During the month of October, we continue to care for a record number of children at the Hospital and through the emergency room/urgent care. The combination of viral surge and regionalization of pediatric care has led to this situation. This is incredibly difficult for everyone working in the hospital! Daily, our emergency room boards children awaiting beds and the PAC (pediatric admitting coordinator) continues to handle multiple calls across the state from providers asking to transfer care. We are looking into solutions for this bed crisis. I want to thank the faculty and staff in the ER/urgent care, the faculty who serve as PAC, the administrators on call and all the faculty and staff caring for our inpatients and facilitating expedient discharges. This has truly been a heroic team effort!
Our research continues to grow within the Department as we build a pipeline of future investigators. We now have an active resident Pediatric Scientist Training Program, led by Ian Davis, and have launched the Carolina Child Health Scholars for fellows, led by Misty Good and Corinne Keet. Congratulations to Dr. Anisha Gerber (Pediatric Nephrology Fellow), Dr. Ahmad Sami (Pediatric GI Fellow), and Dr. Sahal Thahir (Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellow) who have been selected as our first group of Carolina Child Health Scholars!
Thank you to the faculty who are participating in the House Cup. This continues to competitive, fun and a great way to engage with the residents. This past week, Outrageous Orange has maintained its narrow lead over Glittering Gold! Both Glittering Gold and Terrific Teal are competing for second place. Fighting Fuchsia has been left behind for the time being, but they are known to fight their way back into the competition!
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Our Departmental Holiday party this year will be on Sunday, December 11th, at the Blue Zone. A formal invitation will be sent shortly. Please consider attending and bring your family.
Our Year In Review presentation will be during Grand Rounds on Thursday, November 17th at 8am. Please plan to join us in person – we are going to have a photographer onsite to take a few departmental pictures!
As pediatricians, it is always fun to dress up during Halloween. I'm sharing a recent photo and would like to thank my husband for being a good sport and dressing up as the scarecrow to match my Dorothy (my dog Molly was a great Toto).
So, so grateful for your advocacy and mission-focused approach as we care for the children and families!
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UNC Children's Missions Update |
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Please Welcome our New Children's Providers! |
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Assistant Professor
Child Neurology
Katelyn Bricker, MD joined the Department of Neurology as an Assistant Professor in Sleep Medicine and Child Neurology. Dr. Bricker attended Bowling Green State University as an undergraduate and earned her medical degree in 2016 from the University of Toledo, in Ohio. Katelyn completed her residency in Pediatrics and Child Neurology with us here at the University of North Carolina in 2021. Subsequently, she completed a Sleep Medicine Fellowship at UNC in 2022. Congratulations Katelyn!
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Desi Newberry, BSN, MSN, DNP
Advanced Practice Provider
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Desi Newberry joined the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine as an Advanced Practice Provider. Ms. Newberry attended Michigan State University as an undergraduate and earned her masters degree in 2002 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2022 from Duke University. Her practice has taken her to East Carolina University, Baylor University, Wake Med, and most recently Duke University. Desi, Welcome back to UNC!
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Trau Named Child Neurology Clinic Medical Director
Stephen Trau, MD has been named the Child Neurology Clinic Medical Director. Dr. Trau joined the Department of Neurology as an Assistant Professor in 2019. Dr. Trau earned his medical degree from Emory University, in Atlanta and, in 2015, completed his Pediatrics Residency at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk, VA. Subsequently, he completed a Child Neurology Fellowship at Duke University. Congratulations Stephen!
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Peds Patient 1st at UNC Children’s to Receive Berlin Heart
After being diagnosed with severe dilated cardiomyopathy, a 5-month-old from Brunswick Co. was able to beat the odds. Just 11 days before her 1st birthday, she became UNC Children’s first Berlin Heart EXCOR™ left ventricular assist device recipient.
