Dear team,
We want to take a moment to pause and acknowledge how hard things are right now. In short: we know you are still “in the trenches”, it’s incredibly hard, and we hear you.
March 21st marks the second anniversary of the first adult patient admitted with COVID-19 to the UVA Medical Center. There is a Health System-wide day planned to acknowledge this milestone. (Learn more here and see more details below in the "Events" section.)
In April, Women’s and Children’s would also like to recognize the following COIVD milestone days:
- The first patient under 18 years old was admitted on April 8, 2020 (L&D and transferred to SPU)
- The first patient that was admitted to the Children’s Hospital (7A/ PICU/NICU/ 8C) was a neonate on April 14, 2020
We’d like to honor our humanity, our dignity, our suffering, our fear, and our love with a moment of silence. We encourage your teams to have a moment of silence during your huddles on these days. Because each journey is different, we felt a collective moment of silence allows for both marking the occasion and the recognition that we are all in this together. While we’d love to tell stories and share "thoughts of reflection and hope", we don’t want this to feel disingenuous. We know this is still very raw and very real.
We also know that the number of pediatric patients that have COVID is still high (40% of the medical patients in the PICU last week). Many factors are at play including new legislation, poor vaccine uptake in school-aged children, and the time lag we have seen in severe pediatric illness compared with the adult population. We are not “out of the woods” or whatever other cliché we could use here.
Each of us has been impacted by the pandemic in many ways, and this is a time to remember, reflect, and allow ourselves to feel the gravity of this global public health crises. We recognize that individuals will have a huge spectrum of feelings from intense anger, to ennui, to a fierce desire to just get past it. We want to respond with kindness and respect, allowing individuals to be where they are and provide a variety of supports.
Please let us know how we can best support you. We pledge to continue to be here and to listen.
As always, thank you for all that you do,
Jim, Liz, Karin, Billy, Ann, Jennifer, Leigh & Pete
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Learn more from Dr. Samantha Minnicozzi about what the Communications Council is and how UVA Health leaders are ensuring your voice is heard.
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Dr. James Nataro shares his thoughts on COVID-19 as an American, a healthcare provider, a human being, a chair, and an infectious disease specialist.
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How We Utilize Partnership to Enhance Patient Satisfaction and Health Outcomes |
Learn more about the latest updates and highlights from the Cystic Fibrosis team.
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Together We Make a Difference |
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Theme of the Month:
Self-Compassion
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Quotes of the Week
March 7: “Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others.” ~ Christopher Germer
March 14: “Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.” ~ Malcolm S. Forbes
March 21: “Self-compassion is key because when we're able to be gentle with ourselves in the midst of shame, we're more likely to reach out, connect, and experience empathy.” ~ Brené Brown
March 28: “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” ~ Maya Angelou
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Mark Your Calendar
- Child Life Month
- National Nutrition Month
- Women's History Month
- Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 13-19)
- International Board Certified Lactation Consultants Day (March 2)
- National Hospitalist Day (March 3)
- Employee Appreciation Day (March 4)
- International Women’s Day (March 8)
- World Sleep Day (March 18)
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Purple Day for Epilepsy Awareness (March 26)
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Check out the March calendar from Action for Happiness. This month, let's pause, breathe and notice, so we can respond more mindfully.
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Reflections & Expressions |
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Small Gifts
by Noreen Crain, MD, Assoc. Prof. of Pediatrics and Anesthesia, Medical Director, Pediatric Palliative Care
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The pressure of another surge is weighing heavily on us, even as colleagues around the country continue to leave in droves. Unlike early 2020, our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is once again full of infants and small children with severe illness of one kind or another. Everyone is doing their best, working under incessant admonition to do more with less. Some days I wonder what it will take for me to decide to step away from the only thing I have ever wanted to do. I am wounded, and I am weary. I am worthy, and I am wise. In the last few weeks I have noticed a small change in my thinking about this surge and what may lie ahead, particularly for my pediatric patients: I don’t know if I can do this again. Strangely, not knowing may be the most important part of that sentence...
