October flew by! Many of you traveled to meetings to present scholarly work. We have also been actively interviewing applicants for our fellowships and residency interviews just started this past week. In addition, our NICU nurses dressed up our youngest patients for Halloween. Check out these great photos! | |
|
|
I am excited to announce that on October 19th, we had a Visiting Professor participate in the First Fernando Moya Lecture. An endowment fund was established, in conjunction with the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Pediatrics, to support this annual Pediatric Visiting Professorship in Wilmington, North Carolina. In honor of Fernando Moya, MD, the goal is to perpetuate the culture of continuing education and community engagement in the southeastern region of the state. The invited speaker was Dr. Mercurio who is a Professor of Pediatrics and the Director of Biomedical Ethics at Yale School of Medicine.
We initiated Chair Rounds on Friday mornings at 8 am this month. The attendance has been excellent from several divisions, and we have had great case base discussions. We would love to see you there! A special thank you to our chief residents, Will Parker, Xavier Williams, Joanne Alfred, and Erin Dunneback who have led the organization of Chair Rounds.
Our holiday party is scheduled for Sunday, December 3rd, starting at 4pm, at The Morehead Planetarium. We would love to see you there!
Thank you for all you do for families across the state and for helping us achieve our vision of transforming care and inspiring hope for all children!
| |
Please Welcome our New Children's Providers! | |
|
|
|
Karen Jones, MSN, CPNP-AC/PC
Advanced Practice Provider
Cardiology
| Karen Jones, MSN, CPNP-AC/PC joined the Pediatric Division of Cardiology on October 2, 2023. Karen will be primarily working in the Catheterization Suite as well as seeing outpatients in several of our offices. She has had extensive experience at Children’s of Mississippi (Congenital Heart Surgery) and at Duke Children’s Hospital most recently. Welcome Karen! | | | |
|
|
Lauren Baumgardner, MD
Assistant Professor
General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
| Lauren Baumgardner, MD joined the Pediatric Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine on October 4, 2023. Dr. Baumgardner’s appointment is a combined position in Complex Care and Palliative Care. She will work closely with Dr. deJong on the continued expansion of the Complex Care Program. Dr. Baumgardner completed her fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at UNC on the Pediatrics track, and previously completed Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency at MetroHealth Cleveland, where she was also chief resident. Welcome Lauren! | | | |
|
|
|
Rielee Welch, MSN, NNP
Advanced Practice Provider
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
| Rielee Welch, MSN, NNP joined Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine on October 16, 2023. She is a recent graduate of the East Carolina University, Master of Science, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program. Welcome Rielee! | | | |
|
|
|
Jaelyn Pulkrabek, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner
UNC Children's
| Jaelyn Pulkrabek is the newest pediatric Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP), specializing in solid organ transplantation. She completed her undergraduate degree at Buena Vista University and Doctorate of Pharmacy degree at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, followed by residency training at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, TX. Her clinical practice will be both inpatient and outpatient-based, initially focusing on the kidney transplant population. Welcome Jaelyn!! | | | |
Elton Appointed Senior Medical Director for UNC Children's Operating Rooms | Dr. Scott Elton, Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics, was appointed as the Senior Medical Director for the Children's Operating Rooms at UNC Hospitals, following a competitive search and after serving as the interim senior medical director. In this role, Scott will continue leading our talented children's surgical team as we serve some of our youngest patients and their families. | | | |
Pizzuto named Physician Service Leader of Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit | Dr. Matthew Pizzuto, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics has been appointed Physician Service Leader of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU) in the North Carolina Children's Hospital. He has served as interim PCICU service leader since 2021. We look forward to Dr. Pizzuto's continued leadership in his new role. | | | |
|
Successful Trauma Survey and Mass Casualty Incident
October 12th was a busy but successful day for the emergency department and the pediatric emergency department.
The 2-day Trauma Recertification Survey wrapped up yesterday in the midst of a Pediatric Mass Casualty Incident (6 injured children brought in after a school bus accident). It truly was a team effort for all involved but special mention goes to Paul Zarick our Pediatric Trauma Coordinator. He has been an unrelenting advocate for the needs of children in our trauma program. Since the last Trauma Survey, he has worked tirelessly with the Pediatric Emergency Department and Trauma Surgeon Medical Directors, Emergency Services, Children's Services and the Pediatric General and Specialty Surgeons to systematically identify and close gaps. The hard work paid off. The Trauma Reviewers found no deficiencies and we passed! They were able to identify some opportunities for improvement which we will continue to work on.
