We have seen a dramatic uptick in RSV and respiratory viral illnesses over the last month. On the graph below, you can see the count of respiratory viruses at UNC since 2019. That first winter season on the graph was typical prior to COVID, but our current uptick is more than twice as many cases as the busiest 2019 week.

The clinic, emergency room, urgent care, and hospital inpatient volumes have significantly increased over the past year. There are several reasons including the uptick in respiratory viral infections (noted above) and the closure of pediatric floors at community hospitals leading to regionalization of care. Thank you to everyone who has navigated the capacity constraints we have faced this past year. We continue to work on short- and long-term solutions to deal with these capacity needs. We are planning to open inpatient beds in Hillsborough in early 2023.  

We have seen great growth in our partnership in Wilmington and are actively recruiting additional specialists. Mike Steiner, Kenya McNeal-Trice, Francisco Sylvester, Jane Fan, and I visited this week and had a great day meeting with the UNC physicians, APPs and the Novant leadership team.

I am excited to announce that Ceila Loughlin is stepping into a new position as Outpatient Medical Director for UNC Children’s. She will serve as a dyad partner with Jessica Simo and partner with outpatient management teams across our many clinics. We are excited for her to take on this new role. Her “can do” attitude will help us align the outpatient activities across the triangle and state.

Grand Rounds has had great presentations over the past few months! Thank you, Marianne and Emily, for your leadership and focus on coordinating these sessions. Please try to attend Grand Rounds in person and if you are off-campus join virtually. Remember that these satisfy not only your CME requirements but also count as MOC Part II credit.

The Children’s Research Institute and Department of Pediatrics hit a new research milestone. We had an incredible $44 million in research funding for FY22, which is more than double the amount 4 years ago. Kudos to all the investigators, research staff, and administrators. Truly amazing!

I would like to highlight Ginny Moyer (pictured right) who just retired from the GPAM division. She was an incredible asset to that division. She is an exceptional educator and clinician. Thank you, Ginny! Enjoy your retirement!

Last week I attended a beautiful ceremony highlighting the official naming of the pediatric hematology/oncology clinic.  This clinic will now be The Reelin for Research Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic. This annual event raised over 5 million dollars to cure childhood cancer. Thank you to the Montana family who led this effort and Stuart Gold who worked so closely with this family. 

Catherine Habashy joined the Division of Hematology-Oncology as an Assistant Professor on September 1, 2022. Dr. Habashy earned her medical degree from the University of Tennessee in Memphis in 2007. Catherine completed her Med/Peds Residency at the University of Kentucky in Lexington in 2011. Subsequently, she earned her Masters in Public Health from New York University in 2015, her Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the University of Tennessee in 2017, and her Fellowship in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology here at UNC Children’s in 2022. Congratulations Catherine!

Amari Howard joined the Wilmington Pediatric Specialty Division in Gastroenterology as an Assistant Professor on September 1, 2022. In 2016, Dr. Howard earned a medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Howard completed a Pediatric Residency at the A.I DuPort Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware in 2019 and a Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC in 2022. Welcome Amari!

Camilia Kamoun joined the Division of Endocrinology as an Assistant Professor on September 1, 2022. Dr. Kamoun earned a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016. Dr. Kamoun completed a Pediatric Residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 2019 and a Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 2022. Also, in 2022 Dr. Kamoun completed her Masters Degree in Medical Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania. Welcome Camilia!

Rohan Patel joined the Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine as an Assistant Professor on September 1, 2022. In 2016, Dr. Patel earned a medical degree from the Saint George School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies. Dr. Patel completed a Pediatric Residency at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia in 2019 and a Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus Ohio in 2022. Welcome Rohan!

UNC Children's Primary Care Clinic, under the direction of Ms. Sherri Woody and Dr. Katie Jordan, was named FY22 Child & Adolescent Population Most Improved Practice by the the UNC Primary Care Improvement Collaborative (PCIC).

Primary care practice representatives from across the UNC Health Care System joined together as a Primary Care Improvement Collaborative (PCIC) to facilitate shared learning and accountability.

on Thurs, August 10th,

Tierra Bobo joined the joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Genetics and Metabolism on August 1, 2022. Dr. Bobo received her PhD from The Ohio State University in Human Molecular Genetics in 2016. She also, received her Bachelors of Science Degree in biological science from The Ohio State University in 2010. Most recnetly, Dr. Bobo has been a Post Doctoral Research Assistant the Gene Therapy Center working with Dr. Haiyan Fu. Congratulations Tierra!

Sara K. Powell joined the joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Genetics and Metabolism on September 1, 2022. Dr. Powell earned her PhD in Genetics and Genomics from Duke University in 2014. Dr. Powell began her post doctoral training with the UNC-CH Gene Therapy Center in 2014 and has been a Senior Research Assistant in the McCown Lab since 2021. Congratulations Sara!

The inaugural Dr. Jacob A. Lohr Research Awards were recently presented to:

Misty Good, MD, MS – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – recently published: Dilemmas in human milk fortification. Hair AB, Scottoline B, Good M. J Perinatol. 2022 Sep 12. doi: 10.1038/s41372-022-01502-6. PMID: 36097287 

Jackie Patterson, MD, MPH – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine - was awarded an R33 from the NIH titled, “An Integrated mHealth Strategy to Improve Newborn Resuscitation in Low and Lower-Middle Income Countries.”

David Peden, MD, MS – Allergy/Immunology – was recently included in the Spectrum news story: UNC doctor believes Inflation Reduction Act will help asthmatics.

Colin Orr, MD - General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – was awarded funding by the Michigan Center for Diabetes Translational Research for his project: “Development and adaptation of a peer support intervention to address food insecurity and support health infant growth.”