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The goal of Expressions & Reflections is to help us reconnect with our purpose in medicine. We want to provide a space for sharing lessons learned within our Children's Hospital. Topics could include, but are not limited to: wellness, racism, violence, bias, resiliency, advocacy, burnout, equality, LGBTTQQIAAP, kindness, mistreatment, mentorship, peer support, or any fascinating, sad, happy, brave, complex, or inspiring experiences. This feature can be prose (with a limit of 500 words), poetry or art. Please submit to Dr. Joanne Mendoza jm7zg@virginia.edu
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March is Child Life Month! |
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Why I love being a Child Life Specialist
“One of my favorite things about being a child life specialist is helping children cope by preparing them on what to expect. It’s amazing to see how enhancing children’s control though preparation and medical play promotes overall positive coping.”
--Cole Gayheart, CCLS
“The emergency department (ED) is often a child’s first experience with the hospital, and child life services are vital in ensuring that stress and anxiety are minimized while in the ED. I love working in this fast-paced environment and seeing the impact that play, preparation, and education can have on a child and family’s coping.”
--Jessica Williford, CCLS
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Do you know a nurse who is exceptionally compassionate, kind and empathetic? Do you know a nurse who always puts her patients first? Is there an outstanding nurse on your team?
We are delighted to announce that we are accepting nominations for the Eloise Dodge Gould Pediatric Nurse Education Award to be presented at the Annual PNSO Nursing Excellence Awards Ceremony. The recipient will be awarded a $2,500 stipend to be used for continuing education including coursework and/or conferences.
Eligibility:
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The nominee must be a pediatric RN who works within UVA Health System.
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The nominee must have been employed by UVA Health System for at least 12 consecutive months.
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The nominee must spend at least 50% of their time in direct patient care.
Criteria:
The pediatric professional nurse nominated should exhibit the characteristics of compassion, empathy, and kindness valued and appreciated by Eloise Dodge Gould.
Deadline:
Nominations must be received by Friday, April 8
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Help Support the UVA Children's Food Pantry! |
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A group of UVA pediatric residents and faculty will be running and walking the Charlottesville 10 miler on March 26th to raise money for the UVA Children’s Food Pantry in the Battle Building. UVA Children’s has partnered with Charlottesville’s Local Food Hub to develop an on-site food pantry in the Battle Building to put non-perishable food in hands when children come for their appointments. The pantry is open to any patient in need, visiting any clinic.
You can help by participating, making a direct donation, or buying one of our long sleeve tech tees. All donations and profits will go directly to UVA's rapidly growing food pantry, which currently serves hundreds of families in the Charlottesville area.
Make your donation today via venmo: @uvachildrensfoodbank
We hope to see you out on the course, as a participant or volunteer!
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Cardiology team takes center stage at UVA Health Town Hall |
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JackFest is on March 27 at Foxfield, benefiting Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program at UVA Children’s and the Ronald McDonald House Charites of Charlottesville.
Upcoming Children’s Miracle Network Campaigns
- Dairy Queen Year-Long Round-Up: January 1 – December 31
- JOANN Coin Boxes: February 1 – October 31
- Ace Hardware Round-Up: April 1-30
- HooThon @UVA: April 5-11
- Wawa Coin Collection: April 11 – May 29
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COVID-19 Two-Year Reflections and Hope Event |
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Monday, March 21, marks the two-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 patient admitted for care. UVA Health invites all team members to a special event to reflect and pay tribute to the extraordinary dedication, as well as the many contributions and sacrifices of our team members. Details:
- Monday, March 21
- 9:30-10:15 am
- UVA Medical Center | University Hospital Lobby (maximum attendance 434)
- Live-streamed event (link forthcoming)
A recording of the event will also be available for viewing at a later time.
