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Thanks to improved technology, pediatric cardiologists at Children’s of Alabama are seeing improved survival rates in children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and other critical heart conditions. 

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or the condition of babies born with only one ventricle, is a condition requiring surgery at birth, at 4 to 6 months, and again at 3 to 5 years of age. We discovered that a certain percentage of babies between the first two surgeries could be expected to die suddenly at home. 

Read this blog post by Yung Lau, M.D., Pediatric Cardiology, on the Birmingham Medical News Blog. 

Employees with 20 or more years of service will be honored today during the annual Service Awards Program luncheon at noon in the Hill Student Center Ballroom. Richard J. Whitley, M.D., Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, co-director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, is one of four being honored this week for 45 years of service to UAB. Read Dr. Whitley's story on UAB news. A full list of recipients is online. To view a list of Department of Pediatrics faculty and staff being honored, click here.

Tina Simpson, M.D., associate professor in the UAB Department of Pediatrics, received the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) 2017 Exceptional Mentor Award.

This award celebrates those who have made an impact on the lives of medical students and physicians in training, going above and beyond what is required, and actively reaching out to those around them to help guide students in their career paths.

“Over the years, I have had such influential mentors and take great pleasure in being able to provide similar encouragement and support to students and trainees,” Simpson said.

Dr. Simpson along with Marisa Marques, M.D., professor in the UAB Department of Pathology, will be presented their awards during the AMWA’s 102nd Anniversary Meeting on Saturday, April 1, in San Francisco, CA.

Read this story at UAB News. 

Christopher Pruitt, M.D., Pediatric Emergency Medicine, has been elected to a second two-year term to the Southern Society for Pediatric Research (SSPR) Executive Council. Dr. Pruitt will serve on the council until February 2019. His responsibilities include mentorship of trainee research, judging for trainee research awards, and conference organization.

UAB will partner with Proton International to bring proton therapy, one of the most technically advanced forms of cancer-killing radiation, to Alabama. Proton therapy delivers a more precise dose of radiation to a tumor and can avoid damage to healthy surrounding tissue better than conventional X-ray radiation. 

“Proton therapy is particularly beneficial for children, as they are especially vulnerable to damage from radiation,” said Alyssa Reddy, M.D., professor of hematology/oncology in the UAB Department of Pediatrics. “Conventional radiation can help cure a child’s cancer, but it carries an increased risk of damage to surrounding tissue. In children, tissue damage, particularly in still-developing organs such as the brain, can leave the child susceptible to myriad health issues that may not emerge for years. Proton therapy offers the opportunity to successfully treat pediatric tumors and minimize the risk for side effects later in life. This will improve the health and quality of life of pediatric cancer survivors, most of whom we expect to live long and productive lives.”

Read this story at UAB News. 

Daniel Feig, M.D., Ph.D., Pediatric Nephrology, was elected Pediatric Nephrology Subboard Chair of the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). Dr. Feig will serve in this role beginning January 2018 – December 2019, and will serve as immediate past chair from January 2020 – December 2021.

The subboard is responsible for the development of the certifying exams and their analysis. In addition, they will be overhauling the content specification for the exam, which is done in concert with the ACGME and ASPN (American Society of Pediatric Nephrology) Committee of Training Program Directors. Over the next couple of years, the subboard will also be tasked to develop the transition from secured exams to the MOCA program, which includes short quarterly sets of questions with the associated educational material, a program being rolled out for General Pediatrics in 2018.

Due to a heavy increase in respiratory viral illnesses throughout Alabama and the country, Children’s of Alabama has modified its visitation policies for its critical care units till April 1.

Beginning Feb. 16, visitors to the hospital’s critical care units must be at least 12 years of age and symptom-free to visit. This policy includes Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.

Read this story at www.childrensal.org

The Southern Society for Pediatric Research (SSPR) held its annual conference in New Orleans, LA on Feb. 11-13. Two fellows from our department brought home the two Young Investigators’ Awards. ​Colm Travers, M.D. received the SSPR Clinical Science Young Investigator Award. Aaron Yee, M.D. received the SSPR Basic Science Young Investigator Award.

For more information about these awards, click here.

Children’s of Alabama and UAB have announced the creation, upon University of Alabama System Board of Trustees’ approval, of the Sarah Katherine Bateh Endowed Professorship in Rett Syndrome as a result of a unique collaboration with the family and friends of a young patient battling this neurological condition. Marie and Brian Bateh of Hoover, parents of 7-year-old Sarah Katherine “Suki” Bateh, raised $500,000 to create the first endowed professorship for Rett syndrome at UAB. These funds have been matched by Children’s and UAB to support the future holder of this new position.
 
