I am excited to announce that we have had several Division Chief transitions over the past month: Dr. Terry Noah in Pediatric Pulmonology and Dr. Mike Steiner in General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. 

Dr. Terry Noah has served as Division Chief of Pediatric Pulmonology (for the second time) since 2015 and as the Vice Chair of Academic Affairs since 2011. He has received various awards during his tenure including the UNC Department of Pediatrics Mentor of the Year Award and the Emonson Faculty Award in 2008. He has greatly impacted the care of pediatric pulmonology patients in the hospital and statewide thanks to his mentorship and exceptional servant leadership. In his Vice Chair role, he made significant changes in our approach to faculty development and served so many faculty by navigating them through the promotion process over the past several years. His calm, thoughtful approach to leadership is infectious and he always puts the family at the center of all decisions. He has served as an advisor for many. He also is one of the funniest people I know! We are so grateful for Terry’s service to the division, the department and to the university. Please see photo of Terry Noah as a young faculty member in the division!

Dr. Mike Steiner has served as Division Chief of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine since 2011. During Mike’s tenure, the division grew in faculty, staff, and clinical volume. The division became so large that we split this division into two during Mike’s tenure: GPAM and Hospital Pediatrics. The structure also changed to include distinct specialty sections, including Adolescent Medicine, Child Maltreatment, Developmental Behavioral and Research. Mike’s “can do” approach as a leader is reflected in the growth of several important clinical programs that serve children across the state. He also led the growth of the research and education mission within the division. We have fellows every year that participated in the NRSA or academic pediatrics fellowship. Check out the pictures below from the party for Dr. Steiner and our new GPAM, Division Chief Dr. Kori Flower!

I also want to highlight the great work the UNC Children’s Foundation accomplished over the past year. We had a record year - almost $12 million from 6,000 donors! We are so thankful and proud of the great work our UNC Children’s Foundation team has accomplished, we couldn’t do it without them!

Also, I want to include a quick update on the House Cup standings led by our Chief Residents – the house cup points have been tallied for advocacy credits, conference presentations, manuscript submissions and publications, Outrageous Orange has taken a runaway lead! Glittering Gold has also snatched second place from Fighting Fuchsia, leaving the latter to fight for third place with a surging Terrific Teal! Be on the lookout for the weekly Chief update email on this event.

Gratefully,

Dr. David Kram joined the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology on July 1, 2022. Dr. Kram received his MD from Tel Aviv University in Tel Avivi, Israel in 2010. He also, has a Master of Clinical Research Degree from Oregon Health & Science University that he received in 2016. Dr. Kram complete his Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon in 2016. Welcome David!

Dr. Erica Brenner joined Pediatric Gastroenterology on July 1, 2022. Dr. Brenner received her BS in Biochemistry from Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences in 2011 and her MD from State University of New York Upstate Medical University in 2015. She completed her Residency in Pediatrics with the University of North Carolina Children’s Hospital in 2018. Dr. Brenner finished her Fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition with the University of North Carolina Children’s Hospital in 2021. She earned a Master of Science in Clinical Research (MCSR) with the University of North Carolina, Gillings School of Public Health in 2021 and most recently graduated from an Advanced Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fellowship with UNC Gastroenterology in 2022. Congratulations Erica!

Ashlyn Stackhouse joined Pediatric Genetics and Metabolsim on July 11, 2022. Ms. Stackhouse received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2019. She received a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from Virgina Commonwealth University in May 2022. Welcome Ashlyn!

Dr. Matthew Adams joined the Department of Pediatrics on July 18, 2022. Dr. Adams earned his MD from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in 2016. He completed his Pediatric Residency at the University of Alabama in 2019 and served as a Pediatric Cardiology Fellow at Indiana University, Riley Hospital for Children from 2019 to 2022. Dr. Adams will provide pediatric and fetal care in communities throughout southeastern NC in partnership with Novant Health – New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NH-NHRMC). He also will develop and perform clinical activities in surrounding outreach locations in Southeastern NC. Welcome Matthew!

