April 2024

Dear Friends,

I am excited to share our 2023 Annual Report that highlights all the hard work and dedication towards advancing our UNC Children’s mission. We continue to advance child health and achieve great accomplishments!

We had a great turnout for the Evening of Scholarship. Thank you to those who attended! I also want to congratulate all the Evening of Scholarship awardees:

Jud Van Wyck Award for Best Basic Science Research

• Ahmad Salah Sami - "Urolithin A-mediated aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling attenuates necrotizing enterocolitis"

Harvey Hamrick Award for Best Case Report

• Brendan Lawson - "This Rash IZn’t Viral"

Walter Tunnessen Award for Best Clinical Science Research

• Olivia Brown - "Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes for pediatric patients treated with rituximab for idiopathic pulmonary capillaritis"
• Jessica Benjamin-Eze - "A pilot study prospectively measuring changes in body composition and physical function during treatment for childhood cancers" -

Jerry Fernald Award for Best Quality Improvement Research

• Jessica Benjamin-Eze - "Addressing emotional health in children with sickle cell disease: A Quality Improvement Initiative at UNC”

Alan Stiles Award for Best Resident Research

• Olivia Brown - “Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes for pediatric patients treated with rituximab for idiopathic pulmonary capillaritis"

Best Student Award

• Amanda Martin - "Accelerated aging and social determinants of health in children and adolescents with cancer"

Johnny Carson Award for Best Overall Research

• Ahmad Salah Sami

As always, I am thankful for your dedication and leadership at UNC Children’s,

Gratefully,

Next Phases of Youth Behavioral Health Center Open

The 3rd of 4 units at the Youth Behavioral Health Center in Butner has now opened! Many thanks to Jennifer John NP and Cheryl Crawford DNP for the terrific day to day care as the facility grows, and to our backup physicians for their support at this new facility: Dr. Xavier Williams, Dr. Kenya McNeal-Trice, Dr. Maria Ferris, Dr. Katherine MacDonald, and Dr. Bianca Allison.

Formerly FEAST - Now the R.E.A.C.H Team

UNC Children’s R.E.A.C.H. (Rehabilitation, Education and Care Hub) team is an interdisciplinary group of medical providers and therapists who focus on supporting our patients, and their families, with brain injury, spinal cord injury, trauma, childhood cancer, or other chronic medical issues leading to developmental delays like Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Muscular Dystrophy, or genetic disorders. The team identifies, educates, and supports families of children with these conditions admitted to UNC Children’s Hospital, and strives towards the shared goal of UNC Children’s Hospital establishing their own inpatient pediatric rehabilitation center through the support of the Fitch Family Comprehensive Pediatric Rehabilitation Program. 

R.E.A.C.H. team members are:

Theodore Yip, MD - Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Hannah Allen, PhD - Pediatric Neuropsychologist

Kelly Clark, MHA, CCLS, CTRP-C - Therapy Services Manager, Pediatrics

Kim Sellinger, MS, CCC-SLP - Speech and Language Therapist

Brianna Beattie, OTD, OTR/L, BCP - Occupational Therapist

Kerry Blazek, PT, DPT, PCS - Physical Therapist

Madeline Ray, CCLS - Certified Child Life Specialist

Katie Van Tiem, RN - Inpatient Nurse Coordinator, Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

For more information on the R.E.A.C.H. team or the Pediatric Rehabilitation program, please feel free to contact Katie Van Tiem by email (katie.vantiem@unchealth.unc.edu) or phone: 984-974-7882.

Congratulations Heather Horne!

Congratulations to Heather Horne RN, Nurse Care Coordinator in General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, on receiving her Certified Pediatric Nurse Certification!

Wonder Connection Caring for the Kids

You may have heard about the recent Wonder Connection activity at the UNC Children’s Meeting on April 18^th; it was such a special way to engage our inpatient kids and the community - it’s worth another look! Check out these 2 examples of the beautiful arrangements teens from the psych unit created, along with their comments about their arrangements. Steve Taras of Watered Garden Florist also shared his comments about each arrangement with the patients. The arrangement 'Walking on Sunshine' is included with Steve's comments. Thank you for giving your time and attention to the kids!

