The department newsletter is in beta mode. We would love to hear your feedback. Please send us suggestions or content ideas
here
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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, or click the box below.
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Suggestion Box Updates
Suggestion received:
"It would be nice if all staff received a jacket with the UU and Department of Peds logo."
Response:
Thanks for this suggestion! Recently, some employees received vests with the University logo on them. These vests came from University of Utah Hospital Administration as recognition for employees in certain
clinical patient-facing positions
in response to University of Utah Health's achievement of being in Vizient's Top 10 in Quality for ten years in a row. The decision about who would receive a vest was made outside of the department, and while we would have loved to be able to give a vest to all of the department's amazing employees, we were not able to do so. We know all employees contribute to the excellent care our patients receive, so we will keep jackets in mind as we consider future options for recognizing our employees.
Comment received:
"I love the weekly bulletin and the monthly newsletter! I think this is a great way to keep the department informed and adds a layer of cohesion and connectedness that can easily be lost within a large department like Pediatrics. After one newsletter, I already feel like I know more about the Department's people, priorities, initiatives, and the great work being done. I know putting together a newsletter and bulletin takes a lot of work, so thank you for dedicating the time, effort and resources needed to make it happen."
Response:
Thank you
–
we're glad to hear we're on the right track! The newsletter committee is always looking for feedback about what readers want to see and read. If you have any feedback or additions to the newsletter, please don't hesitate to send an email to
pedsnewsletter@hsc.utah.edu
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SPOTLIGHT: THE DATA COORDINATING CENTER
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The Data Coordinating Center (DCC) is housed in the division of Pediatric Critical Care, but it serves investigators throughout the department and the university. The vision of the DCC is to accelerate the translation of research to the bedside. The investigators and staff at the DCC, in conjunction with the Clinical Trials Office (CTO), have extensive experience with coordinating complex, multi-center registries, observation studies, and randomized trials. The DCC offers project management, clinical data management, and biostatistics support to investigators. For more than a decade, the DCC has supported over a dozen research networks in both adult and pediatric populations.
A few recent highlights from our work include:
- Amniotic Fluid - The DCC and CTO have begun to provide clinical trial services on multiple pilot studies evaluating the safety of using amniotic fluid and amnion membrane in the treatment of multiple conditions. These studies are sponsored by Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine (CTRM) within the Department of Internal Medicine. Four studies are currently in some phase of protocol development, IND submission, or database build with expected enrollment of the first study to begin in November 2019. The four pilot studies include evaluating the safety of using processed amniotic fluid (pAF) in treating 1) dry eye in patients with ocular graft vs host disease, 2) healing after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), 3) healing in chronic wounds, and 4) osteoarthritis inflammation and pain. These exciting studies are FDA-regulated and expected to enroll anywhere from 20-60 patients within the University of Utah.
- HCRN - The Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network (HCRN) received a Notice of Award of a 7-year randomized controlled trial comparing neurological outcomes between patients who undergo ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement vs patients who undergo endoscopic third ventriculostomy with cauterization of the choroid plexus (ETV+CPC) for the treatment of hydrocephalus.
- NEMSIS - The National Emergency Medical Services Information System 2018 Public-Release Research Dataset is now available to the public. The dataset includes 22,532,890 EMS activations submitted by 9,599 EMS agencies serving 43 states and territories during the 2018 calendar year. Tools provided to support the utilization and analysis of the 2018 Public-Research Dataset are available here.
Find out more about other DCC networks
here
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Intellectual Property Agreement - ACTION REQUIRED
In accordance with Policy 7-002 Patents and Inventions, all employees (including staff, faculty, part-time employees, student employees, academic non-faculty, etc.) hired to the University of Utah must sign the online Intellectual Property Agreement form (also known as the Invention Assignment Agreement form). Effective September 3, 2019, the University started utilizing a new online form. To check if you have a signed copy of this form on file, please follow the instructions below:
- Click here to access the University's HR Acknowledgement Forms.
- If you do not see a previously completed form in the "Your Signed Forms" section, select the appropriate "Employee Intellectual Property Assignment Agreement" in the "Available Forms" section. There are separate forms for benefited and non-benefited employees. Please ensure that you choose the appropriate form based on your current status. Click the "Create" button next to the form to read and electronically sign the agreement.
Flu Shots
A flu shot is mandatory for all faculty, advanced practice providers, and staff whose job responsibilities are performed at any Intermountain or University practice facilities. The deadline for all required employees to receive their flu shot is
November 20, 2019.
Changes in WellU Requirements
WellU requirements were changed on 07/01/2019.
An annual WellU physical is no longer required.
