December 2020 Department of Pediatrics Newsletter
Dec 18, 2020Dear Faculty and Friends,
Welcome to the December edition of the Department of Pediatrics Newsletter. Here you will find a sampling of all the amazing activity happening within the Department of Pediatrics and at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Thanks to all our talented faculty, trainees, and staff who make this the best Pediatrics Department in the country! As always, for these and other exciting Department of Pediatrics news stories, please visit our Pediatrics News web page.
Kempe Recognized by Pediatrics
Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), has published its listing of the year’s most frequently read articles. Congratulations to Allison Kempe, MD, MPH (Professor, Section of General Pediatrics and Director of ACCORDS) and her colleagues on the article, titled “Parental Hesitancy About Routine Childhood and Influenza Vaccinations: A National Survey.” That July publication was ranked by Pediatrics as the 8th best article of 2020.
Nadeau Elected to ASCI
Kristen Nadeau, MD, MS (Professor, Section of Endocrinology) has been elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI). Founded in 1908, the ASCI has more than 3,000 elected physician-scientist members. The ASCI supports the scientific efforts, educational needs, and clinical aspirations of physician-scientists to improve human health. Membership in the ASCI is attained through a process of nomination and election. Nominees for election must be physicians who have “accomplished meritorious original, creative, and independent investigations in the clinical or allied sciences of medicine.” Congratulations, Dr. Nadeau!
Cuneo Secures Congenital Heart Block Research Funding
Bettina Cuneo, MD (Professor, Section of Cardiology) has received a Research Project Grant (R01-HD100929) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) for her project titled, “Surveillance and Treatment to Prevent Fetal Atrioventricular Block Likely to Occur Quickly (STOP BLOQ).” Dr. Cuneo’s research focuses on congenital heart block, also called atrioventricular block (AVB), a rare disorder that occurs in about one out of 22,000 live births and in most cases the cause is not known. Fetal complete atrioventricular block (AVB), identified in the 2nd trimester in an otherwise normally developing heart, is almost universally associated with maternal anti-Ro autoantibodies and carries a high morbidity and mortality rate. Dr. Cuneo’s project will evaluate early treatment interventions to decrease AVB including pre-natal screening for anti-Ro, maternal fetal heart rate and rhythm monitoring, and the targeted use of anti-inflammatory therapeutics.
Dixon on to NIH
Congratulations to Cinnamon Dixon, DO, MPH (Associate Professor, Section of General Pediatrics) who will be leaving the Department in January for a new position with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Dr. Dixon has been recruited to NIH to serve as Medical Officer/Program Official in the Pediatric Trauma and Critical Illness Branch (PTCIB). At NICHD, Dr. Dixon will lead the development of a new national research agenda for pediatric emergency medicine and pediatric injury prevention, and to manage and grow this research portfolio both domestically and globally. While we will all greatly miss Dr. Dixon’s presence and collegiality, we wish her the best in this exciting new endeavor.
L'Oréal Women in Science Fellowship to da Silva Teixeira
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has awarded Silvania da Silva Teixeira, PhD (Postdoctoral Fellow, Section of Nutrition) a L'Oréal USA 2020 For Women In Science (FWIS) fellowship. This annual, nationwide program awards five female postdoctoral scientists grants of $60,000 each to advance their research careers. Dr. da Silva Teixeira’s research in metabolic diseases focuses on the treatment of late-stage Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) by stimulating insulin secretion with a daily pill instead of managing insulin levels with daily injections. Congratulations to Dr. da Silva Teixeira and her faculty mentor, Darlene Sandoval, PhD (Professor, Section of Nutrition).
Okada to Receive SOM Professionalism Award
Carol Okada, MD, (Associate Professor of Clinical Practice, Section of Critical Care) is one of three recipients of the 14th Annual School of Medicine Professionalism Award. This award recognizes full-time, School of Medicine faculty members who have served as a role model for professionalism. Dr. Okada will be honored at an upcoming Faculty Senate meeting.
NIH Highlights Feinstein Team’s Research
The National Institute of Health newsroom recently featured the work of James A. Feinstein, MD, MPH (Associate Professor, Section of General Pediatrics) and his Epidermolysis Bullosa Program research team. The feature highlighted the research being conducted under Dr. Feinstein’s Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23-HD091295). That project, titled “Enhancing Medication Safety in Children with Polypharmacy Using Parent-Reported Symptom Assessments,” found that parent questionnaires may improve prescribing practices for children with severe neurological impairments.