Van Steyn Receives MPH Award

Dr. Jeanette Van Steyn, first year fellow with Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, received a UNC Gillings School of Public Health Award to help fund her MPH! Dr. Van Steyn was selected to receive $4,600 for the 2024-25 academic year in recognition of her strong academic ability and potential to contribute to finding and implementing public health solutions.

Congratulations Jeanette!

Smithwick Selected NP Preceptor of the Year

The NNPs in the NCCC often help train NNP students from across the triangle, April Smithwick, ARNP, MSN, NNP-BC was selected as ECU preceptor of the year among all preceptors for ECU NP students!

Congratulations April!!

Farrell Awarded AAP CATCH Grant

Dr. Maureen Farrell, Pediatric Resident in the Physician Scientist Training Program was awarded the AAP CATCH Grant, for her project, “A Partnership in Child Literacy Promotion”, mentored by Dr. Kori Flower. The mission of CATCH is to support pediatricians to collaborate within their communities to advance the health of all children. In addition, she recently received the American Thoracic Society Pediatric Resident Development Scholarship, a travel award to attend the ATS meeting in San Diego, May 17-22, 2024.

Congratulations Maureen!

Sundy-Boyles Presents in Wisconsin

Dr. Kristin Sundy-Boyles, a first-year fellow with Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM), was recently invited to give a presentation on Educational Scholarship for the University of Wisconsin Pediatrics Medical Education Week. It was a very well-received session and quite an accomplishment for someone so early in their training. Dr. Madison Archer, a second-year PHM fellow and Dr. Eric Zwemer, Associate Professor of Pediatrics also presented at the event.

Congratulations Kristin!

Orgel Receives APA Research Award

Dr. Kelly Orgel, first year fellow with Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, was selected from a highly competitive group of applicants to receive an American Academy of Pediatrics Marshall Klaus Neonatal-Perinatal Research Award for her project entitled, “Signaling pathways modulating the immune response in necrotizing enterocolitis”. The Klaus Award comes with funding of $5000 to help support the completion of the research project within two years.

Congratulations Kelly!

Baumgardner Elected AANPM Goup Chair

Dr. Lauren Baumgardner, General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, was elected Chair of the Safety Net Special Interest Group of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. The group focuses on shared strategies for equitable access to quality palliative care; coordinates research initiatives relevant to reducing disparities and barriers in end-of-life care for racially and culturally diverse, medically underserved patient populations.

Congratulations Lauren!

Kihlstrom Selected for APPD LEAD

Dr. Meg Kihlstrom, Associate Professor in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Director of the Pediatric Residency Training Program has been selected for the Association of Pediatric Program Directors Leadership in Educational Academic Development (APPD LEAD) Program for the upcoming year.

Congratulations Meg!

Laughon Selected for ABP Subboard

Dr. Matt Laughon, Professor in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, was selected to serve on the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Subboard of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine! ABP subboards produce examinations and provide direction for subspecialty certification activities.



Congratulations Matt!

Stephenson and Young Named Simmons Scholars

Dr. Jessica Young, Assistant Professor in General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, and Dr. Nicole Stephenson, Assistant Professor in Pediatric Pulmonology, have been named UNC School of Medicine Simmons Scholars. Since its launch in 1994, the program has offered support to faculty members from groups traditionally underrepresented in medicine, while also placing an emphasis on building a community of scholars that spans multiple disciplines.

Congratulations Nicole and Jessica!

UNC Children's Meeting

If you couldn't join us for the meeting on Thurs, April 18th,

the slides can be found here!

Click to see the Slide Deck

Primary Care Partners with Book Harvest

UNC Children’s Primary Care at Carolina Pointe 2 has formalized a partnership with a local nonprofit organization, Book Harvest, to deliver the Books from Birth program. Through this program, all newborns seen at the clinic receive a box of books. Thanks to Sherri Woody for her leadership, pictured with pediatric resident Dr. Nina Dawson. Congratulations to pediatric resident Dr. Maureen Ferrell, who was awarded an AAP CATCH grant to further expand this community-clinical partnership

Dr. Allison Burbank, Associate Professor in Allergy/Immunology, was accepted to the 2024-2025 NC TraCS Clinical Trialist Training Program, which is a program of didactic and experiential training that fosters the development of faculty who are interested in being site PI of multicenter clinical trials.

