June 2023

Dear Colleagues,

Happy July!

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July celebration. Several infants in our NCCC dressed up to celebrate July 4^th!

I want to start by acknowledging the political and legal changes over the past month both in our state and federally through the recent Supreme Court decisions. I am grateful that we are united in our desire to care for all children and families and create a society where we advance health for all children. We are committed to promoting inclusiveness and belonging across our teams and workforce. Inclusive teams that represent the population we serve fosters effective, compassionate care. Thank you to those who have provided expert guidance to our health system as we navigate these changes.

This month, the AAP Committee on Pediatric Education posted its assessment of the key articles related to education in the 75 year history of Pediatrics. The 75 years were divided into three 25 year "eras." We were honored and excited to see our own Ken Roberts authored the the article selected as key during the second era, 1973-1998, Roberts KB. Educational principles of community-based education. Pediatrics. 1996;98(6):1259-1263.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Sue Tolleson-Rinehart for her dedication and leadership in the Department of Pediatrics; Sue will retire at the end of July. She served as the Associate Chair for Faculty Development and Associate Director of the MD-MPH concentration. She has been a phenomenal leader- teaching, advising, and supervising medical students’ research in the Health Care & Prevention track. Sue has been a fellow of the UNC School of Medicine Academy of Educators since 2008 and served as its President from 2015-2016. Her research focuses on health politics and policy, and she created the Organized Section (virtually the equivalent of a specialty society) for Health Politics and Policy Research in the American Political Science Association. She was also recently accepted as a member of the Society of Pediatric Research. Sue has been a tireless advocate for faculty! We are going to miss you Sue!

I want to congratulate Dr. Elisabeth Dellon, who will serve as the next Associate Chair for Faculty Development within the Department of Pediatrics. All of you within UNC Children’s know that Elisabeth is a pediatric pulmonologist, palliative care physician, and Medical Director of the Children’s Supportive Care Team. Elisabeth is excited to take on this new challenge and has terrific ideas about faculty and professional development. Please join me in congratulating her as she steps into this role!

Our new class of interns just started! The 3^rd year pediatrics residents and senior residents in other programs across the medical center who care for children just graduated. See the picture below of the pediatrics graduates! Graduation was a wonderful event held at the Carolina Club.

As always, I am thankful for everyone’s leadership and dedication to the children and families of North Carolina.

Gratefully,

Please Welcome our New Children's Providers!

Enrolling in Early Childhood Education



The UNC Children's Primary Care Clinic at Carolina Pointe II has launched a new effort to help families get help in enrolling their kids in childcare and preK. Under the direction of Dr. Katie Jordan (Medical Director) and Sherri Woody (Clinic Manager) an enrollment specialist from Child Care Services Association has been embedded in the clinic on selected May and June dates.

If you couldn't join us for the

UNC Children's Meeting

on Thurs, April 20th,

the slides can be found here!

Click to see the Slide Deck

Lee Receives Resident Educator Award

Dr. Amalia Lee, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellow, was recently selected by the pediatric residents for recognition of her exceptional skill in and devotion to resident education with the 2023 Resident Educator Award.

Congratulations

Dr. Izzy Dagher!

We were happy to celebrate the first Physician Scientist Training Program graduate, Dr. Izzy Dagher. A photo from our graduation dinner is below!

Promotion Process Updates

The Dean’s office has confirmed that all faculty will be permitted to use their time and accomplishments in rank towards future tenure decisions. This includes the use of time in rank as a fixed term faculty member prior to a track change at UNC.



There has also been clarification on time in rank for both fixed term and tenure track faculty: The typical dossier submission time to the School of Medicine is after 4 years in rank. While dossiers can be submitted to the School of Medicine after 3 years, as stated in the guidelines, this is considered unusual, and these dossiers will be considered ‘early’ and will undergo greater scrutiny. This applies to fixed term and tenure track faculty.

Rebuli Hosts Society of Toxicology Wildfire Webinar

Dr. Meghan Rebuli, Assistant Professor in Allergy/ Immunology, hosted a webinar on “A Clinically Focused and Integrated Look at the Impact of Wildfire on the Cardiovascular-Pulmonary Systems” for the Society of Toxicology.

Zwemer Delivers at

Arkansas Children's Resident Graduation

Kudos to Dr. Eric Zwemer, Associate Professor in Hospital Pediatrics, on his recent talk at the Residency Scholarship and Graduation Day for the University of Arkansas/ Arkansas Children’s Hospital Residents.