Alan Percy, M.D., professor and director of UAB’s Rett syndrome clinic at Children’s, is considered one of the world’s leading experts on this unique developmental disorder that affects one in every 10,000 female births worldwide. Rett syndrome causes severe cognitive impairment, including loss of communication and motor skills, reduced growth and unusual breathing patterns. Percy is also a national leader in pediatric neurology and genetics, and highly regarded as a clinician and research scientist. Working with genetic researcher Huda Y. Zogbhi, M.D., Percy diagnosed the first confirmed case of Rett syndrome in the United States in 1983.

Read this story at www.childrensal.org

The Regional Poison Control Center (RPCC) at Children’s of Alabama has launched Poison Perils, a free app that helps identify potentially dangerous plants, snakes, insects and common household items.“Alabama has a rich array of biodiversity, and this app gives parents, grandparents, and caregivers critical information about Alabama’s toxic and poisonous flora and fauna landscape,” said Ann Slattery, managing director of the RPCC at Children’s.

Poison Perils provides users with a detailed description of each insect, animal and plant, as well as the most common household items the RPCC receives calls about, accompanied by a photo of each. Users can also quickly connect to a specialist in poison information in the RPCC in the event of an emergency with just the touch of a button. Poison Perils is available for both Apple and Android devices.

“In an emergency, time is precious, and with this app, parents and caregivers can have information at their fingertips,” Slattery said.

The RPCC handles more than 50,000 poison calls per year, plus an additional 60,000 follow-up calls. The app was developed with support from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, UAB and Children’s.

Read this story at www.childrensal.org

Children’s of Alabama and the Kaul Pediatric Research Institute (KPRI) are pleased to announce the 2017 awards. The major goal of the KPRI grant program is to allow investigators to obtain data that will advantage applications for additional extramural funding. This will bring new knowledge to the care of children, leverage the investment of the KPRI, and allow projects to be competitive for the very best science on the national stage. A second, but important, goal is to ensure that a dedicated funding source is available to unique segments of the pediatric research, education, and quality improvement enterprise.

This year three categories of grants were funded: New Investigator Awards, Established Investigator Awards, and Quality/Safety/Educational Awards. All funded applications are directed toward the improvement of child health care. Thank you to all who submitted applications! Congratulations to the following awardees. 

New Investigator Awards:

Matthew Alexander, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Pediatric Neurology
“Genetic modifiers of Duchenne muscular dystrophy via genome sequencing of discordant siblings”


Margaux Barnes, Ph.D.Assistant Professor
Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition
“Mediational Analysis of Diet, Physical Activity, and Lean Mass in Youth with IBD”

 

Jegen Kandasamy, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Neonatology
“Mitochondrial Genetic Contribution to Hyperoxia Induced Lung Injury”


Charitharth (Vivek) Lal, M.D.Assistant Professor
Neonatology
“The Role of Microbiome Induced Ac-PGP in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia”



Colin Martin, M.D.Assistant Professor
Pediatric Surgery
“Maternal and Environmental Influence on Early Neonatal Immunity”

 

Michael Seifert, M.D.Assistant Professor
Pediatric Nephrology
“Early Life Stress and Cardio-renal Disease in Kidney Transplantation"

Established Investigator Awards:

Elizabeth Beierle, M.D.
Professor
Pediatric Surgery
“Role of PIM kinase in maintaining hepatoblastoma tumor initiating cell population”


Karen Fowler, Ph.D.
Professor
Pediatric Infectious Diseases
“Racial & ethnic disparities in congenital CMV infection: role of maternal CMV”

Quality/Safety/Educational Awards:

David Galloway, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition
“Improving Care for Pediatric Constipation: A joint effort between pediatricians and gastroenterologists” 



Chrystal Rutledge, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Pediatric Critical Care 
“Development of a Novel Nursing-Focused Pediatric Advanced Life Support Training Program”

In observance of Rare Disease Day, YOU’RE INVITED to an art exhibit reception! "Beyond the Diagnosis" will take place Thursday, March 2 from 5 - 7 p.m. in the Bradley Lecture Center. Please drop by at any time. Click here for the art exhibit invitation. 

Please also join us on the following day, Friday, March 3, for the Fourth Annual Rare Disease Genomics Symposium. Register here for the symposium: www.ChildrensAl.org/genetics

New research from the UAB Department of Pediatrics (Drs. Smita Bhatia and Wendy Landier) suggests that young patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and their parents are likely to report to their physician that they took more of their anti-cancer medication than they actually did. The study was published online this week in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology.