The Pediatric Mass Casualty Incident was an unexpected real-time test of our processes in the midst of the survey. Everyone rose to the occasion and performed at the top of their game. The teamwork, collaboration and communication between all involved was amazing. Although we will undoubtedly identify areas for improvement, we were able to prove that the processes that were put into place work. Special thanks to Dan Park leading the effort to standardize those processes!
That unexpected test of our system, the successful trauma survey and emergency nursing leadership's commitment to ensuring we have the right personnel in place has given everyone the confidence to proceed with transitioning to running Yellow Traumas in Pediatric ED on Monday November 13, 2023.
| |
If you couldn't join us for the
UNC Children's Meeting
on Thurs, October 19th,
the slides can be found here!
Click to see the Slide Deck
| |
|
|
Zargham Named Pediatric Residency Associate Program Director | |
We are excited to announce that Shiva Zargham, MD, MSc will join the education team as an Associate Program Director. Dr. Zargham is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine; she joined the team in 2019
Throughout her career, Dr. Zargham has received awards and accolades for her skills as an educator. She has a strong interest in quality improvement and safety, with ongoing efforts investigating the use of clinical event debriefing in trainees. She is currently part of a national study with the American Academy of Pediatrics investigating the use of Clinical Event Debriefing and serves as the lead for the AAP Section on Simulation and Innovative Learning Methods Clinical Event Debriefing Research work group. Since joining UNC, she has helped lead the Pediatric Emergency Medicine didactic series, simulations, and debriefing for learners. Dr. Zargham also serves as a Coach for our interns.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Zargham!
| | |  | |
Weinberg Promoted to Associate Professor | Steven Weinberg, MD was promoted to Associate Professor of Pediatrics effective October 1, 2023. Dr. Weinberg has been a faculty member in Pediatrics since 2019. Dr. Weinberg serves as a Pediatric hospitalist providing direct patient care to inpatient pediatric patients on the PMB, Pediatric BMT and Newborn nursery services as well as coverage of pediatric admissions and transfers including supervision of residents. | | | |
Meghan E. Rebuli, PhD, was selected by American Thoracic Society President Patricia Rivera to be featured as a “Who’s Who” of the society. Rebuli’s research focuses on investigating sex specific effects of air pollutants and new and emerging tobacco products on pulmonary health. | | | |
Vander Schaaf Named Co-Director of Office of Health Equity through Education and Leadership | Emily Vander Schaaf, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, has been named an inaugural Co-Director of the newly established Office of Health Equity through Education and Leadership (HEEL) within the UNC School of Medicine Office of Curricular Affairs. | | | |
Kamoun Nominated to APS SPR Journeys & Frontiers in Pediatric Research | Camilia Kamoun, MD, MSME, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, has been nominated to participate in the APS SPR Journeys & Frontiers in Pediatric Research program for 2023-2024. The program is designed to encourage and support promising early-career investigators in pediatrics. | | | |
Levenson Elected as AOE Representative on SOM Education Committee | Amy Levenson, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, has been elected by the Academy of Educators to be their representative on the School of Medicine Education Committee. The UNC School of Medicine Education Committee develops and maintains the governance structure for the entire medical school curriculum. | | | |
Flower Elected to American Pediatric Society | The American Pediatric Society (APS) council members have formally elected Kori Flower, MD, to Active membership with the society. Active member nominations are accepted for individuals who have distinguished themselves as child health leaders, and who have well-established credentials as teachers, scholars, policymakers, and/or clinicians and whose contributions have advanced child health. | | | |
|
Ahearn & Harrison Present at IHQI Symposium
Drs. Alex Ahearn and Wade Harrisonm, both Assistant Professors in Hospital Pediatrics, presented work at the recent UNC Institute for Healthcare Quality Improvement Symposium.