Allison Selected for CTSA K12 Program

Dr. Bianca Allison, Assistant Professor in General Pediatircs & Adolescent Medicine, was selected as an NC TraCS K12 Scholar. The TraCS K Program is a mentored career development award in translational science. Many thanks to Dr. Samantha Schilling as her primary mentor!

Academy of Educators Teaching Awards for

Pediatrics Faculty and Residents

The Academy of Educators presents a number of teaching awards to recognize the importance of excellence in medical and biomedical student teaching, increase the prestige of great teachers and make teaching a more viable part of a member’s career path.

We are thrilled that so many of this year's award recipients, graduates, and new inductees are part of the Pediatrics family. More details are available in the attached slide deck.

Craver Medical Student Teaching Award

Suresh Nagappan, MD, MSPH

Greensboro- Moses Cone

Application/Individualization Phase Clinical Preceptor Excellence in Teaching Award

(for faculty at Regional Campus Faculty)

Laura Parente, MD, MPH

Wilmington- Novant New Hanover

Resident Educator Award

Isabelle Dagher, MD

Pediatric Physician Scientist - PGY-3

Junior Faculty Award

Erin Finn, MD

Med/Peds Core Faculty

High-Value Care Award

Dan Park, MD,

Pediatric Emergency Medicine

FLAGship (Faculty/Fellow Leadership And Growth) Graduates

Isabelle Riley

Kristen Lancaster

Marsha Russell

Nicole Stephenson

Newly Inducted AOE Members:

Pranati Panuganti

Joseph Cornett

Ezra Lichtman

Ryanne Corder

Anna DePrenger

Jacob Faultersack

Tia Fish

Madison Archer

Nicole Stephenson

Lindsay Torrice

Kristen Lancaster

Kelley Ward

Adriana Herrera

Marsha Russell

TAR HEEL Resident-as-Teacher Graduates

Sydney Hendricks

Tia Fish

Emma Bick

Pranati Panuganti

Joseph Cornett

Ezra Lichtman

Ryanne Corder

Anna DePrenger

Jacob Faultersack

Passing the Torch Graduates

Adriana Herrera

Jasmine Weiss

Allison Wood

Dr. Thomas Alexander – Hematology/Oncology – published: Variations in global prices of chemotherapy for childhood cancer: a descriptive analysis. Habashy C, Yemeke TT, Bolous NS, Chen Y, Ozawa S, Bhakta N, Alexander TB. EClinicalMedicine. 2023 May 18;60:102005. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102005. eCollection 2023 Jun. PMID: 37251630.

Dr. Neil Alexis – Allergy/Immunology – published: Potential mechanisms mediating PM_2.5-induced alterations of H3N2 influenza virus infection and cytokine production in human bronchial epithelial cells. Wang Y, Zhang R, Yang F, Yang L, Li Q, Guo J, Liu X, Song J, Zhang G, Li J, An Z, Alexis NE, Jaspers I, Wu W. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2023 Jul 1;259:115069. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115069. Epub 2023 May 25. PMID: 37244199.

Dr. Bianca Allison – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published Adolescent Awareness of the Changing Legal Landscape of Abortion in the United States and Its Implications. Allison BA, Vear K, Hoopes AJ, Maslowsky J. J Adolesc Health. 2023 May 29:S1054-139X(23)00206-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.04.008. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37269283.

Dr. Rebecca Baum – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – was included in About 15% of US children recently received mental health treatment, new CDC data shows (CNN).

Dr. Melissa Bauserman– Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published Strengthening Pediatric Global Health Fellowship Programs: Process Toward Accreditation. Bauserman M, Crouse H, Steenhoff AP, Vinograd AM, Robison JA, Batra M, Cohn KA, Eckerle M; PEDIATRIC GLOBAL HEALTH FELLOWSHIP EDUCATORS GROUP. Pediatrics. 2023 Jun 8:e2023061283. PMID: 37288509.

Dr. Carl Bose – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published Diagnostic accuracy of ASQ for screening of neurodevelopmental delays in low resource countries.  Manasyan A, Salas AA, Nolen T, Chomba E, Mazariegos M, Tshefu Kitoto A, Saleem S, Naqvi F, Hambidge KM, Goco N, McClure EM, Wallander JL, Biasini FJ, Goldenberg RL, Bose CL, Koso-Thomas M, Krebs NF, Carlo WA. BMJ Open. 2023 May 23;13(5):e065076. PMID: 37221030.