Congratulations Allison!

Dr. Megan Rebuli, Assistant Professor in Allergy/Immunology, was recently nominated for a mentoring shout-out through the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program. In addition, she has been selected for the 2024-25 CEHS New Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) Innovator award, through the UNC Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility in the Gillings School of Public Health.

Congratulations Megan!

Dr. Peyton Thompson, Associate Professor in Infectious Diseases, and her efforts in Hepatitis B Elimination in sub-Saharan Africa were the headline article in a recent Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases feature publication. Dr. Thompson is passionate about HBV prevention and treatment, helping to advance a united effort to prevent vertical transmission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Congratulations Peyton!

Dr. Rebecca Vitale, Assistant Professor in Endocrinology, has been selected for the National NIH K12 “Diabetes-Docs: Physician-Scientist Career Development Program” (DiabDocs) Award. This three-year program provides promising investigators the opportunity to be mentored in research-intensive settings at their home institutions in order to compete successfully for an NIH K08/23 or similar Career Development Awards.

Congratulation Becca!

Congratulations to UNC Neurology on their significant contribution to the AAN 2024 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting. Special kudos to Dr. Cejas on delivering multiple talks!

Dr Bianca Allison – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published Long-Acting Reversible Contraception Initiation Among Adolescents After an American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement. Allison BA, Ritter V, Lin FC, Flower KB, Perry MF. JAMA Pediatr. 2024 Mar 1;178(3):306-308. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.5932. PMID: 38190303.

Dr. Maria Ansar - PSTP Pediatric Resident and Dr. Chuck Esther - Pediatric Pulmonology - published Gilbert's syndrome leads to elevated bilirubin after initiation of elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor in people with cystic fibrosis. Patel N, Ansar M, Pham A, Thomsen K, McKinzie CJ, Polineni D, Esther CR Jr, Brown RF. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2024 Apr;59(4):863-866. doi: 10.1002/ppul.26831. Epub 2024 Jan 5. PMID: 38179880.

Dr. Melissa Bauserman – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published Neurodevelopment of Children Whose Mothers Were Randomized to Low-Dose Aspirin During Pregnancy. Hoffman MK, Goudar S, Dhaded S, Figueroa L, Mazariegos M, Krebs NF, Westcott J, Tikmani SS, Karim F, Saleem S, Goldenberg RL, Lokangaka A, Tshefu A, Bauserman M, Patel A, Das P, Hibberd P, Chomba E, Mwenchanya M, Carlo WA, Trotta M, Williams A, Moore J, Nolen T, Goco N, McClure EM, Lobo MA, Cunha AB, Derman RJ. Obstet Gynecol. 2024 Apr 1;143(4):554-561. PMID: 38262066. 

Dr. Neal deJong and Dr. Maria Ferris – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published Adolescent and caregiver perceptions of addressing mental health in inflammatory bowel disease. Berenblum Tobi C, Vu M, Díaz-González de Ferris ME, Semerzier S, Kappelman MD, deJong NA. J Child Health Care. 2024 Mar 26:13674935241241350. doi: 10.1177/13674935241241350. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38530035.

Dr. Maria Ferris – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published Health-related quality of life for pediatric patients with end-stage kidney disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Doshi K, Raina R, Ng KH, Koch V, Bhatt GC, Nada A, Foresi B, Kamalakkannan SS, McCulloch M, Sethi S, de Ferris MD. Hemodial Int. 2024 Apr;28(2):198-215. doi: 10.1111/hdi.13138. Epub 2024 Mar 11. PMID: 38468403.

Dr. Kori Flower and Dr. Mike Steiner– General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published

Skills Training for Family Medicine Residents to Attenuate the Impact of Childhood Trauma: A Pilot Study. Scott BB, Kelley L, Schilling S. Fam Med. 2024 Mar;56(3):180-184. doi: 10.22454/FamMed.2024.245065. Epub 2024 Jan 26. PMID: 38467035.

