March 2020 Department of Pediatrics Newsletter
COVID-19 Heroes Special Edition
Department of Pediatrics Mar 31, 2020Dear Faculty and Friends,
During this unprecedented time, it is important that we recognize the amazing efforts of so many of our faculty, trainees and staff. As we’ve confronted this pandemic, all of you have made countless acts of volunteerism and sacrifice – THANK YOU! I am proud of the way our Department and our colleagues at Children’s Hospital Colorado and across the Anschutz Medical Campus have rallied to support each other. That gratitude and pride is shared by many of you who have submitted nominees for our first round of “Coronavirus Heroes.”
Here are the people, as recognized by their peers, who are going above and beyond in their efforts to combat the pandemic and continue to foster our unrivaled culture of collaboration. Here are this week’s “Coronavirus Heroes.”
Samuel Dominguez, MD, PhD,Associate Professor, Section of Infectious Diseases.
Nominated by Jessica Cataldi, Edwin Asturias, and Kevin Messacar.
Why Sam?
Sam has worked tirelessly as a member of the command center team responding to COVID-19 since mid-January. He has provided epidemiology and infectious diseases expertise to inform and empower other team members to help our CHCO family respond to the myriad of challenges that COVID-19 has posed. He responds to every new challenge, every suggestion, every question with a positive attitude and a sense of “we can do this.”
Christina Olson, MD, Assistant Professor, Section of Hospital Medicine.
Nominated by Jenny Reese.
Why Christina?
Dr. Olson has worked tirelessly to stand up telehealth resources for the entire organization at a rate and volume no one would have dreamed of, our telehealth encounters grow exponentially daily!
Maya Bunik, MD, MPH, Professor, Section of General Pediatrics.
Nominated by Chris Stille, David Keller, and Dana Strepman.
Why Maya?
As Child Health Clinic Medical Director, Maya has her "boots on the ground" and has worked tirelessly to ensure seamless access to care to our high-risk patient population during this pandemic. She has made CHC the strong leader at the Health Pavilion in all facets of responding to the coronavirus pandemic: from parking lot meet-and-greets for the entire building, through reworking the entire patient flow of CHC and Young Moms Clinic, to rearranging schedules on the fly, and many other things too – all while projecting a calm, “we can do this” attitude.
William Aaron Manning, MD, Assistant Professor, Section of Hospital Medicine.
Nominated by Jenny Reese and Joe Kay.
Why Aaron?
Dr. Manning has led the development of a med-peds hospitalist team to help CHCO admit young adults during the pandemic and allow for surge capacity at UCH.
Paul Houin, MD (Instructor), Deb Liptzin, MD (Assistant Professor), and Jordana Hoppe, MD (Assistant Professor), Section of Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine.
Nominated by Heather Hoch De Keyser.
Why Paul, Deb, and Jordana?
Navigating the uncertainty of the risks of COVID and pregnancy, Paul, Deb, and Jordana have stepped up to cover higher risk clinical services for me, without question or complaint. I'm so incredibly grateful for them!
Kevin Messacar, MD (Assistant Professor) and Suchitra Rao, MD (Assistant Professor), Section of Hospital Medicine.
Nominated by Jenny Reese.
Why Kevin and Suchitra?
These two have worked around the clock to help share up-to-date communication from Epidemiology, ID and the command center to our hospitalist providers who are on the front lines caring for patients.
Sonali Patel, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Section of Cardiology.
Nominated by Bonnie Bellairs and Suzanne Paul.
Why Sonali?
Dr. Patel has stepped in as the “Coronavirus Czar” for cardiology and has been at the hospital most days from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m., attending meetings, keeping her department informed as well as working with shifting schedules. There have been many hats that she is wearing right now in order to ensure the safety of the staff, as well as the patients, and we commend her for all she is doing!
The CHCO Blood Bank Team.
Nominated by Melanie Everitt.
Why the CHCO Blood Bank team?
A special shout out to the Blood Bank, which has kept lifesaving procedures moving forward. Because of you, the heart transplant program has been able to evaluate and list a new infant with heart failure in a matter of days by taking advantage of teamwork and telehealth ability. We were also able to perform a heart transplant for a young child who has been waiting since May 2019 for a heart. You make a difference in the lives of kids!
Kevin Carney, MD, Assistant Professor, Section of Emergency Medicine.
Nominated by Joe Grubenhoff and Mark Roback.
Why Kevin?
Dr. Carney has been an unceasing advocate for the ED/UC providers and staff, keeping us abreast of these rapidly changing conditions, thinking creatively how to still deliver outstanding care while maintaining safety for staff, and bringing a calm, levelheaded voice to the challenges with which we are confronted with this pandemic. He is the model of humble expertise, generous service and boundless creativity, through which he exemplifies that WE are a CARING COMMUNITY.
Tim Bernard, MD, Professor, Section of Neurology.
Nominated by Kevin Chapman.
Why Tim?
Dr. Bernard has been very forward-thinking and caring about the needs and potential risks to our neurology residents during the coronavirus pandemic. He realized early how valuable our residents were to our inpatient service functioning during the expected surge and took measures to ensure that they were at home every possible chance to reduce exposure. His forward-thinking concern for the well-being of our residents has been exemplary and has greatly added to neurology leadership's ability to focus on other challenges.
Megan Fink, Sections of Endocrinology and Nutrition.
Nominated by Suzanne Paul.
Why Megan?
Megan has gone ABOVE and BEYOND in supporting both Nutrition and Endocrinology, keeping up with the needs of all the providers in two sections with a great spirit and a calm attitude. She is a great attribute to the organization!
The Heart Transplant Team.