Their presentation was entitled, “Standardizing the evaluation and management of young febrile infants to achieve high-value care”.
| |
|
Good Presents Keynote & Gerald Merenstein Lecture at NCE
Misty Good, MD, MS, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, presented the Keynote Address and Gerald Merenstein Lecture at the Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition (NCE) titled, “A New Era of Treatments for Necrotizing Enterocolitis: Personalized Medicine and Targeted Therapies” on October 20, 2023.
| |
|
Fuchs and Zwemer Present at NC GME Conference
Drs. Jennifer Fuchs and Eric Zwemer, both Associate Professors in Hospital Pediatrics, present at 2023 North Carolina Graduate Medical Education Collaborative Conference in Asheville
Fuchs led a workshop entitled: “Mitigating Bias When Reading and Writing Letters of Recommendation”.
Zwemer gave the morning keynote address entitled, “Mentoring the Next Generation of Learners: A Gen Z(wemer) Take”
| |
|
Keet and Thompson
Elected to SPR
| Congratulations to Corinne Keet, MD, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Allergy/Immunology, and Vice Chair of Clinical and Translational Research, and Peyton Thompson, MD, MSCR, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases, on their election to membership in the Society of Pediatric Research (SPR). | | | |
Four Pediatrics Faculty Selected for Passing the Torch | Dr. Cara Beth Carr, Assistant Professor in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Dr. Clara Hildebrandt, Assistant Professor in Pediatric Genetics & Metabolism, Dr. Elisabeth Leong, Assistant Professor in Pediatric Cardiology, and Dr. Lindsay Marszal, Assistant Professor in General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine have been selected to be a part of the 2023-2024 Passing the Torch Cohort. | | | |
Hospital Care for Children Has Shifted from General Hospitals to Children's Hospitals Over Last 20 Years | Children's hospital care is now concentrated in fewer locations, and this has important implications for hospital planning and readiness, according to a new study led Michael Steiner, MD, MPH, of UNC Health. | | | |
Dr. Law and Turner Syndrome Research in UNC Research Endeavors | UNC Research recently published a feature on Dr. Jennifer Law and the Turner Syndrome research at UNC. In the 'Endeavors' article, "Hope for “Butterflies”, we learn more about how the UNC Turner Syndrome Clinic provides multidisciplinary care to improve the lives of patients, also known as “butterflies.” | | | |
New Funding Supports "Care for NICU Families" | The Department of Pediatrics and Collaborative for Maternal and Infant Health, have received a $4 million Cooperative Agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to Advance Best Practices to Improve Postpartum Care In and Beyond the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ("Care for NICU Families"). | | | |
|
UNC Peds GI @ NASPGHAN
UNC Pediatric Gastroenterology was well represented at the North American Society For Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition (NASPGHAN) Annual Meeting in San Diego, October 4-7.
-
Stephanie Borinsky: Presented 2 posters on her work on eosinophilic esophagitis (T32-funded).
-
Ajay Gulati: Presented a poster of distinction on his work on the effects of subepithelial intestinal tissue on Paneth cell function via IL-22 (RO1-funded work).
-
Francisco Sylvester: Selected to present the Shwachman Award (highest professional recognition by NASPGHAN) to Nicola Jones MD, PhD, with the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, for outstanding lifelong contributions to the field.
-
Sabina Mir: Member of the organizing committee for the single-topic symposium about GI polyps - moderated a session on intestinal polyps and presented on gastric polyps.
-
Matthew Egberg: Moderated a pediatric IBD session ("Ulcerative colitis, what's the urgency?").
-
Ahmad Sami: Participated in the Endoscopy and Procedures Committee and the Polyposis Special Interest Group.
| |
|
|
Dr. Bianca Allison – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published:
Dr. Melissa Bauserman– Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published: Can the date of last menstrual period be trusted in the first trimester? Comparisons of gestational age measures from a prospective cohort study in six low-income to middle-income countries. Patel A, Bann CM, Thorsten VR, Rao SR, Lokangaka A, Tshefu Kitoto A, Bauserman M, Figueroa L, Krebs NF, Esamai F, Bucher S, Saleem S, Goldenberg RL, Chomba E, Carlo WA, Goudar S, Derman R, Koso-Thomas M, McClure E, Hibberd PL. BMJ Open. 2023 Sep 20;13(9):e067470. PMID: 37730415.
Dr. Elisabeth Dellon – Pulmonology – published: End-of-life care in cystic fibrosis in the era of new therapies. Dellon EP, Goggin J. Lancet Respir Med. 2023 Oct;11(10):861-863. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(23)00260-6. Epub 2023 Sep 9. PMID: 37699422.