Dr. Allison Burbank – Allergy/Immunology – was included in:

- Code Yellow Day for Saturday as air quality conditions improve (ABC 11)

- Doctor shares tips to prepare for Code Red, WRAL Weather Alert Day Wednesday (WRAL).

Dr. Laura Cannon – Rheumatology – published Secondary immunodeficiencies and infectious considerations of biologic immunomodulatory therapies. Cannon L, Pan A, Kovalick L, Sarkissian A, Wu EY. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2023 Jun;130(6):718-726. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2023.02.010. Epub 2023 Feb 18. PMID: 36801438.

Dr. Toni Darville - Infectious Diseases – was included in Meet the Healio Pediatrics Peer Perspective Board (Healio).

Dr. Neal deJong – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published Emotional Support Among Parents of Children With Adverse Childhood Experiences. Hughes PM, Graaf G, deJong NA, Thomas KC. J Pediatr Health Care. 2023 May 26:S0891-5245(23)00125-6. doi: 10.1016/j.pedhc.2023.05.003. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37245128.

Dr. Maria Ferris – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – received a Data Science Seed Grant from the UNC School of Data Science and Society for her project with economist Donna Gilleskie, “Understanding health trajectories of children with chronic kidney disease”.

In addition, Dr. Ferris also recently published Addressing Health Inequities and Disparities in Children With Kidney Disease in Disadvantaged Areas: the Latin American and Caribbean Experience. Alvarez-Elías AC, Lou-Meda R, Exeni R, Exantus J, Bonilla-Felix M, González-Camac S, de Ferris MED. Curr Pediatr Rep. 2023;11(2):40-49. doi: 10.1007/s40124-023-00287-2. Epub 2023 May 24. PMID: 37252328.

Drs Kori Flower and Wade Harrison – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published Car Seat Safety.

McLaurin-Jiang S, Harrison WN, Flower KB. Pediatr Rev. 2023 Jun 1;44(6):346-348. doi: 10.1542/pir.2022-005535. PMID: 37258881.

Dr. Lauren Frazer – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine - received a UNC School of Medicine Physician Scientist Training Program Faculty Award for her research focused on understanding the immune signaling pathway dysregulation that leads to necrotizing enterocolitis.

In addition, Drs. Lauren Frazer and Misty Good - Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published Identification of serum biomarkers for necrotizing enterocolitis using aptamer-based proteomics. Mackay S, Frazer LC, Bailey GK, Miller CM, Gong Q, DeWitt ON, Singh DK, Good M. Front. Pediatr., 2023 May 31;11:1184940. PMID: 37325361. 

Dr. Misty Good - Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine –received a subcontract for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant titled, “Point of Care maternal milk concentration device to optimize neonatal growth with targeted nutrition support.” Dr. Good was also featured on Episode #134 of The Incubator Podcast to discuss her dedication to the prevention and treatment of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and recent award from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Dr. Ilona Jaspers – Allergy/Immunology – was included in How to Protect Yourself from Smoky Wildfire Air (Scientific American) with accompanying podcast. She recently published:

- Plasma sterols and vitamin D are correlates and predictors of ozone-induced inflammation in the lung: A pilot study. Perryman AN, Kim HH, Payton A, Rager JE, McNell EE, Rebuli ME, Wells H, Almond M, Antinori J, Alexis NE, Porter NA, Jaspers I. PLoS One. 2023 May 15;18(5):e0285721. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285721. eCollection 2023. PMID: 37186612

- Greener residential environment is associated with increased bacterial diversity in outdoor ambient air. Styles JN, Egorov AI, Griffin SM, Klein J, Scott JW, Sams EA, Hudgens E, Mugford C, Stewart JR, Lu K, Jaspers I, Keely SP, Brinkman NE, Arnold JW, Wade TJ. Sci Total Environ. 2023 Jul 1;880:163266. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163266. Epub 2023 Apr 5. PMID: 37028654

She was also invited to present:

- Quantifying Vaping-Related Pulmonary Illnesses (American Thoracic Society)

- Vaping Old and New and how it Alters Your Respiratory Immune Responses (American Thoracic Society)

- The Contribution of Early Life Exposures to Asthma Susceptibility (Aspen Lung Conference

- Inhalational Exposures and their Impact on Respiratory Health – in vitro, in vivo, and real people (University of New Mexico)

- Center for addiction and mental health (camh) Canada the Vaping and Electronic Cigarette Toxicity Overview and Recommendations (Project VECTOR): A mixed methods project (expert panel lead on vaping-induced respiratory health effects)

Dr. Edwin Kim – Allergy/Immunology – was invited to give a plenary talk at the recent European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Congress in Hamburg Germany, Early oral immunotherapy in peanut-allergic children: remission as main outcome.