“Because this therapy is administered orally every day, we cannot supervise our patients to make sure they are taking their pills,” said senior study author Smita Bhatia, M.D., M.P.H., Pediatric Hematology & Oncology.  “Findings from this study suggest that we need better ways to monitor intake of medications as prescribed.”

Read this story at www.uab.edu/news

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that emergency body cooling does not improve survival or functional outcomes in children who experience in-hospital cardiac arrest any more than normal temperature control. UAB Department of Pediatrics with Children’s of Alabama participated in the 37-center trial evaluating body cooling versus active fever prevention in children after the occurrence of cardiac arrest while in-hospital. Compared to normal temperature control, body cooling does not confer benefit with respect to neurologically intact survival or decrease any morbidity or mortality measure. 

“Results were similar to the out-of-hospital arm of this trial,” said Jeffrey Alten, M.D., Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care. “This landmark study challenges a therapy that has become the standard of care in many pediatric and cardiac intensive care units."

Read the news brief at www.uab.edu/news

We're celebrating National Heart Month! The Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center at Children's of Alabama and UAB provides pediatric cardiac care for more than 12,000 patients a year. With a 99 percent survival rate for all our surgical patients in 2016, our work speaks for itself. Learn how you can get involved by clicking here. 

We're celebrating National Heart Month! The Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center at Children's of Alabama and UAB provides pediatric cardiac care for more than 12,000 patients a year. With a 99 percent survival rate for all our surgical patients in 2016, our work speaks for itself. Learn how you can get involved by clicking here. 

The UAB School of Medicine 2015/2016 Annual Report is now available to view online.  
Find Smita Bhatia, M.D., M.P.H., Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, Randy Q. Cron, M.D., Ph.D., Pediatric Rheumatology, and Matthew A. Kutny, M.D., Pediatrics Hematology & Oncology, featured in a story on precision medicine in Pediatrics.

Ambika Ashraf, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinology, has been selected to serve as the Section On Endocrinology Program Chair for the 2018 AAP National Conference and Exhibition (NCE). As a program chair, Dr. Ashraf will be responsible for developing proposals sponsored by the Section On Endocrinology at the AAP National Conference.

The UAB Department of Pediatrics welcomed three new faculty members during the month of January.  Please join us in making them feel at home!

Meghan Hofto, M.D., Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hospital Medicine

Pallavi Iyer, M.D., Associate Professor, Pediatric Endocrinology

Ammar Saadoon, M.D., Assistant Professor, Pediatric Pulmonology

Meghan Hofto, M.D., Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hospital Medicine, earned her medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. She completed pediatric residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and a pediatric hospital medicine fellowship at UAB. During fellowship, Dr. Hofto earned an MPH in Epidemiology from the UAB School of Public Health and completed the UAB sponsored Gorgas Course in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Peru. Dr. Hofto was awarded a Certificate of Knowledge in Tropical Medicine and Travelers’ Health in January 2017 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Dr. Hofto has a strong interest in global health in addition to general inpatient pediatrics. Her current research interest is focused on implementation of guidelines to achieve appropriate use of antibiotic treatment of hospitalized children.

 

Pallavi Iyer, M.D., Associate Professor, Pediatric Endocrinology, earned her medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. She completed her pediatric residency at the University of South Florida where she served as Chief Resident. Dr. Iyer also completed her pediatric endocrinology fellowship at the University of South Florida. Dr. Iyer joins us from Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida where she served as Medical Director and Division Chief of Endocrinology and Diabetes. Her clinical/research interests are caring for and improving outcomes of pediatric cancer survivors with endocrinopathies and caring for children with endocrine tumors.

 

Ammar Saadoon, M.D., Assistant Professor, Pediatric Pulmonology, earned his medical degree from the College of Medicine University of Mosul. He completed a pediatric residency at the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid, Jordan and a second residency at UAB. Dr. Saadoon completed pediatric pulmonology fellowship at Weill Cornell Medical College – Qatar and another fellowship at UAB. His clinical interests include pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary complications of sickle cell disease. His research interests include studying factors affecting lung development, pulmonary hypertension and lung microbiome.

You can access the recent fall/winter 2016 issue of Inside Pediatrics by clicking here. This Children's of Alabama publication highlights the storied career of Jerry Oakes, M.D., the Adolescent Medicine Center's community involvement and much more. As always, feel free to share the link with colleagues around the country to highlight the excellent care provided by Children's of Alabama and the UAB Department of Pediatrics. 

https://www.childrensal.org/insidepediatrics