Pediatric News
Updates from the Department of Pediatrics - 2023 Vol. 8
Letter from the Chair:
Kari Simonsen, MD, MBA
The summer season has turned red hot! And, the Department of Pediatrics has been igniting efforts that I'm excited to share with you. Some highlights featured in this month’s newsletter are:

  • The Nebraska legislature approved a funding increase for pediatric cancer programs, bringing their annual commitment to $4.5M. This will accelerate work in the state on pediatric cancer research and provide positive impacts for our Pediatric Cancer Research Group (PCRG) and the patients and families we serve.

  • The PCRG is holding its annual Pediatric Cancer Research Symposium on Aug. 29, and we are delighted that Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen will participate in a panel discussion with Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, UNMC Chancellor, and Chanda Chacón, MPH, FACHE, president and chief executive officer, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center.

  • PCRG investigator Sutapa Ray, PhD, assistant professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, was awarded major funding through the University of Nebraska Collaboration Initiatives, which support multi-campus projects to drive research collaborations across the University of Nebraska system. Congratulations to the entire Pediatric Hematology-Oncology group!

  • The Pediatric Residency program is excited to share the refreshed look of the resident call room, kitchen, workroom and conference room on the fifth floor of University Tower on the UNMC campus. These spaces have been renovated to enhance their functionality and comfort for the residents. Please stop by and visit.

  • Our fall Pediatric Academic Workshop Series conference will be held on Friday, Sept. 8, with invited speakers covering topics including global health education, educational scholarship, visual abstract development and artificial intelligence in healthcare. Please join us for what promises to be an exciting opportunity for faculty development.

  • Our community engagement opportunity this month includes both volunteering and supply drive options to help support the Umon'hon' Nation Health Fair. Please see the details below -- and reach out if you are interested in participating on site Sept. 13. Thank you in advance to all who contribute their time, resources and expertise to this event!
 
Please also take note of the other upcoming events and speakers happening soon, and reach out to connect with those faculty, trainees and colleagues included in this month's celebrations and milestones. We are grateful for everyone's contributions to the success of the Department of Pediatrics!
Fall Pediatric Workshop Planned to Assist with Presenting and Sharing Academic Content
The Department of Pediatrics is invited to attend the fall Pediatric Academic Workshop on Friday, Sept. 8, from noon to 4:30 p.m. at Children's, Indian Hills East, in the first floor training room. Speakers will cover topics such as expanding educational scholarship, using artificial intelligence, creating visual abstracts and delivering engaging presentations.
 
Featured speakers and topics:
 
Tanya Rogo, MD, MPH&TM, FAAP, FPIDS, Fellowship Program Director, Pediatric Infectious Diseases; Associate Professor of Pediatrics; Clinician Educator, Brown University Alpert Medical School: Pediatric Workforce Development in a Global Context: Lessons Learned from Rwanda
 
Nathaniel Goodrich, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Hospital Medicine; Pediatric Residency Program Co-Program Director; Nathan Gollehon, MD, MHPTT, Associate Professor, Division of Neonatology; Vice Chair of Education, Department of Pediatrics; Director of Pediatric Undergraduate Medical Education: Thinking Outside the Box: Developing a National Presence for your Educational Scholarship
 
John R. Windle, MD, Director of the Center for Intelligent Healthcare; Holland Distinguished Chair in Cardiovascular Sciences; Professor, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine: Moving Beyond the Blackbox: Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare 
 
Elizabeth Beam, PhD, RN, Associate Professor, HEROES Program Director, College of Nursing; Education Researcher, Academic Affairs; Assistant Director of Research, Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, Nebraska Medicine: Developing a Visual Abstract to Promote Your Publication

Faye Hagger, EdD, Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology; Director of Education Development & Academic Technology, Nebraska Medicine; Michael Smith, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Hospital Medicine: Talk title to be announced
 
