Pediatrics Flyer
The official newsletter of the Department of Pediatrics
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Jeff Robison, MD
Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Dr. Jeff Robison is a pediatric emergency medicine physician and Director of the Global, Rural and Underserved Child Health Program within the Department of Pediatrics. Jeff is a home-grown product of Utah and enjoys exploring the canyons, mountains, and desert of this beautiful state together with his two sons. Jeff attended the University of Utah School of Medicine after which he completed Pediatric Residency at Columbia University-Children’s Hospital of New York. Upon completion of residency, Jeff took a job in Malawi to work at Kamuzu Central Hospital in the capital city of Lilongwe. During that time, he not only cared for acutely ill children, but also participated in education and research. His experience in Malawi motivated Jeff to receive further training in the care of acutely and critically ill children leading him to return to Utah to complete training in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and, eventually, continue on as faculty.
Jeff’s academic career has been focused on improving the hospital and emergency care of children in resource-limited settings and the development of global health programs that link U.S. Academic Medical Centers with partners in medically underserved areas of the world. He is the Director of the Global, Rural and Underserved Child Health (GRUCH) Program and the founding director of a global child health fellowship within this program. His interest and experience in global child health has given him the opportunity to serve on the Global Health Steering Committee for the University of Utah as well as to serve on national committees related to global health partnerships, education, research, and program development. More recently, Jeff has been asked to develop and direct a Global and Rural Health Scholars Program, designed as an interdisciplinary program for interested GME trainees across all of the School of Medicine.
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The Global, Rural and Underserved Child Health Fellowship
The Global, Rural and Underserved Child Health (GRUCH) Fellowship seeks to provide high-quality, sustainable pediatric care; recruit and train future leaders in global child health; work towards long-term, evidence-based solutions to complex determinants of health; and elucidate common principles in the care of children in resource-limited settings. Since 2016, the fellowship has partnered with Navajo Area Indian Health Service and The University of Rwanda where, over a 2-year period, fellows are integrated into local teams on the ground to provide clinical care and contribute to process improvement and research. Along the way, GRUCH fellows have also contributed to the education of residents interested in global health. Past and present fellows come from diverse backgrounds and have added a richness, not only to our partners, but to our department here in Utah.
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More recently, in March of 2020, GRUCH fellows were evacuated from Rwanda during the outbreak of Covid-19. Because of their unique experience, fellows were immediately redeployed to the Navajo Nation, which was afflicted by a significant outbreak at the beginning of the pandemic. GRUCH fellows were on the ground and assisted with the increased clinical load while also allowing providers to transition into roles dedicated solely to public health. In addition, because of the existing relationship with the University of Utah through the GRUCH program, Internists and Emergency Medicine physicians were also rapidly deployed to Navajo Area Service units to assist in the emergency Covid response.
GRUCH fellows continue to contribute to the education of University of Rwanda pediatric residents through zoom lectures and linkages to sub-specialists, and fellows plan to return to Rwanda soon. Furthermore, the success of the GRUCH fellowship model is now being replicated by other departments at the University who see the value of linking local and international partnerships in global health training programs.
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GRUCH Fellows at Chinle, AZ in the Navajo Nation |
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If you would like to give a tax deductible donation to the Global, Rural, and Underserved Child Health Program to support our research and advocacy efforts in our international and local sites, please consider doing so here.
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Welcome to the Team!
To see the new faculty and staff who joined us in September, click here.
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Thanks for the memories!
Three long-serving staff members retired last month. We wish them well in their new adventures.
Lois Hibler – Administrative Manager for Critical Care
Marsha Leen-Mitchell – Outreach Poison Education Provider for Genetics
Dianna Nabor – Office Support Coordinator for Gastroenterology
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Christie Davis – Transitioned from Supervisor of the Clinical Enterprise Prior Authorization team to Administrative Assistant for Education Enterprise, supporting the fellowship programs for GI, Transplant Hepatology, ID, Medical Genetics, Biochemical Genetics, Child Abuse, and Nephrology
Natasha Falero – Transitioned from the Template Team in Clinical Enterprise to Administrative Assistant for Education Enterprise, supporting the Pediatric Residency Program
Sarah Roberts – Promoted from Nutrition Care Technician to Clinical Dietitian for Genetics
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In this new section of the newsletter, we'll be sharing faculty announcements as they become available for faculty who have joined the department in the previous few months.
