University of Colorado Department of Pediatrics

I am pleased to share with you the first of a planned monthly communication series that will highlight some of the exciting news and initiatives taking place across the Department of Pediatrics. We are the School of Medicine’s largest department with 885 faculty, 400 professional staff, and 268 resident/fellow physician and pre/postdoctoral trainees. Furthermore, we have over 2,500 active alumni and 500 community volunteers and affiliates. Among this large group are some of the world’s foremost experts in child health, trailblazers in biomedical research and discovery, and thought leaders in medical education and pediatric career development. Every day amazing work is taking place within our Department – here are just a few of our most recent successes.

US News & World Report has issued its 2019 rankings of the Best Medical Schools and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus ranked number four on the list of best pediatrics programs. The Pediatric specialty program rankings were determined based on ratings from medical school deans and senior faculty who ranked programs from marginal to outstanding. Clearly, “Here, it is different” applies fittingly to the quality of our School of Medicine education programs, the welcoming clinical training environment provided by Children’s Hospital Colorado, and the impact our teachers and students are having on the future of child health. Congratulations to the students, faculty, staff, and partners at Children’s Hospital Colorado who all work so very hard to deliver such an outstanding pediatric education curriculum and training experience.

As we start to emerge from Colorado’s record breaking 2017-2018 flu season, special thanks are in order to the Emergency Medicine, Hospital Medicine, and pediatric intensive care units for their grace under fire in meeting service needs and coordinating care at peak capacities. Deep appreciation to all the care team members who helped manage through yet another busy flu season.

On February 21st, the Section of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology and Children’s Hospital Colorado officially opened the new Allergy and Immunology Center providing newly expanded multidisciplinary clinic space for the evaluation and treatment of patients with allergy, asthma and disorders of the immune system. According to David Fleischer, MD, Associate Professor and Section Head for Allergy and Immunology, “the new clinical space and food/drug challenge unit sets the standard for the safe and comprehensive evaluation and management of children with allergic and immunologic diseases across Colorado and the adjacent region.”

On March 5th, School of Medicine Dean John Reilly and Children’s Hospital Colorado CEO Jena Hausmann hosted a child health research town hall where they outlined priorities for building a fully aligned Child Health Research Enterprise. Key goals include advancing our position as a national leader in child health research, enhancing our ability to attract and retain the best researchers and clinicians, and improving research administrative efficiencies and research infrastructure to better support faculty investigators. Over the next several months, there will be efforts to develop a comprehensive child health research strategic plan. Faculty input during this process will be critical and those with specific thoughts or suggestions are encouraged to contact Paul Fennessey, PhD, Vice Chair for Research (Paul.Fennessey@childrenscolorado.org) and/or Jeanette Leeser, Grants Program Director (Jeanette.Leeser@childrenscolorado.org).

The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research has released the ranking tables of National Institutes of Health funding to US Medical Schools for federal fiscal year 2017 (October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017). Once again, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus was ranked #1 in NIH funding among Pediatrics Departments. Our Department totaled $48.2 million in NIH funding well ahead of Duke ($44.2M) and Baylor ($34.7M). This outstanding performance reflects the tremendous breadth and depth of our research portfolio and the results of the passionate work of all our faculty investigators and their research teams. This level of productivity is also made possible by the significant, ongoing investment in research by our Department and Sections, the School of Medicine and the Children’s Hospital Colorado Research Institute. Congratulations to all our research programs who continue to make discoveries that will improve child health.

Congratulations to Dr. Colm Collins (Assistant Professor, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition) for his recent award from the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America titled “Selectively targeting the immunosuppressive cannabinoid receptor two to treat intestinal inflammation.” This 2-year, $347,490 award focuses on the development of novel therapeutic strategies to target both symptoms and underlying etiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with specific emphasis on the endocannabinoid pathway. Upon completion, Dr. Collins’ project will provide important insight into the role of cannabinoids in immune regulation and offer a basis for the future development of novel therapies for IBD treatment.

Kudos also to Dr. Jonathan Kirk Harris (Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary) for his award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation titled “Early epidemiology and succession of CF airway microbiota.” This 2-year, $216,000 basic research award will enable the molecular characterization of 700 bacterial communities present in human airwaysamples. Such research helps guide the identification and treatment of lung pathogens in infants with cystic fibrosis.

Lastly, congratulations to Dr. Eva Grayck (Professor, Section of Critical Care Medicine) for her award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) titled “SOD3 regulation of redox sensitive signaling in pulmonary vascular diseases.” This 7-year, $4 million grant (R35HL139726) is among the most prestigious awards provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The R35 award series is designed to promote scientific productivity and innovation by providing long-term support and increased flexibility to outstanding investigators. The grant will further Dr. Grayck’s research into understanding the mechanisms responsible for pulmonary vascular structure and function throughout the stages of life, and to understand how disruption in these processes contribute to pulmonary vascular disease. The overall mission of Dr. Grayck’s research program is to determine how the antioxidant enzyme, extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD or SOD3) regulates redox-sensitive signaling pathways responsible for inflammation and fibrosis in pulmonary vascular diseases across the age span, and harness this knowledge to design new and precise therapies.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about these exciting activities within our Department. For more news stories, please visit our Pediatrics News web page. 

Sincerely,

Stephen R. Daniels, MD, PhD
Professor and Chair
Department of Pediatrics | University of Colorado School of Medicine
Pediatrician-in-Chief | Children’s Hospital Colorado