Dr. Lauren Frazer and Dr. Misty Good – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published DNA methylation in necrotizing enterocolitis. Frazer LC, Yamaguchi Y, Singh DK, Akopyants NS, Good M. Expert Rev Mol Med. 2024 Apr 1:1-20. PMID: 38557638. 

Dr. Wesley Jackson and Dr. Matthew Laughon – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published A phase I trial of caffeine to evaluate safety in infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.  Jackson W, Gonzalez D, Greenberg RG, Lee YZ, Laughon MM. J Perinatol. 2024 Apr;44(4):508-512. PMID: 37587184.

Dr. Edwin Kim - Allergy/Immunology - was featured in the media:

• Expert Perspectives in Medicine: “The Role of Biologic Therapy in IgE-Mediated Food Allergies.” and “The Importance of Shared Decision Making in the Management of Food Allergies.” and "Diagnostic Advancements in Food Allergies: Expanding Beyond the Use of the Oral Food Challenge.”  
• Raleigh News & Observer: “Raleigh hit 2 new tree pollen highs this year. Here’s how climate change factors." and “The annual Pollening is here, NC. Here’s how to cope and how to get allergy relief.”

Dr. Mike Kulis – Allergy/Immunology – published Targeting inhibitory Siglec-3 to suppress IgE-mediated human basophil degranulation. Barshow SM, Islam M, Commins S, Macauley MS, Paulson JC, Kulis MD. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2024 Apr 7:S0091-6749(24)00332-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2024.03.020. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38593870.

Dr. Nancie MacIver – Endocrinology – published Insulin and IGF-1 have both overlapping and distinct effects on CD4⁺ T cell mitochondria, metabolism, and function. Kiernan K, Alwarawrah Y, Nichols AG, Danzaki K, MacIver NJ. Sci Rep. 2024 Feb 21;14(1):4331. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-54836-w. PMID: 38383709.

Dr. Tisu Mvalo – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published:

An intervention to improve lumbar puncture rates for meningitis surveillance in children at four secondary health facilities in Malawi: A before/after analysis. Zulu MD, Msuku H, Stanley CC, Phiri VS, Topazian HM, Chinkhumba J, Hoffman IF, Juliano JJ, Mathanga DP, Mvalo T. Trop Med Int Health. 2024 Apr 7. doi: 10.1111/tmi.13991. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38584312.

Feasibility, safety, and impact of the RTS,S/AS01_E malaria vaccine when implemented through national immunisation programmes: evaluation of cluster-randomised introduction of the vaccine in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi. Asante KP, Mathanga DP, Milligan P, Akech S, Oduro A, Mwapasa V, Moore KA, Kwambai TK, Hamel MJ, Gyan T, Westercamp N, Kapito-Tembo A, Njuguna P, Ansong D, Kariuki S, Mvalo T, Snell P, Schellenberg D, Welega P, Otieno L, Chimala A, Afari EA, Bejon P, Maleta K, Agbenyega T, Snow RW, Zulu M, Chinkhumba J, Samuels AM; Malaria Vaccine Programme Evaluation Partners. Lancet. 2024 Apr 27;403(10437):1660-1670. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00004-7. Epub 2024 Apr 4. PMID: 38583454.

The Association Between Breastfeeding and Growth Among Infants with Moderately Low Birth Weight: A Prospective Cohort Study. North K, Semrau KEA, Bellad RM, Dhaded SM, Das L, Behera JN, Hoffman I, Mvalo T, Kisenge R, Sudfeld CR, Somji S, Mokhtar RR, Vesel L, Goudar S, Vernekar SS, Siddhartha ES, Singh B, Koujalagi MB, Panda S, Kafansiyanji E, Nyirenda N, Phiri M, Saidi F, Masoud NS, Moshiro R, Tuller DE, Israel-Ballard K, Duggan CP, Lee ACC, Mansen KL, Young MF, Manji K; LIFE study team. J Pediatr. 2024 Mar 4;269:114003. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2024.114003. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38447758.

Competing risks modeling of length of hospital stay enhances risk-stratification of patient care: application to under-five children hospitalized in Malawi. Stanley CC, Zulu M, Msuku H, Phiri VS, Kazembe LN, Chinkhumba J, Mvalo T, Mathanga DP. Front Epidemiol. 2023 Nov 13;3:1274776. doi: 10.3389/fepid.2023.1274776. eCollection 2023. PMID: 38455913.