Our first is Dr. Kimberly Stowers who came on board in July 2020:
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Halloween Costume Guidelines
Employees may dress up for Halloween on Friday, October 30. Please follow these guidelines for Pediatrics and PCH:
- No scary or gory costumes
- No controversial costumes
- No make-up bruises and/or blood
- No clowns
- No masks or full-face paint
- No deceased or undead people such as vampires, zombies, and angels
- No provocative costumes (the dress code still applies)
- Please show your respect for all cultural backgrounds by not creating a costume based on a stereotype of a culture other than your own
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Everyone will need to be able to perform appropriate hand hygiene, and costumes cannot inhibit caregivers’ ability to wear a mask and eye protection
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Annual Attestation of Business Relationships Due
University regulations require the following individuals to certify on an annual basis
that they have disclosed to the University of Utah a complete and up-to-date list
of their and their family members' financial or consulting relationships with outside
business entities:
- Health Sciences faculty members, including adjunct faculty
- Health Sciences College/Department/Division administrators
Individuals are required to complete this certification process even if they do not
have any financial or consulting relationships to disclose.
The annual attestation must be completed through the Business Relationship Reporting (BRR) system by Friday, October 16. Click here for instructions.
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Flu Shot Requirement
The flu shot is mandatory for all faculty, advanced practice clinicians, and staff whose job responsibilities are performed at any Intermountain or University practice facilities. The deadline for all required providers, faculty and staff is November 18, 2020. Flu shot exemption requests must be approved by October 30.
For detailed instructions on where to get your flu shot and how to ensure the department has record of your flu shot, click here. |
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Updated WellU Wellness Program Requirements
To recieve the WellU discount of $40 per month on your university health care plan for the 2021/2022 plan year, you must complete the following items by June 30, 2021:
- Complete the General Health Assessment on the Regence website or on the Regence Empowered app;
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Log in to regence.com. If necessary, register your account.
- Click the Regence Empower button (right side of the webpage, below member information) or the Meet Regence Empower banner (by scrolling down).
- If prompted, complete the communication preference page.
- Click “Get Started Now!” to begin your Health Assessment.
- Complete three WellU Wellness Activities. Options include an annual physical exam, certain preventive screenings, dental cleaning and exam, flu shot, PEAK Health & Fitness, and Campus Recreation Services.
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U Health Face Masks
When you purchase a U Health face mask at a participating location, you'll also be making a $5 donation to the Utah Food Bank. See below for details.
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Congratulations to Dr. Michael Johnson with the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine who received a notice of award as Site PI to subcontract with Columbia University (via the PECARN network) for an NIH NINDS funded project entitled "Headache Assessment of Children for Emergent Intracranial Abnormalities."
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Thriving in Pediatrics (TiP)
Mission Statement: GREAT patient care starts with a THRIVING team!
2020-21 Wellness Theme: Empathetic Communication
Our TiP wellness team will offer monthly themes for the newsletter. The themes will help us foster a culture of empathetic communication, which is our theme for 2020/2021. In our Peds Newsletter we will provide you with tangible resources with practical application. The theme for November will be GRATITUDE with content provided by the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine.
We spend so much of our lives talking to each other, but how much are we simply running on automatic—relying on old habits and hoping for the best? Are we able to truly hear others and speak our mind in a clear and kind way, without needing to get defensive or go on the attack? In this groundbreaking synthesis of mindfulness, somatics, and Nonviolent Communication, Oren Jay Sofer offers simple yet powerful practices to develop healthy, effective, and satisfying ways of communicating.
- Feel confident during conversation
- Stay focused on what really matters in an interaction
- Listen for the authentic concerns behind what others say
- Reduce anxiety before and during difficult conversations
- Find nourishment in day-to-day interactions
Meet the TiP Team
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Fadi Asfour, MD
Pulmonology & Sleep Medicine
"This moment is all there is." – Rumi
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David Sandweiss, MD
Emergency Medicine
"There will be joy and grief but live it all in awe." – Cloud Cult
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Reena Tam, MD
Inpatient Medicine
"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." – Maya Angelou
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Ashly Buhler
Pulmonology & Sleep Medicine
"You can’t change people; you can only love them." – My dad
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Leigh Fredericks
Administration
"Whatever you are, be a good one."
– Abraham Lincoln
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Kim Orton, RN
Neurology
"Both faith and fear demand you believe in something you cannot see. You choose."
– Bob Proctor
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Ashley Sacharny
Administration
"My greatest treasure is my family. We may not be perfect, and our tree has a few nuts, but I love them with all my heart." – Unknown
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Erin Treemarcki, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Pediatric Rheumatology
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What's your preferred name? My preferred name is Erin Treemarcki, though I also answer to Tiny Tree (based on my Twitter handle, @DrTinyTree) and ET.
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When did you join the Department of Pediatrics? I joined September 1, 2019, shortly after finishing fellowship.
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What's your favorite part of your job? The people! I enjoy being part of the division of rheumatology and the department of pediatrics. I enjoy working with and learning from my colleagues. I’ve also enjoyed getting to know my patients and their families.
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Do you collect anything? I collect shot glasses and get at least one whenever I travel someplace new. I like that they are small and easy to store in luggage when traveling.
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What are your hobbies and/or talents? I enjoy reading, cooking, and exercise. I also enjoy taking photos. My husband and I frame a photo from each trip we take together and place it around a world map (this is my Zoom background when I’m working from home).