Please welcome our new nurse at the UNC Children's Allergy and Immunology Clinic at Raleigh: Caley Lamprecht, RN.

on Thurs, July 21st,

Alyssa Tilly, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, has been named the 2022 Cunniff-Dixon Early Career Physician. Dr. Tilly is a hospice and palliative physician for both adults and children.

Dr. Tilly provides her patients with companionship and the highest level of care during their final stages. She is also the Curriculum Director for the Pediatric Global Health program.

We are pleased to announce that, Dr. Matt Laughon began his tenure as Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs on July 1, 2022, serving as the Chair’s designate for one of the most important parts of the academic pediatric enterprise.  Matt brings a wealth of research, grant proposal development, and clinical trial experience to Faculty Affairs, and has spent the past several months working with the Terry Noah and the Faculty Affairs team to familiarize himself with the intricacies of appointments, promotions, and tenure. We are excited to work with Matt and to witness his enthusiastic commitment to the growth and development of faculty in the Department of Pediatrics.

For 11 years, Terry Noah has been the Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs in the Department of Pediatrics. He worked tirelessly and with shrewd wisdom to advance faculty appointments and promotions through the School of Medicine and the university. Among many other responsibilities, he has shepherded the department’s mentoring program, developed new MD and PhD compensation plans, and pushed for greater faculty wellbeing resources. Fairness, collegiality, and openness are central to Dr. Noah’s approach to all aspects of his leadership roles throughout his career. We thank Terry for his years of fiercely dedicated advocacy for pediatrics faculty.

Carl Bose, MD – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – recently published: Simplified antibiotic regimens for young infants with possible serious bacterial infection when the referral is not feasible in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Lokangaka A, Ishoso D, Tshefu A, Kalonji M, Takoy P, Kokolomami J, Otomba J, Aboubaker S, Qazi SA, Nisar YB, Bahl R, Bose C, Coppieters Y. PLoS One. 2022 Jun 30;17(6):e0268277. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268277. eCollection 2022. PMID: 35771738.

Tom Belhorn, MD – Infection Diseases - received notification that the UNC - Duke HIV Grant (Ryan White Title IV HRSA care grant for Women, Infants, Children, Youth and affected Family Members) was funded for another four years, through July 2026. Through a variety of mechanism over the years, UNC has received continuous Ryan White Part D funding to support the Pediatric HIV program for over 20 years.

Allison Burbank, MD and Michelle Hernandez, MD – Allergy/Immunology – with Katherine Neighbors, a UNC Pediatrics Urgent Care nurse – recently published: Omalizumab is associated with improved asthma outcomes in children and adolescents with serum IgE above dosing guidelines. Atkinson CE, Schworer SA, Matthews K, Mills K, Neighbors K, Burbank AJ, Hernandez ML. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2022 Jul 5:S2213-2198(22)00690-0. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2022.06.041. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35803538.

Toni Darville, MD – Infectious Diseases – recently published: Diagnosis and Management of Uncomplicated Chlamydia trachomatis Infections in Adolescents and Adults: Summary of Evidence Reviewed for the 2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines. Geisler WM, Hocking JS, Darville T, Batteiger BE, Brunham RC Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Apr 13;74(Suppl_2):S112-S126. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac126.PMID: 35416965.

Lauren Frazier, MD – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – recently published Decreased Acetic Acid in the Stool of Preterm Infants Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia. Frazer LC, Yakah W, Martin CR. Nutrients. 2022 Jun 10;14(12):2412. doi: 10.3390/nu14122412. PMID: 35745141. 

Adam Gower, MD – Pediatric Pulmonology – with Wesley Jackson, MD and Michael O’Shea, MD – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – recently published: CpG methylation patterns in placenta and neonatal blood are differentially associated with neonatal inflammation.  Eaves LA, Enggasser AE, Camerota M, Gogcu S, Gower WA, Hartwell H, Jackson WM, Jensen E, Joseph RM, Marsit CJ, Roell K, Santos HP Jr, Shenberger JS, Smeester L, Yanni D, Kuban KCK, O'Shea TM, Fry RC. Pediatr Res. 2022 Jun 28. doi: 10.1038/s41390-022-02150-4. PMID: 35764815.