Dr. Melissa Diaz - Pediatric Hospital Medicine – won the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Hospital Medicine Abstract Research Award for her project “Impact of 2022 AAP Hyperbilirubinemia Implementation on Birth Hospitalization Phototherapy”. In her second year as a fellow, her mentor for this work is Dr. Emilee Lewis.
Drs. Kori Flower and Colin Orr – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published: TV Time, Especially During Meals, is Associated with Less Healthy Dietary Practices in Toddlers. Lutz MR, Orr CJ, Shonna Yin H, Heerman WJ, Flower KB, Sanders LM, Rothman RL, Schildcrout JS, Bian A, Kay MC, Wood CT, Delamater AM, Perrin EM. Acad Pediatr. 2023 Oct 4:S1876-2859(23)00370-4. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2023.09.019. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37802249.
Dr. Camilia Kamoun – Endocrinology – published:
-
Ethical concerns surrounding sex prediction using noninvasive prenatal screening from pediatric endocrinologists' perspective. Kamoun C, Rossi W, Kilberg MJ. J Genet Couns. 2023 Oct;32(5):937-941. doi: 10.1002/jgc4.1649. Epub 2023 Jul 4. PMID: 37401532.
-
Patient and Parent Characteristics Related to Quality of Life and Self-Esteem in Healthy Youth Undergoing Provocative Growth Hormone Testing. Grimberg A, Friedrich EA, Faig W, Kamoun C, Fremont ER, Xiao R, Miller VA. J Pediatr. 2023 Sep;260:113460. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2023.113460. Epub 2023 May 11. PMID: 37172805.
-
Views on Short Stature of Female vs Male Endocrine Pediatric Patients Undergoing Provocative Growth Hormone Testing and Their Parents. Kamoun C, Miller VA, Feudtner C, Friedrich EA, Grimberg A. Endocr Pract. 2023 Jul;29(7):517-524. doi: 10.1016/j.eprac.2023.04.004. Epub 2023 Apr 22. PMID: 37088146.
Dr. Jennifer Law – Endocrinology – published: Inspiring New Science to Guide Healthcare in Turner Syndrome: Rationale, design, and methods for the InsighTS Registry. Kanakatti Shankar R, Carl A, Law JR, Bamba V, Brickman WJ, Prakash SK, Dowlut McElroy T, Howell S, Gutmark Little I, Klein KO, Pinnaro CT, Ranallo K, Good M, Davis SM. Am J Med Genet A. 2023 Oct 12. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.63441. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37827984.
Dr. Macrina Liguori and Dr. Matt Laughon – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published: Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Premature Infants: Clinical Trials and Equipoise. Liguori MB, Ali SKM, 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 Oct;261:113532. PMID: 37269903.
Dr. Marty McCaffrey - Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine - was awarded a DHHS Grant titled, “Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health State Capacity Program” with a total award amount of $800,000 over 4 years.
Dr. Colin Orr – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published: Educational Debt and Subspecialty Fellowship Type. Orr CJ, Turner AL, Ritter VS, Gutierrez-Wu JC, Leslie LK. Pediatrics. 2023 Nov 1;152(5):e2023062318. doi: 10.1542/peds.2023-062318. PMID: 37791418.
Mike O’Shea, MD, MPH – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published:
-
Parent and Therapist Perceptions of the Feasibility, Acceptability, and Benefits of a Weekly Therapist-Led Massage Program for Extremely Preterm Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care. McCarty DB, Dusing SC, Gilbert A, LeBlond KD, Soucie M, O'Shea TM. Children (Basel). 2023 Aug 25;10(9):1453. PMID: 37761414.
-
A pilot exploratory study examining the potential influence of continuous positive airway pressure devices on cranial molding trajectories in preterm infants. McCarty DB, Hite A, Brown A, Blazek K, Quinn L, Hammond S, Boynton M, O'Shea TM. PLoS One. 2023 Oct 12;18(10):e0292671. PMID: 37824471.
-
Prenatal Metal Exposure Alters the Placental Proteome in a Sex-Dependent Manner in Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborns: Links to Gestational Age. Freedman AN, Roell K, Engwall E, Bulka C, Kuban KCK, Herring L, Mills CA, Parsons PJ, Galusha A, O'Shea TM, Fry RC. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Oct 7;24(19): 14977. PMID: 37834424.