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Regulation of Endothelial Cell Specialization
Date: Friday, March 18
Time: 12:00 - 1:00pm
Speaker: Karen Kemper Hirschi, PhD, Professor of Cell Biology, Hirschi Lab Department of Cell Biology
Meeting ID: 970 0091 1098
Passcode: 754960
Immunity and Immunopathogy after acute COVID-19
Date: Friday, March 25
Time: 12:00 - 1:00pm
Speaker: Jie Sun, PhD, Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of Medicine & Associate Director for Scientific Programs Carter Immunology Center, UVA
Meeting ID: 970 1602 7382
Passcode: 123230
Dietary fibre, the gut microbiota and blood pressure
Date: Friday, April 1
Time: 12:00 - 1:00pm
Speaker: Francine Coelho Marques, PhD, Head of Hypertension Laboratory School of Biological Sciences Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Meeting ID: 963 6083 8193
Passcode: 457309
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Pediatric Grand Rounds Wisdom and Wellbeing Series |
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Password: grand rounds
Please keep checking the website for the virtual meeting link, in-person location, and CME information.
Pediatric Residency Program Humanism, Compassion and Physician Well-Being Curriculum
Date: Thursday, March 17
Time: 8:00-9:00am
Speakers: Dr. Ina Stephens and Dr. Shakun Gupta
About: Drs. Ina Stephens and Shakun Gupta will describe the Pediatric residency program Humanism, Compassion and Physician Well-being Curriculum and other such programs around the country. Participants will hear about resident experiences of professional and personal stress and be encouraged to share their own experiences as desired. Participants will be invited to take a brief and anonymous wellness self- survey and introduced to easy resources for self and patients to improve stress management.
Women's and Children's Panel discussion: Wisdom and Wellbeing Initiatives
Date: Thursday, April 28
Time: 8:00-9:00am
Speakers: Drs. Peter Murray, Grant Robinson, Cherise Brackett and Ann Kellams
About: Drs. Pete Murray, Grant Robinson, Cherise Brackett and Ann Kellams will present a selection of different initiatives within WCH that are helping develop a culture of community that represent unit, hospital and across specialty activities.
Wisdom and Wellbeing Program at UVA Health
Date: Thursday, May 12
Time: 8:00-9:00am
Speaker: Dr. Peggy Plews-Ogan
About: Dr. Peggy Plews-Ogan will present the UVA Health occupational stress intervention program that addresses both systems and individual occupational challenges while promoting the capacity to engage in the complex demands of delivering safe high quality care.
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Medical Center Hour Spring Schedule |
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Date & Time: Wednesdays, 12:00-1:00pm
March 9
A John F. Anderson Memorial Lecture
Pushing Cool: Big Tobacco, Racial Marketing, and the Untold Story of the
Menthol Cigarette
Keith A Wailoo, PhD, Henry Putnam University Professor of History and Public Affairs at
Princeton University NJ, Zoom and In-Person
March 16
Virginia Humanities; Medicine Grand Rounds
Letter to a Young Female Physician
Suzanne Koven MD, Primary care physician and Writer in Residence at Massachusetts
General Hospital, Boston MA, Zoom and In-Person
March 23
Systemic Racism in Medicine
Bram Wispelwey, MD MPH MS, Hospitalist and Associate Physician in the Division of
Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, Cofounder and Chief Strategist of Health for Palestine, George Washington University,
Washington DC, Zoom and In-Person
March 30
UVA School of Nursing Compassionate Care Initiative; UVA Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor
Medical Society
The Story of Healthcare
Elizabeth Métraux, Founder, Women Writers in Medicine, Zoom and In-Person
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42nd McLemore Birdsong Pediatric Conference |
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Date: Friday-Sunday, March 11-13
Details: Join us LIVE at the Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, VA or VIRTUAL
Registration is OPEN!
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4th Annual Betsy and Stuart Houston Lecture |
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Date: Thursday, April 14
Time: 4:00 – 5:00pm
Location: Virtual event
Speaker: Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, Dr. Robert J. Glaser Distinguished University Professor of Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Topic: Development of microbiota-directed complementary foods for treatment of childhood undernutrition
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34th Annual Research Symposium & Research Trainee Competition |
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Research Day
Date: Thursday, May 26
Time: 8:00 AM - 2:30 PM
The 34th Annual Research Symposium
Presentations, awards, and a featured speaker! Participants will display poster presentations summarizing their work, followed by the opportunity for lively discussion with faculty and audience members.