Attendees are welcome to attend all or select presentations. During registration, please note if you will be going to only some of the presentations and/or will not require a lunch.
Dr. Sutapa Ray
Dr. Sutapa Ray Receives Nebraska Collaborative Initiative Grant for Medulloblastoma Research
Sutapa Ray, PhD, assistant professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, has been awarded a University of Nebraska Collaboration Initiative Grant for her application, "Therapeutic efficacy of STAT3 nanoparticle in pediatric brain tumor Medulloblastoma." Dr. Ray and her collaborator, Forrest Kievit, PhD, assistant professor, Biological Systems Engineering, UNL, will be funded for a two-year total of $150,000. Funding is provided by the Nebraska Research Initiative, a State of Nebraska allocation to the University of Nebraska intended to spur faculty research innovation across the University of Nebraska’s four campuses. Congratulations Dr. Ray! 
Cardiology Divsion to Participate in 8th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery
The Division of Cardiology is preparing to attend and present at the 8th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery in Washington D.C. from Aug. 27 to Sept. 1. Faculty and learners within the divisions will be part of ten presentations at the event, which occurs every four years.

  1. Perioperative arrhythmias in patients with congenital heart disease and Trisomy 13/18 (Furtmann, Wehrmann, Hancock Friesen, Sorensen, Gilg, Ibrahimye, Jeffrey Robinson)
  2. Outcomes for pediatric patients after cryoablation for AVNRT with high density mapping catheters (Frankel, kugler, Sorensen, Jeffrey Robinson)
  3. 24 hour blood pressure recordings in patients with Turner syndrome (Angela Yetman, Danford, Craft, Li)
  4. Turner syndrome. Invited talk. Angela Yetman
  5. Cardiovascular Outcomes and survival in patients with early onset Marfan syndrome (CLARITY registry/Angela Yetman)
  6. Change In Management Strategy For Prevention Of Hyperacute Thrombosis During Ductal Stenting: A Case Series (Samantha Gilg, Curzon, Taylor, Delaney)
  7. Quadricuspid Pulmonic Valve with Aortic Valve Atresia, Ventricular Septal Defect and Patent Ascending Aorta: A Previously Undescribed Cardiac Defect (Adam Larsen, Clem, Christiansen, Ibrahimye)
  8. Use of CT Angiography to diagnose Aorta to Right Atrial Shunt in Infective Endocarditis (Jaikaran Man Singh)
  9. Quality Improvement Efforts To Improve Adherence To Echocardiography Protocol (Mohammad Al-Omary, Swierzek, Clem, Jantzen)
  10. Semi-supine Exercise Stress 3D Echo in normal healthy children (Ling Li, Christiansen)

Congratulations to the Cardiology Division for being chosen to present at this prestigious event!
Residents Kristine Fischer, DO, and Robin Humrich, MD, enjoy the new furniture in the sleep room.
Kitchen refrigerator area before
Cindy Colpitts shows off the new kitchen refrigerator area
Pediatric Offices in University Tower
Receive Major Facelift
Faculty, learners and staff are enjoying the recently renovated spaces on the 5th floor of University Tower on the UNMC Campus. Improvements on the north side include a new resident sleep room and lounge featuring new furniture and a completely renovated bathroom. The sleep room will also serve as a mother’s room during the day. Next door the kitchen has been redone with new appliances and furniture, including a breakfast bar that will be helpful for serving group meals to the trainees. The resident library was also enhanced and includes new sit/stand workstations.

Large sections of the rooms and hallways have been recarpeted and new LED lighting has been installed that has really brightened up the spaces. UT5151 Conference Room was updated and now features technology to provide a suitable space for in-person and virtual meetings. Please reach out to Patti Davis to schedule. Faculty hoteling space (UT5134) was updated early in the renovation process and is a great option for faculty who need a temporary workplace or access to a work device while on the UNMC Campus (for access, please contact Jaclyn Ostronic).