Dr. Matt Laughon – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published Heterogeneity of Treatment Effects of Hydrocortisone by Risk of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia or Death Among Extremely Preterm Infants in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network Trial: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. Gentle SJ, Rysavy MA, Li L, Laughon MM, Patel RM, Jensen EA, Hintz S, Ambalavanan N, Carlo WA, Watterberg K; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 May 1;6(5):e2315315. PMID: 37256621 

Drs. Macrina Liguori and Matt Laughon – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Premature Infants: Clinical Trials and Equipoise. Liguori MB, Ali SK, Bussman N, Colaizy T, Hundscheid T, Phad N, Clyman R, de Boode WP, de Waal K, El-Khuffash A, Gupta S, Laughon M. J Pediatr. 2023 Jun 1:113532. PMID: 37269903 

Drs. Katherine MacDonald & Colin Orr with Heather Horne – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published Sexually Active Cisgender Female Adolescent With Red Urine and Abdominal Pain. Tayloe E, Sridhar H, Hergenrother E, Horne H, MacDonald K, Orr C. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2023 May 16:99228231174844. doi: 10.1177/00099228231174844. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37194297

Dr. David McSwain – Pediatric Critical Care – was included in:

- UNC Health pilots generative AI chatbot (Healthcare IT News)

- AI-powered app to be used to streamline administrative work, UNC Health says (WRAL TechWire)

- UNC Health creates generative AI chatbot –Dr. David McSwain (Becker’s Hospital Review)

Dr. Tim Moran – Allergy/Immunology – published Collaborative cross strain CC011/UncJ as a novel mouse model of T2-high, severe asthma. Donoghue LJ, McFadden KM, Vargas D, Smith GJ, Immormino RM, Moran TP, Kelada SNP. Respir Res. 2023 Jun 9;24(1):153. doi: 10.1186/s12931-023-02453-y. PMID: 37296458.

Dr. Terry Noah – Pulmonology – was included in How To Protect Kids When the Air Quality Is Terrible (Huff Post) and published The Effects of Wildfire Smoke on Asthma and Allergy. Noah TL, Worden CP, Rebuli ME, Jaspers I. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2023 May 12:1-13. doi: 10.1007/s11882-023-01090-1. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37171670.

Dr Kelly Orgel - Pediatric Resident and rising Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellow- was selected into the prestigious Pediatric Scientist Development Program (PSDP) K12 for her proposal titled, “Regulation of Interleukin-22 signaling in intestinal development and necrotizing enterocolitis.”

Dr. Mike O’Shea – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine - published: 

- Perinatal Factors and Emotional, Cognitive, and Behavioral Dysregulation in Childhood and Adolescence. Frazier JA, Li X, Kong X, Hooper SR, Joseph RM, Cochran DM, Kim S, Fry RC, Brennan PA, Msall ME, Fichorova RN, Hertz-Picciotto I, Daniels JL, Lai JS, Boles RE, Zvara BJ, Jalnapurkar I, Schweitzer JB, Singh R, Posner J, Bennett DH, Kuban KCK, O'Shea TM; program collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2023 May 15:S0890-8567(23)00248-4. PMID: 37207889.

- A multi-omic approach identifies an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) regulatory complex of functional epimutations in placentas from children born preterm. Freedman AN, Clark J, Eaves LA, Roell K, Oran A, Koval L, Rager J, Santos HP Jr, Kuban K, Joseph RM, Frazier J, Marsit CJ, Burt AA, O'Shea TM, Fry RC.Autism Res. 2023 May;16(5):918-934. PMID: 36938998.

- Neurobehavioral and Medical Correlates of Autism Screening: 2-Year Outcomes for Infants Born Very Preterm. Shuster CL, Sheinkopf SJ, McGowan EC, Hofheimer JA, O'Shea TM, Carter BS, Helderman JB, Check J, Neal CR, Pastyrnak SL, Smith LM, Loncar C, Dansereau LM, DellaGrotta SA, Marsit C, Lester BM.J Pediatr. 2023 Jun 2:113536. PMID: 37271496.