Dr. Wayne Price, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and Dr. Sarah Verbiest, Maternal and Infant Health - were awarded a co-PI CDC grant titled, “Enhancing partnerships to address birth defects, infant disorders and related conditions, and the health of pregnant and postpartum people” in the amount of $798,776.
Dr. George Retsch-Bogart – Pulmonology – published: Advancing the pipeline of cystic fibrosis clinical trials: a new roadmap with a global trial network perspective. Mayer-Hamblett N, Clancy JP, Jain R, Donaldson SH, Fajac I, Goss CH, Polineni D, Ratjen F, Quon BS, Zemanick ET, Bell SC, Davies JC, Jain M, Konstan MW, Kerper NR, LaRosa T, Mall MA, McKone E, Pearson K, Pilewski JM, Quittell L, Rayment JH, Rowe SM, Taylor-Cousar JL, Retsch-Bogart G, Downey DG. Lancet Respir Med. 2023 Oct;11(10):932-944. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(23)00297-7. Epub 2023 Sep 9. PMID: 37699421.
Dr. Carl Seashore – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published: Latent Class Analysis of Prenatal Substance Exposure and Child Behavioral Outcomes. Maylott SE, Conradt E, McGrath M, Knapp EA, Li X, Musci R, Aschner J, Avalos LA, Croen LA, Deoni S, Derefinko K, Elliott A, Hofheimer JA, Leve LD, Madan JC, Mansolf M, Murrison LB, Neiderhiser JM, Ozonoff S, Posner J, Salisbury A, Sathyanarayana S, Schweitzer JB, Seashore C, Stabler ME, Young LW, Ondersma SJ, Lester B; program collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO). J Pediatr. 2023 Sep; 260:113468. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2023.113468. Epub 2023 May 13. PMID: 37182662.
Dr. Ahmad Sami, Carolina Child Health Scholar and Dr. Francisco Sylvester, Pediatric Gastroenterology – published: Fundic Gland Polyps: Strategizing a Surveillance Framework for Children and Adolescents. Sami AS, Sylvester FA, Attard T, Mir S. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2023 Oct 1;77(4):439-441. PMID: 37440343.
Dr. Megan Shanahan – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published: State expansion of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility and rates of foster care entries. Austin AE, Naumann RB, Shanahan ME, Frank M. Child Abuse Negl. 2023 Nov;145:106399. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106399. Epub 2023 Aug 15. PMID: 37591049.
Dr. Jasmine Weiss – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published: Selection and Recruitment Strategies among Competitive Pediatric Training Programs and the Impact of Diversity. Tiyyagura G, Weiss J, Goldman MP, Crawley DM, Langhan ML. Acad Pediatr. 2023 Sep 23:S1876-2859(23)00359-5. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2023.09.010. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37748536.
|  | |
The 5th annual Liam Strong Charity Beach Run

We're excited to report that this year's Liam Strong Beach Run event raised $76,280. The run funds the Liam Fredric Batten Fund for Excellence in support of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
| |
Design Matters October Event
The October Design Matters event at the Carolina Inn was a successful talk by James Farmer in support of the Child and Adolescent Mental and Behavioral Health program. The 2023 Design Matters series of events has raised over $165,000 for UNC Childrens!
| | |
|
Dr. Sonia Varghese, with Pediatric Neurology at UNC Health Children’s – Wilmington, and her husband James welcomed their first child, Isabella Ann Mayo on October 1. Congratulations! | | |
|
Congratulations to Dr. Bianca Allison, with General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, and family! They welcomed baby Ryan Edward Allison on October 8th. He joins big sibs Cora and Jamie, and all are doing well! | | |
|
Please join in congratulating Dr. Erica Brenner, with Pediatrics Gastroenterology, and her husband Lucas on the birth of 7lbs 4.4 oz Lily Tessa Darden on October 10. | |
|
Jacob McCauley
Administrative Specialist
Nominated by: Division of Allergy/Immunology
The Allergy division would like to nominate Jacob McCauley as the Unsung Hero. In addition to his daily responsibilities in coordinating the clinical efforts of our 2 clinics and supporting our 10 allergy faculty, since our Food Allergy Initiative admin support specialist left Jacob has taken on support of our 19 person UNC FAI including planning meetings, scheduling, ordering and been a huge help in temporarily filling that gap. He never complains and is always up for learning new things.
We appreciate you Jacob!
| | | | |