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What’s your favorite band, musical artist, or music genre? I’m a fan of pop rock music. Some of my favorites are Bon Jovi, Goo Goo Dolls, Billy Joel, and Train.
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What’s your favorite book or movie? My favorite book is Pride and Prejudice.
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What are you currently reading, watching, or listening to? My husband and I recently finished watching a series called "Alone" from the History Channel. We are probably going to watch "The Good Place" again soon, since the whole series is now on Netflix. It’s one of my favorite shows, just brilliantly done. I even made a "Welcome! Everything is fine" sign for my office. I regularly listen to a couple of podcasts, including "The Daily" and "Sports? With Katie Nolan". I just started reading "City of Light, City of Poison" about the first police chief of Paris.
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Who or what inspires you? My family inspires me.
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What is your favorite way to decompress after work/on the weekends? I enjoy exercising and regularly working out. One of the things I love about Utah is the hiking. It’s been a great change from the gym.
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If you could snap your fingers and become an expert in one thing, what would it be? Cooking! I really enjoy cooking and watching different cooking shows, like Top Chef, Worst Cooks, and Chopped. They inspire me to learn more about food and its preparation.
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What’s the most interesting or weirdest job you’ve ever had? Since I was a swimmer growing up, I worked a lifeguard and swim instructor for all of my pre-medicine years. At Notre Dame there were 2 pools and lakes on campus, so my shifts varied from teaching swim lessons, to life guarding during diving practice, to life guarding during the swimming portion of a triathlon.
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What is something you learned recently? I learned how to make pickles. This was our first year gardening and we ended up with way too many cucumbers.
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If you could share a meal with any three well-known individuals, who would they be? Kristen Bell, Jane Austen, and Marie Curie.
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What do you consider your superpower? My enthusiasm
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What is your guilty pleasure? My first thought is chocolate. I have a chocolate bowl on my office desk in case anyone else needs a chocolate fix.
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What’s something you saw recently that made you smile? One of my patients recently brought in a drawing for me.
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What's the most daring thing you've ever done? I’ve gone sky diving… twice.
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What is something that might surprise us about you? During residency I got certified as a Piloxing instructor (it’s a boxing, pilates, and dance interval style workout). I taught a class every other week throughout my fellowship.
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Pam Commons
Administrative Assistant
Pediatric Behavioral Health
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When did you join the Department of Pediatrics? 2008
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What's your favorite part of your job? The team I work with. I admire our faculty.
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Do you have any pets? Indirectly…I have 2 grand-dogs and 1 grand-desert tortoise.
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Do you collect anything? I collect cookbooks. I love to read them and I do actually use them to try new recipes! I have over 100 of them! My favorite is one of the first Betty Crocker’s cookbook, 1950 first edition.
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What are your hobbies and/or talents? I love cooking! Over the years, I have become the meatball queen!
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What’s your favorite band, musical artist, or music genre? The Beatles. My favorite is Twist and Shout!
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What’s your favorite book or movie? Book: The Gondola Maker, author Laura Morelli
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What are you currently reading, watching, or listening to? Reading: The Painter’s Apprentice: A Novel of 16th-Century Venice
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Who or what inspires you? My grandkids' laughter!
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What is your favorite way to decompress after work/on the weekends? Walking – getting my 10,000 steps in each and every day!
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If you could snap your fingers and become an expert in one thing, what would it be? Seamtress
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What’s the most interesting or weirdest job you’ve ever had? Coordinated bus trips to the factory outlets in San Francisco and the Bay Area
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What is something you learned recently? Crocheting via YouTube
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If you could share a meal with any three well-known individuals, who would they be? Laura Morelli (Author), Alberto Tomba (Italian Olympian), Clint Eastwood (Actor)
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What do you consider your superpower? Being a great Nonna (grandma).
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What is your guilty pleasure? Going to Wendover on the 'Fun Bus'
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What's the most daring thing you've ever done? Entered a dance contest and did the twist! Actually, twisted too hard and chipped my hip! But won!
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What is something that might surprise us about you? When I started Kindergarten, all those years ago, I did not speak English – I only spoke Italian.
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Recognize Someone for a Job Well Done!
The department has an online tool you can use to show appreciation for other members of Pediatrics and recognize them for exemplifying the PROMISE behavior standards: People Centered, Respect, Ownership, Making a Difference, Innovation, Safety, and Excellence.
Recognitions will be published in an upcoming issue of the newsletter. Please note: if a submitter's name is not given, we will not publish the comment. However, the submitter's name will remain anonymous in the newsletter.
The link to the recognition form can be found on the department intranet home page, or click the box below.
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DEPARTMENT CHAIR'S SUGGESTION BOX |
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Dr. Giardino wants to hear from you!
If you have any ideas or concerns you'd like to share with Dr. Giardino, please submit your comments to his suggestion box. The link can be found on the department intranet home page in the "Contact Us" tile, or send a suggestion now by clicking box below.
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