Tenth Annual Research Trainee Competition
Date: Friday, May 13th
Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
The Research Trainee Competition features Platform Presentations by residents, medical fellows, medical students, graduate students, and undergraduates. Trainees of any member of the Dept. of Pediatrics or associated with the CHRC are encouraged to participate. Top presentations from the Trainee Competition will be selected for oral presentation at the Annual “Research Day” Symposium. Please note in your submission email whether you will be available to participate in Research Day as well.
Abstract Submission Guidelines
All abstracts due: Friday, April 15
Details: Abstracts should focus on recent research that has not yet been published in manuscript form. Abstracts submitted for presentation at other scientific meetings within the last year are welcome, but should be updated to reflect the current status of your research.
• A brief summary of your research is required following your abstract. The summary should consist of 3 bullets titled: Objective, Conclusions and Implications for Children.
• IMPORTANT: For Trainee Competition submissions, one concept figure should be included above these bullets (Include only one concept figure and no additional figures).
• Please acknowledge the sources of funding for your research beneath your abstract, especially funding from the UVA Children’s Hospital Abstract Format guidelines:
• Margins: (top, bottom, left and right) should be one inch all around. Font: Arial 12 pt.
• For Research Day: the abstract and summary are limited to one page.
• If Research Day is held in person (not Zoom), printed posters can be no larger than 4 ft. X 4 ft.
• All submissions will be bound into the Program “Book” and distributed. Any submission that is too long will be edited to meet the guidelines.
• For the Trainee Competition submissions, maximum length is 2 pages; include one concept figure on page 2.
• Name the file as LAST NAME FIRST NAME SYM 2022. Example: PalmerJoanneSym 2022
• Please indicate whether you are a resident, fellow, student or faculty
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2nd Annual Children's Hospital Quality Improvement/Patient Safety Project Showcase |
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Date: Tuesday, May 31
Time: 11:30am - 1:30pm
More information: Please join us for the second annual quality improvement/patient safety showcase, highlighting outcomes improvement work done by nurses, residents, fellows, faculty, and other children’s hospital staff. Teams will present works in progress or completed projects aimed at improving effective, coordinated, collaborative, evidence-based, and patient- and family-centered care for children’s hospital patients.
Abstract deadline: May 2. Reviewers will select teams for oral platform as well as poster presentations. Projects that have been submitted to other conferences are welcome to re-use already submitted materials.
Contact: Please submit your abstract to Elisa Hampton ehampton@virginia.edu and contact her, Dr. Joanne Mendoza, or Dr. Jon Swanson with any questions.
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Appreciation for Dietitian Team |
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Children’s Hospital Leadership,
This past week has shown the value of incredible teamwork as many have collaborated to address the formula recall. We wanted to share our sincere appreciation for the dedication of our pediatric RD team, who have worked closely with the broader Children’s Hospital team to ensure patients and families had the resources they need to feed their children during this unprecedented formula recall.
This work included creating and updating formula substitution lists; working closely with external agencies including DMEs, infusion companies, and WIC offices to coordinate care; partnering with the communications team to ensure accurate information reached all who needed it; and collaborating with their interdisciplinary teams to respond to patient and caregiver questions and concerns. It’s been a heavy lift, and there’s no doubt that our RDs played an integral role.
Many thanks for all that you do,
Angie Hasemann Bayliss, MS, RDN, CSP, Co-Clinical Nutrition Manager | University of Virginia Health and Program Director | UVA Health System Dietetic Internship
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Shout out to Amy Cesak on accepting her official role as Patient and Family Centered Care Program Coordinator
The NICU would like to welcome their new Administrative Assistant, Andrea Noraas
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7 West: Everyone was extremely kind, patient and caring. Testing, questions, and explanations were very thorough. I left feeling good about testing/diagnosis. Thank you!
