:         AKTiVe Physcian & APP's

May 4:            Take Steps Walk for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation

May 8:            MCOM Commencement

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Please send content for the next newsletter to pedicom@usf.edu by 7/15/2025