Dr. Colin Orr – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published Examining Full-Time Academic General Pediatric Faculty Compensation by Gender, Race, and Ethnicity: 2020-2021. Omoruyi EA, Brown CL, Orr CJ, Montez K. Acad Pediatr. 2024 Mar;24(2):309-317. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2023.05.017. Epub 2023 Jun 5. PMID: 37285912.

Dr. Mike O’Shea – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published: 

Social determinants of health rather than race impact health-related quality of life in 10-year-old children born extremely preterm. Call C, Oran A, O'Shea TM, Jensen ET, Frazier JA, Vaidya R, Shenberger J, Gogcu S, Msall ME, Kim S, Jalnapurkar I, Fry RC, Singh R. Front Pediatr. 2024 Mar 14;12:1359270. PMID: 38550629. 

Associations between neighborhood characteristics and child well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A repeated cross-sectional study in the environmental influences on child health outcome (ECHO) program. Zhang X, Blackwell CK, Moore J, Liu SH, Liu C, Forrest CB, Ganiban J, Stroustrup A, Aschner JL, Trasande L, Deoni SL, Elliott AJ, Angal J, Karr CJ, Lester BM, McEvoy CT, O'Shea TM, Fry RC, Shipp GM, Gern JE, Herbstman J, Carroll KN, Teitelbaum SL, Wright RO, Wright RJ; of collaborators for the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes program. Environ Res. 2024 Mar 26:118765. PMID: 38548252.

Cerebral Palsy and Motor Impairment after Extreme Prematurity: Prediction of Diagnoses at Ages 2 and 10 Years. Marinelli T, Yi JX, O'Shea TM, Joseph RM, Hooper SR, Kuban KCK, Sakai C, Msall ME, Fry R, Singh R; ELGAN-ECHO Study Investigators. J Pediatr. 2024 Apr 3:114037. PMID: 38580191.

Developmental characteristics and accuracy of autism screening among two-year-old toddlers in the ECHO program. Shuster CL, Brennan PA, Carter BS, Check J, D'Sa V, Graff JC, Helderman J, Hofheimer JA, Joseph RM, Murphy LE, O'Connor TG, O'Shea TM, Pievsky M, Sheinkopf SJ, Shuffrey LC, Smith LM, Wu PC, Lester BM; program collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes. Pediatr Res. 2024 Apr 15. PMID: 38622260.

A Feasibility Study of a Physical and Occupational Therapy-Led and Parent-Administered Program to Improve Parent Mental Health and Infant Development. McCarty DB, Dusing SC, Thorpe D, Weinberger M, Pusek S, Gilbert A, Liu T, Blazek K, Hammond S, O'Shea TM. Phys Occup Ther Pediatr. 2024;44(3):316-335. PMID: 37867378.

Dr. Des Runyan – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published Affordable housing through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and opioid overdose emergency department visits. Durrance CP, Austin AE, Runyan CW, Runyan DK, Martin SL, Mercer J, Shanahan ME. J Subst Use Addict Treat. 2024 Mar;158:209249. doi: 10.1016/j.josat.2023.209249. Epub 2023 Dec 9. PMID: 38081542.

Dr. Samantha Schilling – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published:

Struggling to Stem the Tide of Child Maltreatment. Schilling S, Wood JN, Christian CW. JAMA. 2024 Mar 19;331(11):918-919. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.0899. PMID: 38502084.

Child Adult Relationship Enhancement in Primary Care (PriCARE): study design/protocol for a randomized trial of a primary care-based group parenting intervention to prevent child maltreatment. Schilling S, Powell BJ, Stewart PW, Wood JN. Trials. 2023 Feb 23;24(1):138. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-07024-y. PMID: 36823526.

Skills Training for Family Medicine Residents to Attenuate the Impact of Childhood Trauma: A Pilot Study. Scott BB, Kelley L, Schilling S. Fam Med. 2024 Mar;56(3):180-184. doi: 10.22454/FamMed.2024.245065. Epub 2024 Jan 26. PMID: 38467035.