Michelle Hernandez, MD – Allergy/Immunology - recently published: Caribbean Latinx with moderate-severe asthma bear greater asthma morbidity than other Latinx. Cardet JC, Shenoy K, Baydur A, Carroll JK, Celedón JC, Cui J, Dara P, Ericson B, Forth VE, Fagan M, Fuhlbrigge AL, Gupta R, Hart MK, Hernandez ML, Hernandez PA, Kruse J, Maher NE, Manning BK, Pinto-Plata VM, Robles J, Rodriguez-Louis J, Shields JB, Telon Sosa BS, Wechsler ME, Israel E. Caribbean. 2022 Jun 29:S0091-6749(22)00885-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2022.05.026. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35779669.

Ilona Jaspers, PhD – Allergy/Immunology – was included in the WRAL Tech Wire story: UNC scientists find that vaping devices increase risk to immune cells.

Matthew Laughon, MD – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – recently published several papers:

Online clinical tool to estimate risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in extremely preterm infants. Greenberg RG, McDonald SA, Laughon MM, Tanaka D, Jensen E, Van Meurs K, Eichenwald E, Brumbaugh JE, Duncan A, Walsh M, Das A, Cotten CM; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2022 Jun 21:fetalneonatal-2021-323573. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2021-323573. PMID: 35728925

Exposure-safety relationship for acyclovir in the treatment of neonatal herpes simplex virus disease. Ericson JE, Benjamin DK Jr, Boakye-Agyeman F, Balevic SJ, Cotten CM, Adler-Shohet F, Laughon M, Poindexter B, Harper B, Payne EH, Kaneshige K, Smith PB; Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act - Pediatric Trials Network. Early Hum Dev. 2022 Jun 22;170:105616. doi: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2022.105616. PMID: 35763957

Michael O’Shea, MD – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – recently published several papers:

Trial of Erythropoietin for Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy in Newborns.  Wu YW, Comstock BA, Gonzalez FF, Mayock DE, Goodman AM, Maitre NL, Chang T, Van Meurs KP, Lampland AL, Bendel-Stenzel E, Mathur AM, Wu TW, Riley D, Mietzsch U, Chalak L, Flibotte J, Weitkamp JH, Ahmad KA, Yanowitz TD, Baserga M, Poindexter BB, Rogers EE, Lowe JR, Kuban KCK, O'Shea TM, Wisnowski JL, McKinstry RC, Bluml S, Bonifacio S, Benninger KL, Rao R, Smyser CD, Sokol GM, Merhar S, Schreiber MD, Glass HC, Heagerty PJ, Juul SE; HEAL Consortium. New England Journal of Medicine. 2022 Jul 14;387(2):148-159. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2119660. PMID: 35830641 

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 Jr, Jacobson L, Lester BM, Hockett CW, Hodges ML, Chandran A. Pediatrics. 2022 Jun 30. doi: 10.1542/peds.2022-056552. PMID: 35768891

Analysis of Neonatal Neurobehavior and Developmental Outcomes Among Preterm Infants. McGowan EC, Hofheimer JA, O'Shea TM, Kilbride H, Carter BS, Check J, Helderman J, Neal CR, Pastyrnak S, Smith LM, Camerota M, Dansereau LM, Della Grotta SA, Lester BM. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Jul 1;5(7):e2222249. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.22249. PMID: 35849396

Ed Pickens, MD – Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics – included in the WRAL story: Know when it’s time to go from a pediatrician to an adult doctor.

Laura Reniker, MD – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at UNC Nash - had two abstracts accepted at the National Association of Neonatal Nurses Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada: “Implementation of Donor Human Milk in a Non-Academic Rural Setting” and “Emergent Umbilical Venous Catheter Placement by Nurses in a Non-Academic Rural Setting”.