To participate in the WellU Program during the 2020/2021 plan year, the following must be completed before 07/01/2020:
- General Health Assessment - After completion, a $15 Amazon gift card will be loaded in your Regence Empower Incentives.
- Dental Cleaning and Exam
- Two WellU Wellness Activities
The updated WellU Program details can be found
here
.
Click here
to check your requirement completion status.
University of Utah Performance Management (UUPM)
The University of Utah implemented a new policy and online performance management tool, UUPM, for staff. Per Policy 5-141: Performance Management-University Staff (other than UUHC Staff), all staff are required to have a performance evaluation every year on a university approved tool. This year, the Department of Pediatrics will be required to use the new online UUPM evaluation tool to complete our 2019 annual evaluations. The 2019 evaluations must be completed by January 31, 2020. There are UUPM tutorials available for UU Health Academic managers and employees. The tutorials can be accessed
here
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Internal Job Postings
Job postings that are internal to the department can now be viewed on the department intranet. The link is in the Human Resources section on the intranet home page. Current postings will be displayed with the job title, division, closing date, and link to apply. The applicant must be a benefited employee of the Department of Pediatrics to be eligible to apply.
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To see the new faculty and staff who joined us in October, click
here
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Lucia Blasko
– Took on supporting the Naloxone Program as an Administrative Assistant
Ruby Roller
– Transitioned from Executive Assistant to Administrative Manager with oversight of central administration operations in the Williams Building
Melissa Smith
– Transitioned from Clinical Care Specialist to Regulatory Coordinator for Research with Genetics
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Cassie Davis
in Endocrinology was awarded her Certified Clinical Research Coordinator designation from the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP).
SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY:
Metformin treatment in young children with fragile X syndrome
.
Biag HMB, Potter LA,
Wilkins V
, Afzal S, Rosvall A, Salcedo-Arellano MJ, Rajaratnam A, Manzano-Nunez R, Schneider A, Tassone F, Rivera SM, Hagerman RJ.
Mol Genet Genomic Med.
2019 Sep 14: e956. doi: 10.1002/mgg3.956
Contextual factors influencing adoption of evidence-based care for children hospitalized with asthma
.
Nkoy FL
,
Wilkins VL
,
Fassl BA
, Johnson J,
Uchida DA
, Poll J, Greene TH, Koopmeiners KJ, Reynolds CC, Valentine KJ, Savitz LA, Maloney CG,
Stone BL
.
Hospital Pediatrics.
2019 Nov 6.
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Food Drive for the Utah Food Bank
In collaboration with the Utah Food Bank, we will be hosting our annual food drive from
November 11 to December 20
. There will be drop-off barrels for unexpired goods and non-perishables at these locations:
- Eccles Outpatient Services Building 4th Floor
- Williams Building Lobby
- 419 Wakara Suite 107
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Reach Out & Read Program
Again this year, we are pleased to accept new or gently used children's books, either in English or Spanish, for the Reach Out & Read program.
You may bring books to the Department holiday party or drop them off at the Williams Building lobby or the Eccles Outpatient Building 4th floor reception area during the month of December.
The program began at the South Main Clinic in 1998. Since that time, pediatric residents have given a brand new book and guidance about the importance of reading to children at their well-child visits. Children receive 10 books between the ages of six months and five years. Over the past 20 years, pediatricians have given over 40,000 books to their patients! Children of all ages can learn to love to read and have their very own books at home. In tight times, we know that our families will choose to buy food rather than a book, so the chance to give a child a book is appreciated. Thank you for your generous contributions to this worthwhile program!
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Call for Nominations
The James F. Bale, Jr. Pediatric Education Leadership Award celebrates pediatric faculty who embody the letter and spirit of educational leadership. This prestigious award recognizes faculty member for their sustained career commitment to education, their positive impact on pediatric education, and the reach of their education career to the national arena. Every other year one award in the amount of $250 and a glass plaque is granted to an outstanding education leader in the Department of Pediatrics. In addition, the recipient’s name is engraved on a plaque that hangs in the Pediatric Education Enterprise office.
Nomination letters are due December 2, 2019 by 5:00 p.m.
For eligibility criteria and nomination instructions,
click here
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Holiday Party
Don't forget to RSVP using the survey monkey link sent to your email for the Holiday Party by December 5th.
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Recognize Someone for a Job Well Done!
The department has a new 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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This Month's Recognition
Kevin Laws - Clinical Enterprise
Recognized for People Centered
"Kevin goes above and beyond to help each and every person in our department. He works hard and is always willing to help out. No job is too big or too small for him and he never complains. He shows he cares about people and their needs. He personally transports team members around campus and to trainings. He helps move coworkers' boxes and supplies when switching offices and has brought lunches that were left at other locations to help out his team. I can list many other acts of kindness and service he performs on a regular basis. I think he exhibits the "people centered" promise standard and deserves the recognition."