Dr. Andrea Trembath and Dr. Matthew Laughon – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published: 

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Extremely Preterm Infants Fed Donor Milk or Preterm Infant Formula: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Colaizy TT, Poindexter BB, McDonald SA, Bell EF, Carlo WA, Carlson SJ, DeMauro SB, Kennedy KA, Nelin LD, Sánchez PJ, Vohr BR, Johnson KJ, Herron DE, Das A, Crawford MM, Walsh MC, Higgins RD, Stoll BJ; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network; MILK Trial Investigators; Ambalavanan N, Wyckoff MH, D'Angio CT, Bugg GW, Ohls RK, Reynolds AM, Sokol GM, Laptook AR, Olsen SL, White JR, Jadcherla SR, Bajaj M, Parimi PS, Schmidt B, Laughon MM, Barks J, Fisher KA, Hibbs AM, Peralta-Carcelen M, Cook N, Heyne RJ, Cavanaugh B, Adams-Chapman I, Fuller J, Hartley-McAndrew ME, Harmon HM, Duncan AF, Hines AC, Kilbride HW, Richards LA, Maitre NL, Natarajan G, Trembath AN, Carlson MD, Malcolm WF, Wilson-Costello DE; MILK Trial Investigators; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. JAMA. 2024 Feb 20;331(7):582-591. PMID: 38497706.

Opportunistic dried blood spot sampling validates and optimizes a pediatric population pharmacokinetic model of metronidazole. Randell RL, Balevic SJ, Greenberg RG, Cohen-Wolkowiez M, Thompson EJ, Venkatachalam S, Smith MJ, Bendel C, Bliss JM, Chaaban H, Chhabra R, Dammann CEL, Downey LC, Hornik C, Hussain N, Laughon MM, Lavery A, Moya F, Saxonhouse M, Sokol GM, Trembath A, Weitkamp J-H, Hornik CP; Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act – Pediatric Trials Network Steering Committee. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2024 Apr 3;68(4):e0153323. PMID: 38477706.

Dr. Yamini Virkud - Allergy/Immunology - published Management of Food Allergies and Food-Related Anaphylaxis. Iglesia EGA, Kwan M, Virkud YV, Iweala OI. JAMA. 2024 Feb 13;331(6):510-521. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.26857.PMID: 38349368

Dr. Virdud was featured in a JAMA Clinical Reviews podcast discussing prevention and management of severe food allergies, "IgE-mediated food allergies can be life-threatening." 

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. 2024 Mar;24(2):338-346. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2023.09.010. Epub 2023 Sep 23. PMID: 37748536.

Dr. Weiss is presenting “Exploring the Leaky Pathway to Medicine and the Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities“ at the NCPS 2024 Virtual Spring Open Forum webinar series.

Dr. Jessica Young – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine - presented her poster “Relationships Between Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Training During Preventive Medicine Residency and Post-Residency DEI Leadership Activities” at the American College of Preventive Medicine meeting. 

Adrian Patel was born in early April. Congratulations to Dr. Rohan Patel, General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, and his family on Adrian's birth—all are doing well!

Congratulations!

Lauren Kager, MS, RDN, LDN, CDCES

Division Administrator - Endocrinology

Nominated by: Nancie MacIver, MD, PhD, Division Chief

I am pleased to nominate Lauren Kager, RD, for the Unsung Hero award. Lauren is a Registered Dietitian for our Pediatric Endocrinology Division, exhibiting exceptional dedication and professionalism in her role. She consistently demonstrates a collaborative spirit, extending her support to patients, families, and our entire team. Lauren consistently seeks innovative solutions to support our patients, delivering compassionate care with unwavering dedication. Her commitment to education is obvious and outstanding. She not only imparts invaluable nutrition and diabetes care knowledge to our patients, but also serves as a mentor and educator for our team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, Lauren plays a pivotal role in ensuring the maintenance of our division's American Diabetes Association accreditation, underscoring her profound impact on patient care. In summary, Lauren’s enthusiasm, dedication, and expertise make her an indispensable member of our division and an outstanding candidate for this recognition.

Congratulations Lauren!