Northridge Peds: Northridge Pediatrics is wonderful.
ORUL Peds: Dr Papus is one of our favorites and she is always super thorough in her exam and explaining questions or concerns.
Fetal Care: My husband and I both loved Dr. Ennen. He was straight forward and informative. We came for concerns about our pregnancy and he made us feel so much more at ease by answering all our questions.
Northridge University Physicians for Women: Sarah Mercer is great. She is a good listener and referred me to a specialist for an issue she couldn't address.
8 North OB: Sabrina Cupian and Maraliz Zambrana from the mother baby unit and Zoe from Labor and delivery/ recovery. These 3 women went above and beyond to make sure my husband and I were taken care of through one of the hardest things we've done together. We cannot thank or praise them enough. All the staff were great but these 3 knew where our heads were at and how to fix it before we even realized the problem.
8 Central OB: I was very pleased at how well I was taken care of by the labor and delivery nurse and doctor. I arrived in labor by myself and never felt alone and I felt taken care of from the minute I walked in. I'm very grateful for such a good experience during a time that could have been very scary. I was given a lot of time to bond with baby in the labor room and video chat with baby's dad who is deployed before being moved to a postpartum room. Overall, very pleased and happy with our experience.
NICU: Beyond blessed to have my twins delivered at such an amazing hospital. The entire staff was spectacular. Thank you all!
Dev Peds: Dr. Norwood is amazing with kids and is so kind and patient with parents navigating a special needs diagnosis for their children. His upcoming retirement is hitting us hard as a family.
7 West: Dr. Roehrs was amazing. We so appreciated his knowledge and the care he gave to Isabel.
Peds Gastro: The absolute best experience I've had with a doctor in my entire life! Dr. McKinney carried on a conversation with my child and with me. He had a great bedside manner. I felt like he was fully informed of the history but still asked really great questions. He introduced the medical scribe when he came in the room and introduced himself. He asked my son questions and didn't ignore him. He asked me how I was feeling about my child's current health he asked about my worry level. I never felt rushed and Dr. McKinney never appeared rushed himself. He waited until he made sure that all the questions were answered and we felt comfortable before he left the room. He also made sure that we were aware of a good contact number and email in case any problems arose in the future.
Peds Allergy: I have highly recommended UVA pediatric allergy & will continue to do so.
Peds Neuro: Dr. Axeen is wonderful. She always patiently listens to us and fully answers any questions/concerns we have.
Ortho Peds: Emily Feiner is excellent!!! She is nice , listens to everything and HIGHLY recommend her for anyone.
Peds Pulm: Dr. Grarrod is a wonderful doctor who cares, listens, and does her best to help the patient. She is a blessing to have as my son's doctor.
Peds Renal: For me it was very excellent. I understood what I should do if something happened in the future.
Peds Urology: The doctor was very nice and professional. She made it a very calming experience. She explained everything in depth that I needed to know. She seemed to really care and actually listened to me and my concerns, and involved me in decisions. All around great experience!
Peds Card: Dr. Vergales was knowledgeable about my child's hobby basketball and took time to speak about that as well as his heart. My son really enjoys this basketball buddy chat.
Peds Endo: Dr. Mason did an amazing job at explaining everything and why certain decisions were made.
Peds Surgery: So very kind and helpful.
Peds Neurosurg: Dr. Jane is someone I consider to be the best neurosurgeon in the world and I have met A LOT, both as a patient and as a nurse!
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Have a story idea? Let us know!
Working on an exciting new project? Want to spread the word about your clinic? Know a team member that should be recognized? We can help!
Womens and Childrens Wisdom and Wellbeing
The Communication and Culture workgroup is evolving into the Wisdom and Wellbeing Steering Committee and Peer Representatives. In alignment with UVA Health, we are expanding our efforts to include not only team building and resilience, but also o stress first aid, peer support, and identification and removal of unnecessary stressors in the clinical work environment. Please let us know if you would like to get involved in the is important work!
Please help us spread the word
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Monthly Matters newsletter archive
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