- Sociodemographic Variation in Children's Health Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Bekelman TA, Knapp EA, Dong Y, Dabelea D, Bastain TM, Breton CV, Carroll KN, Camargo CA, Davis AM, Dunlop AL, Elliott AJ, Ferrara A, Fry RC, Ganiban JM, Gilbert-Diamond D, Gilliland FD, Hedderson MM, Hipwell AE, Hockett CW, Huddleston KC, Karagas MR, Kelly N, Lai JS, Lester BM, Lucchini M, Melough MM, Mihalopoulos NL, O'Shea TM, Rundle AG, Stanford JB, VanBronkhorst S, Wright RJ, Zhao Q, Sauder KA; program collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO).Child Obes. 2023 Jun;19(4):226-238. PMID: 35856858.

Dr. Dan Park – Emergency Medicine – was included in Preventing heat illness during the summer involves planning ahead, UNC doctor says (CBS 17).

Drs. Jackie Patterson, Melissa Bauserman, and Carl Bose – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published Delayed and Interrupted Ventilation with Excess Suctioning after Helping Babies Breathe with Congolese Birth Attendants. Patterson JK, Ishoso D, Eilevstjønn J, Bauserman M, Haug I, Iyer P, Kamath-Rayne BD, Lokangaka A, Lowman C, Mafuta E, Myklebust H, Nolen T, Patterson J, Tshefu A, Bose C, Berkelhamer S. Children (Basel). 2023 Mar 30;10(4):652. PMID: 37189901.

Dr. David Peden – Allergy/Immunology – was included in:

- With air quality warnings in NC, what should I do or not do to stay safe? Experts answer (News & Observer). 

- Pediatric allergist, immunologist at the UNC School of Medicine, discuses wildfire pollution (Newstalk Tonight).

- New UNC group wants to land larger clinical studies (Triangle Business Journal).

Dr. Martha Perry – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published Confidential Telehealth Care for Adolescents: Challenges and Solutions Identified During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Perry MF. Curr Pediatr Rep. 2023 Jun 12:1-8. doi: 10.1007/s40124-023-00288-1. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37363323.

Dr. Afsaneh Pirzadeh – Pediatric Critical Care – published Electronic cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) in a patient with testicular cancer: A case report. Stein J, Kay HE, Sites J, Pirzadeh A, Joyner BL Jr, Darville T, Bjurlin MA, Rose TL, Jaspers I, Milowsky MI. Tumori. 2023 May 10:3008916231172806. doi: 10.1177/ 03008916231172806. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37165581.

Dr. Brittany Raffa – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published A Qualitative Study on Using Telemedicine for Precepting and Teaching in the Academic Setting. Raffa BJ, Muellers KA, Andreadis K, Ancker JS, Flower KB, Horowitz CR, Kaushal R, Lin JJ. Acad Med. 2023 Jun 5. doi: 10.1097/ ACM.0000000000005291. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37279450.

Drs. Priyanka Rao, Katie Jordan, and Eric Zwemer – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine/Hospital Pediatrics – published Association between In-Training Exam Scores and Clinical Exposure during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Rao P, Jordan K, Burrows H, Helms L, Latch R, Perin R, Crawford MA, Kang D, Morgan A, Beck Dallaghan GL, Zwemer E. Acad Pediatr. 2023 May 28:S1876-2859(23)00158-4. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2023.05.014. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37253414.

Dr. Meghan Rebuli – Allergy/Immunology – was included in How to Keep Pets Safe From Wildfire Smoke (New York Times) and recently published:

- Wildfire smoke exposure and early childhood respiratory health: a study of prescription claims data. Dhingra R, Keeler C, Staley BS, Jardel HV, Ward-Caviness C, Rebuli ME, Xi Y, Rappazzo K, Hernandez M, Chelminski AN, Jaspers I, Rappold AG. Environ Health. 2023 Jun 27;22(1):48. doi: 10.1186/s12940-023-00998-5. PMID: 37370168.

- SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination Induces an Intranasal Mucosal Response Characterized by Neutralizing Antibodies. Cao KT, Cobos-Uribe C, Knight N, Jonnalagadda R, Robinette C, Jaspers I, Rebuli ME. J Allergy Clin Immunol Glob. 2023 Jun 25 : 100129. doi: 10.1016/j.jacig.2023.100129. PMCID: PMC10290737.

