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This Month In Pediatrics
June 2026
Part 2
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Children's Week 2026 Heads to Capitol Hill
Dr. Sallie Permar, Ilina Ewen, and colleagues participated in Children’s Week, taking the mic to advocate for critical priorities including Medicaid, vaccination efforts, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and continued investment in children’s health. Their engagement highlights the importance of strong advocacy across all levels of the department. Read more here!
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How to Protect Against Ticks and Lyme Disease
Dr. Karen Acker and infectious disease specialists were featured on NYP Health Matters, sharing how ticks spread Lyme disease, key symptoms to watch for, and tips for early prevention and treatment. They also discussed the lone star tick and its connection to meat allergies. Read more here!
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The Department of Pediatrics is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Angela Kadenhe-Chiweshe, as Chief of the division of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Trauma, effective July 1, 2026.
Dr. Kadenhe-Chiweshe is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and a nationally respected pediatric surgeon with extensive expertise spanning the full breadth of neonatal and pediatric surgical care. She has dedicated her career to complex pediatric surgical care, multidisciplinary collaboration, clinical innovation, education, and translational and clinical research. Read more here!
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The Department of Pediatrics is pleased to announce the promotion of Dr. Bernhard Kühn to tenure Professor of Pediatrics, effective May 1, 2026. This promotion recognizes his outstanding achievements in research and his exemplary dedication to teaching and mentorship. Dr. Kühn’s contributions bring great distinction to Weill Cornell Medicine. Read more here! | | | |
The Department of Pediatrics is pleased to support the promotion of Dr. Karen Acker to Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics on the Pathway Recognizing Clinical Excellence. We look forward to Dr. Acker’s continued contributions and future accomplishments at Weill Cornell Medicine. | | | |
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We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Duncan Hau, will be assuming the role as Associate Unit Medical Director for our inpatient pediatric units (6N and 6C), working closely with Dr. Jenn Lee. Dr. Hau is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and a pediatric hospitalist in the Division of General Academic Pediatrics.
Joining faculty in 2014, Dr. Hau has served as Director of the Pediatric Hospitalist Program at New York Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital and Associate Medical Director of Newborn Nurseries at New York Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital & Weill Cornell Medical Center.
His interests include global health outcomes research and medical education. After residency, he spent two years living in Mwanza, Tanzania scaling-up pediatric care, and is actively involved in global health teaching with Cornell University undergraduates, medical students, and pediatric residents.
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2026 HRSA Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program (PSLRP) is Open
Applications are due June 30, 2026
HRSA expects to make up to 100 new awards of up to $100,000 in student loan repayment to eligible health professionals in exchange for a three-year, full-time service commitment to be employed, or participate in a fellowship program at a Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program approved facility.
HRSA will host a webinar on June 10, 2:00–3:30 pm ET. Details are available HERE.
There are no major changes to individual eligibility criteria for 2026. Applicants must meet the full-time service requirement of 144 clinical/service hours per month. Research time does not count toward this requirement, though fellows may extend their service period to meet the obligation.
Please review the 2026 program guidance for full eligibility details.
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| | Dr. Mohamad Hamieh has been awarded an NIH R37 MERIT grant totaling $3.5 million over five years in support of his study, “Interrogating and Targeting Co-Inhibitory and Co-Stimulatory Molecules in CAR T-Cell Therapies,” which focuses on advancing CAR T-cell therapy by exploring key immune regulatory pathways. | | | |
| | Dr. Dana O’Toole was recently accepted into the 2026 AAAAI Faculty Development Program, Weill Cornell’s Mentored Clinical Research Training Program (MCRTP), and the Leadership in Academic Medicine Program (LAMP), all of which support research and academic career development. | | | |
| | Pediatric Fellows' Research in Progress takes place on the first Thursday of each month. Third and second-year fellows present their ongoing academic scholarship work. Stay tuned for next month's presenters! | | | |
| | In December 2025, Dr. Shipra Kaicker and Dr. Ryo Miyakawa launched a joint clinic, Sickle Cell and Pulmonary Care for Kids (SCaP Kids), to deliver coordinated care for children with sickle cell disease. It is increasingly recognized that the pulmonary health of individuals with sickle cell disease requires special attention, and this clinic aims to facilitate comprehensive pulmonary evaluation and care. The clinic has received 14 referrals to date and hopes to further improve access in the upcoming academic year. | | | |
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Dr. Han-Wei Wu, a graduating Hematology/Oncology Pediatric Fellow, presented at the 2026 Primary Care and Hospital Medicine Innovations Symposium on understanding the experiences of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors and their primary care providers.
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| | Dr. Miriam Samstein’s PGY2 mentees, Calista Dominy and Catherine Roukhadze, presented their quality improvement project, “Penicillin Allergy De-labeling in Pediatric Primary Care through Quality Improvement,” which was selected as the NYP Graduate Education podium presentation. | | | | |
Ways to Engage For Children’s Week and Beyond
Even if you couldn’t be in the nation’s capital for Children’s Week, you can still use your voice in meaningful ways to support policies that help improve the health and wellbeing of children.
There are five key issues prioritized for Children’s Week. Each issue listed below links to a succinct one-pager that highlights the need and legislative ask. Contact your members of Congress to support Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, and vaccines.