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FROM THE CLINICAL REVENUE INTEGRITY TEAM
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CPTs and RVUs
Current procedural terminology (CPT) and relative value unit (RVU) are systems that work in tandem to describe and categorize work performed by medical providers. In FY19, the Department of Pediatrics generated 399,950 CPT codes and 793,508 RVUs to represent the work done by our medical providers. Learn more about CPT codes and RVUs
here
!
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Brian McGinley, MD
, Division Chief of Pediatric Pulmonology, was part of a roundtable discussion with Mitt Romney, health experts, and other local officials focusing on the harm vaping is doing citizens and the proliferation of vaping among kids.
Douglas Fair, MD
, Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology speaks with Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones about fertility preservation in young cancer patients. "Once you break the barrier of talking about an awkward or difficult topic, families are super happy that you brought up that topic...patients have told us in surveys that after they have been done with their treatment...they feel that they were taken much better care of by their cancer team if fertility preservation was brought up."
A study titled "
Home Gun Safety Queries in Well Child Visits
" shows that in the months immediately following mass shootings, doctors are less likely to ask routine questions about gun safety in the home.
Carole Stipelman, MD
, Associate Professor in the Division of General Pediatrics was the first author on the study.
Sometimes the most impactful change comes from simply asking, "Why are we doing things this way?" Pediatric Infectious Diseases professor
Adam Hersh, MD
, explains the impact of practice inertia on antibiotic treatment in pediatric patients and how questioning the status quo improved outcomes and reduced cost.
Andrew Pavia, MD
, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, highlights some of the recent advancements in flu vaccine technology presented during the IDWeek 2019 meeting in Washington, D.C. and previews what type of flu season the U.S. might be facing this year.
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A Healthy Holiday Season
Interested in having a healthy holiday season? The CDC lists ways to keep you and your loved ones safe, healthy, and ready to enjoy the holidays.
Read more.
Don't let the cold weather discourage you from getting outside and staying active during the winter. Winter activities, particularly when there's snow on the ground, are good for strengthening core muscles and improving balance.
Read more.
The holiday season can bring on or worsen stress, anxiety, and depression. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Mayo Clinic offer strategies for coping:
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Gratitude Research
November is the month of gratitude--giving thanks and being appreciative for the things in your life. It seems to be a hot buzz word in the wellness space, and for good reason. Researchers have shown that intentional gratitude practices can have positive effects on happiness, physical health, and overall well-being:
- Harvard Health discusses research indicating that giving thanks can make you happier and offers ways to cultivate gratitude. Read more.
- Research on gratitude in the workplace is still limited, but so far, studies have linked workplace gratitude to less stress, fewer health complaints and fewer sick days, a greater sense that employees can achieve goals, and higher job satisfaction. Read more.
- University of Utah Health GME Wellness Director, Rob Davies, explores the practice of gratitude journaling–writing down "three good things" every day for two weeks. This simple exercise can profoundly impact your overall sense of well-being. Read more.
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Gratitude Staff Grand Rounds
Below are some resources he provided for your perusal:
To view a recording of this or past Staff Grand Rounds,
click here
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A Way to Give: Caps, Wraps, and Nappies for Babies
An initiative to address hypothermia and hygiene in babies in developing countries was instituted by pediatricians in the Department of Pediatrics Global, Rural, and Underserved Child Health (GRUCH) Fellowship. As pediatricians from the University of Utah travel to these locations to do medical work, they take donated caps, cloth diapers, and swaddle wraps and distribute them to our partners in these countries. Your donations could make all the difference for these little patients!
Click here for cap, wrap, and nappy patterns.
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Pediatric Administrative Group Gives Back
The Pediatric Administrative Group came together to decorate 40 food boxes for the Utah Food Bank. The boxes bring joy and help brighten the day for our community's senior citizens when they receive their decorated box full of donated food. The administrative group consisted of: Brandy Harman, Ruby Roller, Ashley Sacharny, Kristen Copeland, Jane Griffith, Cassie Denison, Megan McPharlin, Alberta Elstein, Emily Hansen, Melanie Gauci, Leigh Fredericks, Lindsay Browning, Ashly Medlyn, Lucia Blasko, Colby Townsend, and Shawdene Luke.
To find out more information about decorating boxes for the Utah Food Bank, click
here
or check out other volunteer opportunities with the Utah Food Bank
here
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Many thanks to the Pediatrics Flyer editors.
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