In Memoriam
The Department shares in mourning the loss of William Imon Norwood, Jr., MD, who passed away on December 13. Dr. Norwood was a 1967 graduate of the University of Colorado Medical School. He pursued specialty training in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at Harvard Medical School before embarking on a decades-long career in the field of surgical management of congenital heart disease. Dr. Norwood’s name is known worldwide, largely in association with his personal development of staged reconstructive surgical management of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. The Stage 1 Norwood operation is today one of the most frequently performed complex neonatal cardiovascular reconstruction procedures. The Department offers our sympathies to the extended Norwood family.
The Department also extends condolences to the family of Thomas Boschen, MD, who died from complications of a bike accident in early November. Dr. Boschen received his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1967 and was a Pediatric Intern and Resident at University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry until 1969. He then came to University of Colorado School of Medicine and was a Department of Pediatrics Chief Resident from 1969 to 1970, along with Willian Coyer and Robert Prentice. He was an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics from 1974 until his passing. After his retirement, Dr. Boschen volunteered at Doctor’s Care, a clinic for the medically underserved.
The Department extends its sympathies to the family of Perry M. Butterfield, who passed away on December 2. Perry was a retired faculty member of the University of Colorado Department of Psychiatry, where she served as Senior Research Associate to the Program for Early Developmental Studies. Perry was also the wife of L. Joseph Butterfield, MD who led the Department of Neonatology at Children’s Hospital Colorado for more than 40 years prior to his death in 1999. Perry was a passionate supporter and friend of the Department of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Colorado. The L. Joseph Butterfield Chair in Pediatrics was established in her late husband’s name to support the Chairman of Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado.
Faculty Working Groups Call for Nominations
To best support all our faculty and to provide equitable opportunities for career development, the Department of Pediatrics is adding two new Faculty Working Groups and seeks nominations for new members. You may nominate yourself or another faculty member. Joining the group is a great opportunity to support your colleagues through important representation, network across the DOP, and fulfill promotion service requirements.
Mid-career Faculty Working Group (MFWG)
The group supports faculty who generally have between 7 and 13 years of total experience in their field, regardless of rank or institution. A maximum of six members will be elected for a three-year term. Potential immediate goals for this group include pathway to professor planning and mentoring, increased awareness of specific faculty needs, provider wellness, and growing networking opportunities.
Senior-Career Faculty Working Group (SFWG)
The group supports faculty who generally have more than 13 years of total experience in their field, regardless of rank or institution. A maximum of six members will be elected for a three-year term. Potential immediate goals for this group include increasing awareness of specific faculty needs, provider wellness, generating new opportunities for connections to earlier-career faculty, retirement planning, and emeritus faculty engagement.
Responsibilities of group members are anticipated to include:
- Spearheading and managing different projects/tasks.
- Planning the annual FWG calendar.
- Contributing to monthly meeting content.
- Networking with other faculty and SOM departments for recruitment, event advertising, faculty feedback, and event evaluations.
Membership Requirements:
- Eligibility for the applicable group being represented.
- Attendance at no less than 8 monthly meetings per year.
- Commitment to attend as many group-sponsored events as possible.
- Facilitate or manage at least one event during their terms.
- Represent their FWG at a minimum of one Academic and Faculty Affairs Committee meeting per year (one-hour long monthly meeting).
How to Nominate:
To nominate yourself or someone else, please complete this form no later than January 31, 2021. Nominations will be reviewed, and members elected by the Faculty Working Group Steering Committee. If you have further questions, please contact Faculty Affairs Coordinator Justin Lotspeich.
2020 Performance Review in the School of Medicine (PRiSM)
The 2020 PRiSM season is in its final stage. Faculty should be submitting their reviews to reach their sections’ submission deadline at https://som.ucdenver.edu/. Contact your section’s PRiSM administrator to modify your route and with any questions. If you have questions or concerns not addressed by your section’s PRiSM administrator(s), business manager, or section head, please contact Faculty Affairs Coordinator and DOP PRiSM Liaison Justin Lotspeich.
Best wishes to all for a safe and healthy holiday and to a welcome start to the 2021 New Year!
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