The space improvements represent the first stages of what is hoped will be a continued process to update the facilities and décor in the pediatrics offices. “We think the current changes are big first step,” Jackie says. Kari Simonsen, MD, Department of Pediatrics chair adds, “We want to turn the University Tower offices into a point of pride for the Department and a welcoming space to work and collaborate.” A committee of faculty, staff and resident representatives met with UNMC/Nebraska Medicine curator team to help select art for the space, prioritizing local artists and landscapes to improve the ambience. The art will hopefully be installed by the end of year. Adding badge readers to the main entrances and continuing to plan for additional office improvements are currently in progress.
Sleep room bathroom before
Jackie Ostronic displays the new sleep room bathroom area
From UNMC Today:
Dr. Don Coulter
State Boosts Commitment to Pediatric Cancer Research
Nebraska’s commitment to tackling pediatric cancer received a boost this year when lawmakers invested additional funds to help the state’s youngest cancer patients.

Read the full article here.
Gov. Pillen to Attend Pediatric Cancer Research Symposium
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen will attend
will speak and participate in a panel with Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, UNMC chancellor, and Chanda Chacón, president and chief executive officer of Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, at the 2023 Child Health Research Institute’s Pediatric Cancer Research Symposium on Aug. 29.
The panel will discuss public-private collaborations for improving pediatric cancer prevention and outcomes in Nebraska.

Read the full article here.
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen
Additional Upcoming Events
Pediatric Global Health Equity Grand Rounds, Sept. 8
Tanya Orie Rogo, MD, MPH&TM, FAAP, associate professor of Pediatrics at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, will be the guest speaker for Pediatric Global Health Equity grand rounds on Sept. 8, from 8 to 9 a.m. Dr. Rogo will deliver her talk, "Training Clinicians to Care for the World’s Children." UNMC's Pediatric Global Health Equity Program is sponsoring Dr. Rogo's talk, which will be available in person or over zoom

Click here for more information.
Dr. Tanya Orie Rogo
2023 Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPQIC) Fall Summit
The 2023 NPQIC Fall Summit will provide a foundational understanding of the current black maternal health crisis and the landscape of black maternal health in Nebraska. Sessions will equip health care teams with the most up-to-date practices around severe maternal morbidities, trauma-informed care, and chronic conditions and substance use in pregnancy.

Click here for more information.
Community Engagement News:
Five Questions
This month we feature Jenna Allison, MD, assistant professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology.
Meet Dr. Jenna Allison:
 
What brought you to your given specialty/role? 
 
For as far back into my childhood as I can remember, I told everyone that I wanted to be a doctor. Because I loved interacting with kids, I also knew that would go into pediatrics. As a second-year medical student, I attended a “lunch and learn” session in the pediatrics interest group about pediatric oncology. I had never been exposed to pediatric cancer and found the information so intriguing. A week later, after an afternoon shadowing in the clinic, I walked out of the hospital and called my mom. I told her I knew what I was going to do with the rest of my life!
 
What’s your favorite place in the world? 
 
My favorite place in the world is back home on my parent’s farm, sitting in the backyard at night in the fall. It is the most peaceful, relaxing place!
 
What are you a fan of or very interested in? 
 
I grew up playing sports and have always loved playing/watching. I played college volleyball and absolutely love going to or watching Nebraska Volleyball games! I am so excited professional volleyball is coming to Omaha this spring and am in the queue to get season tickets! 😊 
 
Is there any book, music or TV series or movie that you admire and would recommend to others, particularly if it relates to the medical world?
 
I don’t read or watch a lot of medical related things for pleasure as I get plenty of it in my day-to-day life. However, during the initial shutdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, I watched Lenox Hill on Netflix. It’s a documentary following four physicians in New York City that is a very nice representation of the highs and lows of being in the medical field.
 
What was the most important lesson taught to you during your career training? 
 
The most important lesson I learned through my training was to pay it forward. I would not be where I am today without the most amazing mentors guiding me throughout all of my training. I hope to one day impact learners the way and degree that my mentors have had on me! 
Staff Milestones:
Recent Service Anniversaries
Congratulations to those celebrating recent work anniversaries. We wish you all the best for continued success!
University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics
982155 Nebraska Medicine
Omaha, NE 68198-2155
402-955-3933