Read more
news.unchealthcare.org
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Novant Health UNC Children’s Expands Coverage to Brunswick Medical Center
Beginning this summer, through the growing Novant Health and UNC Children’s partnership, a group of neonatal nurse practitioners, that are supervised by UNC neonatologist, joined the Brunswick Medical Center call rotation alongside Lori Tackman, MD, and Donald Ludlow, MD. These three groups of providers partner to provide 24/7coverage, 10 days a month, to help cover inpatient pediatric needs at Brunswick Medical Center. Dr. Thompson, BMC OBGYN says, “The opportunity to have NNPs continues to expand the Women’s and Children’s services at Brunswick. The addition of NPPs has been an excellent complement to the existing pediatrics service. “
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Donnelly on Children's Quality Improvement in NEJM
In response to the three articles published in the NEJM about failings of the quality movement, Lane Donnelly, MD, Professor of Radiology & Pediatrics and the Director of Quality for the UNC Children’s Hospital, corresponded and was published in the September 2022 issue. Click on the image to read the full letter.
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If you couldn't join us for the
UNC Children's Meeting
on Thurs, October 20th,
the slides can be found here!
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Faculty Development Workshop:
Crafting a Curriculum Vita (CV)
Presented by:
Sue Tolleson-Rinehart, PhD
Professor of Pediatrics and Public Health
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Jackson Promoted to Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Wesley Jackson, MD, MPH was promoted to Associate Professor of Pediatrics effective October 1, 2022. Since becoming a faculty member in 2018, Dr. Jackson has had a strong commitment to the Department of Pediatrics' Research mission.
Read more
www.med.unc.edu
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Orr Receives 2022-23 James Woods Junior Faculty Award
Dr.Orr has been selected to receive the 2022-23 James Woods Junior Faculty Award. The selection committee members were very impressed with his proposal to develop a novel peer support intervention to address food insecurity...
Read more
www.med.unc.edu
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Seashore Named Associate Chief Medical Informatics
We are pleased to announce that, Dr. Carl Seashore has been named Associate Chief Medical Informatics Officer for the UNC Medical Center. Dr. Seashore is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Read more
www.med.unc.edu
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Isabelle Dagher Wins LEAD 2022 Poster Award
Dagher, a third-year Peds Resident, was awarded 1st place in the Resident Clinical Research group of the poster competition at the NCMS LEAD 2022 Conf. Her winning poster was: “Progression of Upper Airway Manifestations in PCD Throughout Childhood”.
Read more
www.med.unc.edu
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Assistant Professor
Infectious Diseases
Bryce Duncan joined the joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases on October 17, 2022. Dr. Duncan earned his PhD in at the Joint School for Nanoscience and Nanoengineering at UNC at Greensboro in 2017. Dr. Duncan completed post doctoral training with the Maness Laboratory in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Welcome to Pediatrics Bryce!
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Associate Professor
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Natalia Akopyants, joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Associate Professor in the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine on October 31, 2022. Dr. Akopyants, earned her PhD in Molecular Biology and Genetics at the Research Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry in the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia in 1988. In 1998, Dr. Akopyants completed post doctoral training in Microbiology with the Department of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University in Saint Louis, MO. Since 1999, Dr. Akopyants has continued her research career as faculty in the Department of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine. Welcome Natalia!
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Jackson and Tolleson-Rinehart Elected to SPR
Congratulations to Wesley Jackson, MD MPH, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Sue Tolleson-Rinehart, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Public Health, on their election to membership in the Society of Pediatric Research (SPR).
Read more
www.med.unc.edu
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Rooted: David Peden - UNC Research
David Peden is the senior associate dean for translational research at the UNC School of Medicine. He has been contributing to research at Carolina for 30 years.
Read more
research.unc.edu
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New Awards, Achievements, Presentations & Publications |
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Allison Burbank, MD – Allergy/Immunology – presented “Studies in Pediatric Asthma Employing Digital Health” at the 2022 NC Thoracic Society Special Conference on Digital Health in Respiratory Diseases.