- Navigating the bridge between wet and dry lab toxicology research to address current challenges with high-dimensional data. Payton A, Roell KR, Rebuli ME, Valdar W, Jaspers I, Rager JE. Front Toxicol. 2023 May 26;5:1171175. doi: 10.3389/ftox.2023.1171175. eCollection 2023. PMID: 37304253.

- Comparison of multiplexed protein analysis platforms for the detection of biomarkers in the nasal epithelial lining fluid of healthy subjects. Zetlen HL, Cao KT, Schichlein KD, Knight N, Maecker HT, Nadeau KC, Rebuli ME, Rice MB. J Immunol Methods. 2023 Jun;517:113473. doi: 10.1016/j.jim.2023.113473. Epub 2023 Apr 12. PMID: 37059295.

Drs. Laura Reniker, Lauren Frazer, and Misty Good – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published Key biologically active components of breast milk and their beneficial effects. Reniker LN, Frazer LC, Good M. Semin Pediatr Surg. 2023 May 30;32(3):151306. PMID: 37276783 *Denotes equal contribution of authors.

Drs. Ahmad Sami (Gastroenterology), Kelly Orgel (Peds Resident), and Lauren Frazer & Misty Good (Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine) – published The role of human milk nutrients in preventing necrotizing enterocolitis. Sami AS, Frazer LC, Miller CM, Singh DK, Clodfelter L, Orgel KA, Good M. Front Pediatr. 2023 Jun 2;11:1188050. PMID: 37334221.

Dr. Samantha Schilling – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – was recently granted a 2023 Creativity Hub Award for her project “Systems Science Hub: Youth Mental Health” by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR), in partnership with the School of Data Science and Society.

Dr. Mike Steiner – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – was included in Lead found at Cumberland County elementary school; UNC pediatrician discusses possible effects of exposure (CBS 17). He was also awarded a grant by The Duke Endowment to support an innovative model that incorporates a rural school district and community partners to provide accessible behavioral and mental health care in Bladen County. 

Dr. Peyton Thompson – Infectious Diseases – recently received a Doris Duke/Caregivers at Carolina travel award. The purpose of the Caregivers at Carolina (“Caregivers”) program is to support the research productivity and retention of early career physician scientists facing substantial family caregiving responsibilities.

Dr. Jasmine Weiss – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – recently had her project “Understanding the Contributions of Undergraduate Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to Increasing the Diversity of the Physician Workforce —Focusing on the Intersectionality of Gender and Race” selected for funding by HRSA through the Sheps Center.

Dr. Katie Westreich – Pediatric Nephrology – published Intraoperative management of pediatric renal transplant recipients: An opportunity for improvement. Baboolal HA, Lane J, Westreich KD. Pediatr Transplant. 2023 May 27:e14545. doi: 10.1111/petr.14545. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37243426.

Dr. Heather Williams – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – was included in Safely leaving kids home alone: Guidelines in NC (Spectrum News) and Make Sure Your Vaccinations Are Up to Date Before Meeting a Newborn (UNC Health Talk).

Dr. Eve Wu – Rheumatology – published ANCA vasculitis expands the spectrum of autoimmune manifestations of activated PI3 kinase δ syndrome. Sood AK, Francis O, Schworer SA, Johnson SM, Smith BD, Googe PB, Wu EY. Front Pediatr. 2023 May 19;11:1179788. doi: 10.3389/fped.2023.1179788. eCollection 2023. PMID: 37274825.

Dr. Jessica Young – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published How to make effective HPV vaccine recommendations starting at age 9. Brewer NT, Kahn BZ, Kritikos KI, Heisler-MacKinnon JA, Young JD, Gilkey MB. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2023 Aug 1;19(2):2216117. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2216117. Epub 2023 May 29. PMID: 37246871.

Peds GI Nurse Coordinators

Beth McLean, EJ Lee & Samantha Orr

Nominated by: Dr. Francisco Sylvester

and the Division of Gastroenterology

Our nurse coordinators provide exemplary care to our patients. They help our patients with medications, nutritional and equipment needs, laboratory testing, and responding to their concerns between appointments. They work overtime without compensation, and routinely extend work hours to evenings and weekends.

Our division is extremely fortunate to work with Beth, EJ, and Samantha.