Dear Department of Pediatrics team,

As I reflect on my four-month journey as your Chair, I am filled with immense gratitude. Time has flown by, and each moment has been a valuable opportunity for learning, growth, and a deeper understanding of the incredible work you all do. Since my last update at the three-month mark, a lot has transpired.

I've had the privilege of meeting with many of the divisions and engaging in conversations that have shed light on what motivates each team and the passions that drive their work. Last week, I visited our General Pediatrics clinic in Orange, and had a chance to learn how this essential group of colleagues contributes to our clinical and community mission. Additionally, we recently convened our clinical retreat, an event that allowed us to come together to lay out the collaborative and challenging work ahead of us.

Throughout these past four months, I have continued to be impressed by your dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to our missions. Your warm welcome and ongoing support have meant the world to me, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of such an exceptional team.

Looking ahead, I am excited about the opportunities that await us. As previously mentioned, I remain committed to meeting with every division and arranging individual meetings with each member of our faculty. These interactions will not only deepen our connections but also open avenues for more meaningful collaborations and discussions about your aspirations and goals.

Thank you once again for your continued support, dedication, and hard work. Here's to many more months of success, growth, and shared accomplishments as we work together toward our common goals.

Warm regards,

Madhu Misra, MD, MPH

Benjamin Armistead Shepherd Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, UVA

Physician-in-Chief, UVA Children’s Health

Retreats

Clinical Retreat

• The Departmental Clinical Retreat was held on March 21st and 22nd, 2024. Key stakeholders were invited and asked to respond to a pre-retreat survey designed to hone retreat priorities and focus. The existing strategic plan for the Children’s Hospital and current metrics were reviewed. The Department’s mission, vision, and goals statement were also reviewed and revised. Priority was given to important clinical updates related to staffing, budget, and facilities/operations. To foster and optimize participation, engagement, and joy during the retreat, the retreat included team-building exercises and meaningful, impactful guest speakers. Guest speakers included a patient and her family, the Health System Chief Strategy Officer, the new Health System COO (the first woman, and an immigrant), and a coach from UVA Human Resources Talent Development. Brainstorming was accomplished first in the full group, followed by smaller group discussions so everyone had the chance to be heard. At the conclusion, leaders were assigned to each action item and plans were made to create a dashboard to track progress. Feedback will be obtained in a post-survey.

Research Retreat

• Chaired by Dr. Ariel Gomez
• Date: April 12, 2024
• Location: Quayle Auditorium
• Invitees: A general invitation has been sent out to all faculty, and Division Directors are reviewing a preliminary list of researchers. If you are interested in this area, please notify them.

Education Retreat

• Chaired by Drs. Jeremy Middleton and Linda Waggoner Fountain.
• Date: April 24, 2024
• Location: Learning Studio of the Claude Moore Medical Education Building (1110 Claude Moore Building)
• Time: 12:30 pm to 5 pm
• Invitees: A preliminary list has been compiled based on demonstrated interest in UME/GME/CME education. Division Directors are vetting this list. If you are interested in this area, please notify them.

These retreats are crucial opportunities for us to collaborate, share insights, and collectively shape our strategic vision. Your input and participation are invaluable as we chart the course for our organization's future success.

Here are some of the gains for the Department of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital over the past four months:

• We are working on the search for our Associate Chair for Justice, Equity, and Inclusion, and our Vice Chairs for Research, Teaching, and Academic Affairs. The Vice Chair roles will be posted externally as well as internally, and we expect to start interviewing after April 4th.
• Our search committees for the Division Directors of General Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases, Neonatology, and Genetics are working to find the next incumbents for these important roles.  
• We were approved for the expansion of the residency program by 1 slot per year, with the potential for further increases depending on an ongoing workforce evaluation
• The PICU beds have expanded from 20 to 22 (soon to increase to 25)
• The NICU beds have expanded to 56 (soon to increase to 60)
• Plans are ongoing to add 4 pediatric acute beds very soon

Please continue to be proactive about nominating your colleagues for these and other awards. Also, if you would like to be nominated for an award, please let Dr. Sinkin or me know so we can look into this.

Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine

• Julia Taylor, MD, Irene Mathieu, MD, and Justus Garland (a recent graduate of Charlottesville High School) presented a workshop, “Promoting Health Equity and Adolescent Agency through Youth Participatory Action Research” at the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine in San Diego.

CHRC

• Maria Luisa Sequeira-Lopez, MD, gave the keynote lecture at the 2024 Angiotensin Gordon Research Seminar (Il Ciocco, Italy)
• Ariel Gomez, MD, gave an invited talk at the 2024 Angiotensin Gordon Research Conference (Il Ciocco, Italy), and was elected as vice chair for the 2026 conference and subsequent chair for the 2028 one.
• Lucas Ferreira de Almeida, PhD, is the first author of the “Elusive and Heterogenous Nature of Renin Cells”  published in the February issue of the journal Hypertension (IF=8.3) for the centennial collection (https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.123.21372Hypertension. 2024;81:203–205)
• Manako Yamaguchi will start on April 1^st her awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
• Ariel Gomez, MD, will give the “Susanne Oparil keynote lecture” at the 34th University of Alabama Vascular Biology and Hypertension Symposium on April 18-19.