Hair AB, Good M. J Perinatol. 2022 Sep 20. PMID: 36127395
Corinne Keet, MD, PhD – Allergy/Immunology – presented “SUNBEAM: Systems Biology of Early Atopy” at FARE's Contains: Courage Research Retreat 2022
Michael Kulis, PhD – Allergy/Immunology – received $807,868 over 5-years as an NIH award via Duke University to compare several immunologic adjuvants in combination with peanut sublingual immunotherapy in mice. Mechanistic studies will focus on alterations in B cells, T cells, and Dendritic cells through the use of multiple omics approaches.
Michael Kulis, PhD – Allergy/Immunology – presented “Siglec-2 Targeted Approaches to Prevent and Treat Peanut Allergy” at FARE’s Contain: Courage Research Retreat 2022. This oral presentation highlighted recent findings from my lab regarding the use of siglec-engaging, tolerance-inducing, antigenic liposomes (STALs) to deplete naïve and memory B cells in mice. The work is supported by the DoD.
Inflammation and metabolism of influenza-stimulated PBMCs from adults with obesity following bariatric surgery. Green WD, Alwarawrah Y, Al-Shaer AE, Shi Q, Armstrong M, Manke J, Reisdorph N, Farrell TM, Hursting SD, MacIver NJ, Beck MA, Shaikh SRJ Infect Dis. 2022 Aug 17:jiac345. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiac345. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35975968.
Malnutrition and immune cell subsets in children undergoing kidney transplantation. Shaw BI, Lee HJ, Ettenger R, Grimm P, Reed EF, Sarwal M, Stempora L, Warshaw B, Zhao C, Martinez OM, MacIver NJ, Kirk AD, Chambers ET. Pediatr Transplant. 2022 Aug 8. doi: 10.1111/petr.14371. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35938682.
Mike O’Shea, MD, MPH, Carl Bose, MD, and Matt Laughon, MD, MPH were part of the Neonatal Research Network team publication Association of Antenatal Steroid Exposure at 21 to 22 Weeks of Gestation With Neonatal Survival and Survival Without Morbidities. Chawla S, Wyckoff MH, Rysavy MA, Patel RM, Chowdhury D, Natarajan G, Laptook AR, Lakshminrusimha S, Bell EF, Shankaran S, Van Meurs KP, Ambalavanan N, Greenberg RG, Younge N, Werner EF, Das A, Carlo WA; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Sep 1;5(9):e2233331. PMID: 36156145
Mike O’Shea, MD, MPH – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published Placental epigenetic gestational aging in relation to maternal sociodemographic factors and smoking among infants born extremely preterm: a descriptive study. Clark J, Bulka CM, Martin CL, Roell K, Santos HP, O'Shea TM, Smeester L, Fry R, Dhingra R. Epigenetics. 2022 Sep 22:1-15. PMID: 36134874
Long-Term Outcome of Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Spontaneous Intestinal Perforation. Vaidya R, Yi JX, O'Shea TM, Jensen ET, Joseph RM, Shenberger J, Gogcu S, Wagner K, Msall ME, Thompson AL, Frazier JA, Fry R, Singh R. Pediatrics. 2022 Oct 6:e2022056445. PMID: 36200375
Jackie Patterson, MD, MPH, Melissa Bauserman, MD, MPH, and Carl Bose, MD – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published Perceptions and experiences of Congolese midwives implementing a low-cost battery-operated heart rate meter during newborn resuscitation. Thornton M, Ishoso D, Lokangaka A, Berkelhamer S, Bauserman M, Eilevstjønn J, Iyer P, Kamath-Rayne BD, Mafuta E, Myklebust H, Patterson J, Tshefu A, Bose C, Patterson JK. Front Pediatr. 2022 Sep 29;10:943496. PMID: 36245737
Megan Rebuli, PhD – Allergy/Immunology – delivered a featured lecture, “Respiratory Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke”, at the 2022 NC Society of Toxicology (NCSOT) Annual meeting at North Carolina Central University.