Mike O’Shea, MD, MPH – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – recently published: Growth During Infancy after Extremely Preterm Birth: Associations with Later Neurodevelopmental and Health Outcomes. O'Shea TM, Register HM, Yi JX, Jensen ET, Joseph RM, Kuban KCK, Frazier JA, Washburn L, Belfort M, South AM, Santos HP Jr, Shenberger J, Perrin EM, Thompson AL, Singh R, Rollins J, Gogcu S, Sanderson K, Wood C, Fry RC; ELGAN-ECHO Pulmonary/Obesity Group. J Pediatr. 2022 Aug 17:S0022-3476(22)00724-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2022.08.015. PMID: 35987367

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia and neurobehavioural outcomes at birth and 2 years in infants born before 30 weeks.  Martin M, Smith L, Hofheimer JA, McGowan EC, O'Shea TM, Pastyrnak S, Carter BS, Helderman J, Check J, Neal C, Roberts MB, Dansereau LM, Della Grotta SA, Lester BM. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2022 Aug 23:fetalneonatal-2021-323405. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2021-323405. PMID: 35999044

Caregivers' perception of the role of the socio-environment on their extremely preterm child's well-being.  Emmanuel CJ, Knafl KA, Docherty SL, Hodges EA, Wereszczak JK, Rollins JV, Fry RC, O'Shea TM, Santos HP Jr. J Pediatr Nurs. 2022 Sep-Oct;66:36-43. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2022.05.005. PMID: 35623186 

The placenta epigenome-brain axis: placental epigenomic and transcriptomic responses that preprogram cognitive impairment. Freedman AN, Eaves LA, Rager JE, Gavino-Lopez N, Smeester L, Bangma J, Santos HP, Joseph RM, Kuban KC, O'Shea TM, Fry RC.

Epigenomics. 2022 Sep 8. doi: 10.2217/epi-2022-0061. PMID: 36073148

Changes in BMI During the COVID-19 Pandemic.  Knapp EA, Dong Y, Dunlop AL, Aschner JL, Stanford JB, Hartert T, Teitelbaum SL, Hudak ML, Carroll K, O'Connor TG, McEvoy CT, O'Shea TM, Carnell S, Karagas MR, Herbstman JB, Dabelea D, Ganiban JM, Ferrara A, Hedderson M, Bekelman TA, Rundle AG, Alshawabkeh A, Gilbert-Diamond D, Fry RC, Chen Z, Gilliland FD, Wright RJ, Camargo CA, Jacobson L, Lester BM, Hockett CW, Hodges ML, Chandran A; Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes. Pediatrics. 2022 Sep 1;150(3):e2022056552. doi: 10.1542/peds.2022-056552.

Joanna Smeekens, PhD and Michael Kulis, PhD – Allergy/Immunology – recently published: Induction of food-specific IgG by Gene Gun-delivered DNA vaccines. J Smeekens, JR Kesselring, H Frizzel, KC Bagley, MD Kulis. Induction of food-specific IgG by Gene Gun-delivered DNA vaccines. Front Allergy. 2022; doi.org/10.3389/falgy.2022.969337.

Amy Ursano, MD – Child Psychiatry -was included in the CBS17 story: ‘Honest, available, reassurance’: NC experts encourage parents to be open with children when talking mental illness, suicide.

Matthew Vogt, MD, PhD - Pediatric Infectious Diseases – has been part of a variety of news features: With increased virus activity, providers urged to be alert for signs of rare polio-like syndrome in kids (STAT News); Acute Flaccid Myelitis: Drawing Attention Amid the Peak Months (Neurology Live); Episode 70: Raising Awareness of Acute Flaccid Myelitis (Neurology Live); Poliomyelitis: What to do and how to manage a suspected case (SRNA); CDC Warns of Increased Respiratory Virus Among Children That Can Cause Polio-Like Paralysis (Everyday Health).

Jasmine Weiss, MD – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine - was awarded funding by HRSA through Carolina Health Workforce Research Center, for her project: "Understanding the Contributions of Undergraduate Historically Black Colleges and Universities to Increasing Physician Workforce Diversity”.

Zachary Willis, MD –Pediatric Infectious Diseases – has been part of two news stories: After 3 months, COVID-19 vaccine drive for NC’s youngest kids slows to a crawl (CBS17) and Parechovirus: 5 things parents need to know (WRAL).

Thank you to the NICU team for going above and beyond to better the lives of our tiniest, yet mightiest patients. If you’re interested in learning more about the NHNHRMC NICU team and their incredible work, please contact Brandy Garris (Brandy.Garris@novanthealth.org).

Karen Wood, MD and her tennis team won the USTA NC STATE 3.5/40+ championship and advanced from the Southern Sectional tournament in Auburn, AL, to compete at the USTA National Championships in Scottsdale, Arizona in October!

Tickets includes a delicious menu, colorful entertainment, access to an exclusive silent auction and giveaway games, a high-spirited live auction, and a DJ dance party.  Read More

Gonzalo is an incredibly important, diligent, and motivated member of our team. He has made an incredible impact since he started here in November 2021. He tirelessly supports our large and rapidly growing division and has helped us start a brand new fellowship program. His work ethic is second to none and he takes the initiative to anticipate the needs of the division faculty, staff and fellows.

Not only has he created more standardized, efficient processes to streamline workflows but he also seeks out opportunities to lessen the workload of our medical providers so we can focus on taking care of patients. His outgoing nature, upbeat attitude, and sense of humor never fail to brighten our day and he works tirelessly to keep things running smoothly for Hospital Pediatrics. We feel so lucky to have him as part of UNC Pediatrics!