General Pediatrics

• Rachel Moon, MD, has been awarded the Academic Pediatric Association Research Award- Senior. The APA Research Award- Senior recognizes an individual who, through his/her/their research, the investigator has epitomized the mission of the APA and contributed significantly to the general health of children in such areas as understanding mechanisms of health and disease, methods of education, and innovative ways of providing children’s services, especially in the setting of vulnerable populations. Congratulations on receiving this prestigious recognition! 
• Emily Trauernicht, MD, is the new facilitator for the General Pediatrics Division’s Motivation Interviewing Curriculum.
• Evelyn Aboagye, MD, and the Hospitalist team have received university funding for the proposal entitled “Breastfeeding Education for Blue Ridge Health District Breastfeeding Providers and Support Groups.” 
• UVA Health Women’s and Children’s Wisdom and Wellbeing program: received the Clinical Healthy Work Environment Award from the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing at a conference in March

Genetics

• Matt Snyder, MD, will present at the Society for Inherited Metabolic Diseases Annual Meeting in April. 

Neonatology

• Brynne Sullivan, MD, has received another “R” grant; this time an R01 as Co-PI with Washington University St. Louis. The goal of the work is to discover biomarkers of inflammation predicting brain damage in babies in the Neonatal ICU.
• Construction has started on 8N for NICU expansion! 
• (Re-)Launch of the NICU Patient Family Advisory Committee
• Jennifer Burnsed, MD, received the UVA GME Excellence in Mentorship Award for her engagement with fellows in their clinical and research training.

Nephrology

• Jennifer Charlton, MD, was awarded an R01 to study vitamin D metabolism following preterm birth.  This was funded by the NIDDK.
• Congratulations to the Pediatric Kidney Transplant Team and Pediatric CRC Iuliia Vitko for achieving a critical IROC QI milestone in the Pathway to Mastery in preventing rejection!
• Agnieszka Swiatecka-Urban, MD, has been working with IROC (Drs. Hooper, Nailescu, and Brook) on the abstract accepted for poster presentation at the American Transplant Congress. The abstract title is Identification of Depression, Anxiety, and Sleep Disturbances to Improve Adherence in Pediatric Kidney Transplant Recipients.

Psychology

• Alisa Bahl, PhD, gave a presentation on sleep interventions at the RIO TEMA Seminar, an annual conference to provide up-to-date information on Autism Spectrum Disorder to parents and professionals in Brazil.
• Laura Shaffer, PhD, was appointed to the Society of Pediatric Psychology Fellows Committee.
• Laura Shaffer, PhD, was appointed to the advisory committee for the AAMC’s Learn Serve Lead conference and was appointed Vice Chair of the AAMC’s CFAS Advocacy Committee.

Respiratory

• Andrea Garrod, MD, was chosen by the School of Medicine to be UVA’s junior representative to the AAMC Council of Faculty and Academic Societies.

New & Upcoming Additions

• Aaron Misakian, MD, 12/1/2024 Pediatric Endocrine
• Seth Morrison, MD, 11/1/2024 Pediatric Gastroenterology (75% research)
• Joshua Reyes, MD, 9/1/2024 Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
• Kara Coffey, MD, 9/1/2024 Respiratory Medicine, Allergy, and Immunology
• Lindsay Riordan, MD, 9/1/2024 General Pediatrics - Northridge
• Kelly Gurka, MPH, PhD, 8/21/2024 Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (Research faculty)
• Alexandra Biller, MD, 8/19/2024 Pediatric Gastroenterology
• Anisha Gerber, MD, 8/15/2024 Pediatric Nephrology (80% research)
• Julia (Julie) Lovin 8/1/2024 Pediatric Cardiology
• Megan Yunghans, MD, 7/1/2024 General Pediatrics - Birdsong
• Emily Carroll, MD, 7/1/2024 General Pediatrics - Northridge
• Crystal Edds-McAfee 4/29/2024 APP (NP) Newborn Nursery
• Kristine Sojka 3/11/2024 Program Manager, Hemophilia Treatment Center
• Madeline Leckrone 3/11/2024 Assistant to the Chair/ Administration Assistant
• Emily Boshkoff 3/7/2024 Psychologist, Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
• Sherry Kausch 3/1/2024 Research Scientist, Neonatology

Received an award or have an accomplishment? Let us know!

Contact Cierra Hill or Cody Ragland with your submission.

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