Samantha Schilling, MD, MSHP - General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine - was awarded an Evaluation Fund award from the NC Office of State Budget and Management to evaluate NC Integrated Care for Kids (NCInCK)
Ashely Sutton, MD and Michael Steiner, MD – Hospital Pediatrics with Melanie Dawes MBA, MHA, RN -UNC Children’s – published Systematic Improvement in the Patient Transfer Process to a Tertiary Care Children's Hospital. Sutton AG, Smith HG, Dawes ME, O'Connor M, Hayes AA, Downs JP, Steiner MJ. Hosp Pediatr. 2022 Sep 1;12(9):816-825. doi:10.1542/hpeds.2021-006390. PMID: 35948643.
Emily Vander Schaaf, MD, MPH and Bianca Allison, MD, MPH – General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine – published Screening for Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Adolescents: Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force. Jonas DE, Vander Schaaf EB, Riley S, Allison BA, Middleton JC, Baker C, Ali R, Voisin CE, LeBlanc ES. JAMA. 2022 Sep 13;328(10):968-979. doi:
10.1001/jama.2022.7957. PMID: 36098720.
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Gonzalez on the UNC Bus Tour
Dr. Lucien Gonzalez, Associate Professor in General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine attended the Tar Heel Bus Tour and is featured in the video!
Dr. Gonzalez was one of more than 80 UNC faculty members, administrators and staff on two buses, traveling more than 1,000 miles, to learn more about the state of North Carolina during the 2022 Tar Heel Bus Tour
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Molly, Margie, and Ilona Won!
In October, Molly Berkoff, General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Margie Boccieri, Gastroenterology, and Ilona Jaspers, Allergy-Immunology ran as part of a relay team for 32 hours straight and WON the Women’s Masters Division of the Bourbon Chase race in Lexington, Kentucky!
The Bourbon Chase is a 200-ish mile running relay across the Bluegrass State that winds its way through the historic Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The teams came together at the Jim Beam Distillery and ran east to Lexington on quiet, tree-lined country roads with beautiful rolling hills and the scenic backroads of the Bluegrass Region. They ran past picturesque horse farms, bourbon distilleries, and some incredibly welcoming Kentucky communities—as you'll see below, the local communities brought the humor in a big way!
They ran because it's fun and to prove that women over 40 (most in the relay were over 50) can still compete! They report that it was a blast to do something out of their comfort zone and have great bourbon afterwards to celebrate. Congratulations!
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The 2022 UNC Pediatrics Pumpkins
Pediatrics has brought the Halloween spirit this year. We are fans of all of these entries and hope everyone had tons of fun creating these masterpieces! Entries clockwise below:
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CEMALB: "Juulie's Gray Lungs"
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Critical Care: "Frank, The ECMO PumpKID"
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Rheumatology: "Elvish Pumpkin Mushroom"
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Genetics & Metabolism: "The Great GeneNOME"
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Alice Pan, PharmD, BCPPS
UNC Children's Pediatric Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Nominated by Pediatric Endocrinology & Rheumatology
Alice Pan is an amazing clinical pharmacist and so much more! Since joining the pediatric endocrinology and rheumatology teams, she has jumped right in to help provide comprehensive care to patients and families. Her strengths and skills are limitless. She works directly with families to provide medication education and optimize medication monitoring. She is an excellent patient advocate and ensures there are no barriers to prompt medication delivery by tackling prior authorizations, working with local and specialty pharmacies and infusion centers, and securing copay or medication assistance.
In addition to her strong clinical work, Alice has taken on a leadership role in clinical research projects to optimize both diagnoses and treatments for patients. Beyond her stellar work ethic and knowledge, she is also an excellent team player and a ton of fun to work with! Alice is definitely a hero to us and all of our patients!
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