1. The Senate Must Put Kids First in Any Farm Legislation
2. Cosponsor the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act
3. Promote Children’s Access to Lifesaving Vaccines
4. Secure the Future of Children’s Health Care Coverage
5. Protect Medicaid to Protect Children’s Health
We need to make children’s voices and needs impossible to ignore by:
- Meeting with federal, state, and local policymakers
- Sharing stories of how children and families are impacted by public policy choices
- Publishing op-eds, letters to the editor, blog posts, and newsletters
- Hosting community conversations, town halls, and educational events
- Amplifying children’s issues on social media using #ChildrensWeek2026
- Highlighting successful programs and policies that improve child health, well-being, and opportunity
- Engaging youth leaders, parents, caregivers, educators, and health professionals in advocacy efforts
Join the Movement
Whether through social media, direct advocacy, community engagement, or raising these issues and stories at every chance you get, your voice can help build momentum for policies that ensure all children have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
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| | Dr. Yasmin Khakoo received the Barnard College Award for Distinction from the Alumnae Association of Barnard College during the 40th reunion year. The award, established in 1967, recognizes AABC members who exemplify the ideals of a liberal arts education and have achieved significant professional distinction and impact in their field. | | | |
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Dr. Paridhi Shah received the Child Neurology Teaching Award from the Neurology Residency Program in recognition of her outstanding commitment to resident education and teaching excellence.
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| | Dr. Shama Khan has successfully completed her residency training. We are proud of her accomplishments and wish her continued success in the next chapter of her career. | | | | Click here to view publications by faculty members published in the last 30 days! | | |
| | Drs. Sallie Permar, Alyson Gutman, and Susan Bostwick, along with other colleagues, attended this year’s Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Society of Greater New York event, which featured Dr. Andrew Racine, current AAP President, as the guest speaker. He discussed how the AAP is addressing misinformation, responding to proposed policy changes from the current administration, and highlighted the importance of advocacy. | | | |
| | Dr. Karen Acker presented Grand Rounds to the NYPQ Pediatrics Department on June 11, speaking on “Resurgence of Vaccine-Preventable Infections.” | | | |
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Dr. Nicole Kelly, a 2025–2026 seed grant awardee, presented at the 2026 Primary Care and Hospital Medicine Innovations Symposium on community hospital admissions for pediatric somatic symptom and related disorders.
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| | Dr. Marianne Sharko served as a moderator on a panel titled “AI and Gender-Based Harms and Health” at the inaugural AI & Gender-Based Harms: Implications for Policy and Practice Conference, hosted by Weill Cornell Medicine and partner institutions. | | | |
| | Dr. Allison Gorman’s project, “A QI Approach to Vaccine Hesitancy in the Context of Increasing Misinformation and Public Distrust,” was selected to represent the Weill Cornell Quality Improvement Academy, highlighting an important issue in pediatric and adult health. | | | |
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Join the Faculty Wellness Committee!
We’re inviting faculty members to get involved with the Faculty Wellness Committee. This group plans events throughout the year that promote connection, collaboration, and fun, gathers faculty feedback and ideas, and works closely with department leadership to support wellness initiatives and opportunities.
If you’re interested in joining, they meet every other month on Thursdays at noon. Please reach out to Dr. Susan Bostwick for more information.
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Are you interested in sharing your expertise or telling your story? We invite you to contribute to our department blog. You can submit post ideas to Ilina Das Ewen. Whether you have an idea, bullet points, an outline, or a fully written blog post, reach out to Ilina. She can help you draft or edit a blog post. Your personal stories and insights are valuable.
Check out our latest blog posts!
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The “History and Exam” Trap
The "History and Exam" Trap is a classic medical coding and documentation pitfall. Before 2021, providers relied on documenting a specific number of bullet points for history and physical exams to justify the billing level. Today, the trap occurs when providers over-document unnecessary history and physical exams in to justify a higher Evaluation and Management (E/M) code.
The trap boils down to two critical rules that can lead to compliance audits and claim denials:
1. Medical Necessity Always Trumps
Performing and recording a comprehensive, textbook-level exam for a minor, straightforward issue (e.g., common cold with no complications) is considered "overkill" and fails the test of medical necessity. A high-level visit (like a 99215) should not be billed if the severity of the patient's problem does not rationally warrant it, regardless of how flawless the physical exam is documented.
2. History and Exam Don't Drive Code Selection
Since the sweeping CPT E/M coding revisions in 2021, the extent of the history and physical examination no longer dictates the billing level. Practitioners must still perform a medically appropriate history and exam, but the actual visit level is now determined solely by Medical Decision Making (MDM) complexity or the total time spent on the date of the encounter.
How to Avoid the Trap
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Be Relevant, Not Redundant: Tailor your examination to precisely what the patient presents with. Do not rely on "cloned" notes, "exploding" EHR macros, or copy-paste templates that document normal systems you did not explicitly examine.
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Match MDM to Your Code: Focus your documentation on the data you review, the number of diagnoses, and the risk of complications. Let your Clinical Reasoning dictate the level.
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Use Time as a Backup: If your clinical decision making is straightforward but you spent a significant, documented amount of face-to-face or non-face-to-face time counseling and coordinating care, you can reliably bill by time.
- When using time to bill:
- Be careful with rounding up time to meet a threshold (e.g., documenting "30 minutes" for every single patient) creates a highly suspicious pattern known as a "bell curve anomaly" during insurance audits
- Time spent teaching residents, supervising students, or taking unrelated phone calls must be strictly deducted from the total count.
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Schedule your Professional Headshot
External Affairs has established "headshot days" to fill the business need for standardized institutional headshots, particularly for clinical faculty profiles.
Employees in need of headshots may sign up for a 10-minute time slot through Microsoft Bookings (login required).
Stay tuned for upcoming headshot days here!
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Drs. Amar Ingravera, Robbyn Sockolow and Oleh Akchurin were among the top pediatric physicians with stellar Google review ratings this month!
Share your appreciation for colleagues by submitting a shout-out for inclusion in the department newsletter here!
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