Tag Archive for: Donnelly

Inspired to make a change

Drs. Donnelly and Goyal

Drs. Donnelly and Goyal lead our efforts to support survivors of violence with a focus on prevention.

Children’s National Hospital created the Youth Violence Intervention Program in 2022 to build connections with patients and prevent future violence through follow-up support for them and their families.

The team works under the leadership of Katie Donnelly, M.D., M.P.H., the program’s medical director who is an emergency medicine physician. They care for children who are survivors of community violence, including gunshot wounds, stabbings or assaults. The program has cared for about 250 youth to date.

Dr. Donnelly and Monika Goyal, M.D., MSCE, associate division chief of Emergency Medicine and Trauma Services, lead our efforts to support survivors of violence with a focus on prevention. Dr. Goyal leads the Safer through Advocacy, Firearm Education and Research (SAFER) group. It works on a local and national level to reduce firearm injuries and deaths among children.

We spoke Drs. Donnelly and Goyal about their goals and the impact of this work.

The interview is edited for brevity.

What inspired you to launch the youth violence intervention program and SAFER?

Dr. Donnelly: Injury is a part of life, and it is something I can never fully protect any child from. But for me, the toughest cases are those caused by violence, particularly gun violence. We are seeing more kids come in with their second or third injury. Violence is a chronic disease that runs much deeper than a single injury. I wanted to do more to break the cycle and address its root causes, such as disconnection from school, unaddressed emotional trauma and poverty. I researched other hospital-based violence intervention programs and learned about the D.C. Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants. We established the program with funding from that entity.

Dr. Goyal: As we started to hear more about gun violence impacting youth, I felt like I needed to do something. Every time I care for a child in our trauma bay who suffered a gunshot wound, it just takes a piece of me. I co-founded SAFER in 2016 to make our communities safer for children so they can live healthy and fulfilling lives. It began with four physicians and has grown into a multidisciplinary team of more than 40 Children’s National experts who volunteer their time in addition to their regular duties.

What keeps you going when challenges feel insurmountable?

Dr. Donnelly: I try to focus on the kids’ successes. Last year we had several teens in the program enroll in D.C.’s Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program. They were so proud to show off the debit cards they received to process their earnings. I also think about the kids that our team has helped get back into school who are doing well. These successes are things you can’t always measure with graphs or reports. But I hold them close to my heart, and they are all inspiring.

Dr. Goyal: Gun violence has a ripple effect. Even if a child has not personally experienced gun violence, it may still touch their lives. They may have family members, neighbors or friends who are victims. Their neighborhoods may have experienced gun violence, so it impacts a child’s ability to feel safe. It is devastating. Our work through SAFER keeps me going. We are doing this by sharing evidence-based interventions, advocating for policies that protect kids, and educating families about safe firearm storage and use, among other efforts.

What do these efforts mean to you?

Dr. Donnelly: The work we do gets us a seat at the table to impact larger change, and that is gratifying. Children’s National has become the expert on pediatric firearm injuries in the D.C. region, and we work with local governments on gun violence prevention legislation. I also appreciate opportunities to share our knowledge with the community. I recently spoke at a Teach for America conference about how young teachers can talk about gun violence and safety in their classrooms.

Dr. Goyal: There have been so many feelings of helplessness, and we know we can’t make a difference in every child’s or family’s life. But we are committed to tackling this crisis and trying to prevent tragedies from happening again. It is humbling to be part of this work.

How can philanthropy support these programs?

Dr. Donnelly: External support is essential to sustaining the Youth Violence Intervention Program. We are thankful for the government funding to keep this work going, but D.C. has faced budget cuts, so it’s not always guaranteed. Also, most of the critical psychosocial support we provide is not reimbursed by insurance. This includes things like food and housing resources and transportation costs for kids to get to school or medical appointments safely. Philanthropic support would ensure that we can continue this work and expand the program. We need more Violence Intervention specialists and a trauma-focused mental healthcare provider so our patients don’t have to wait for services. There is much more we can do to ensure that families have what they need to thrive.

Dr. Goyal: I agree, there are so many opportunities for growth. We were grateful to receive a generous gift from the Honorable Ann Brown (former commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) to support some of our prevention efforts. These include expanding screenings in the E.D., developing trainings to help youth de-escalate conflict and advancing research to increase awareness of gun safety. Additional support would allow us to scale and grow our programs so we can make an even bigger impact.

Read more stories like this one in the latest issue of Believe magazine.

Five Children’s National Hospital faculty named to Society for Pediatric Research

Drs. Katie Donnelly, Panagiotis Kratimenos, Rana Hamdy, Shayna Coburn and Brynn Marks

The Society for Pediatric Research (SPR) announced five new members from Children’s National Hospital: Drs. Rana Hamdy, Panagiotis Kratimenos, Brynn Marks, Shayna Coburn and Katie Donnelly.

The Society for Pediatric Research (SPR) announced five new members from Children’s National Hospital. Established in 1929, SPR’s mission is to create a multi-disciplinary network of diverse researchers to improve child health.

Membership in SPR is a recognized honor in academic pediatrics. It requires nomination by academic peers and leaders as well as recognition of one’s role as an independent, productive child health researcher.

“I am so proud of our faculty and all that they have accomplished. I am thrilled that they have been recognized for their achievements,” said Beth A. Tarini, M.D., M.S., SPR president and associate director for the Center for Translational Research at Children’s National Hospital.

SPR 2021 active new members from Children’s National are:

    • Katie Donnelly, M.D., M.P.H., attending physician in the Emergency Department at Children’s National Hospital. She is the medical director for Safe Kids DC, an organization dedicated to preventing accidental injuries in children in Washington DC. Her personal research interest is in preventing firearm injuries in children and she is a member of Safer through Advocacy, Firearm Education and Research (SAFER), a multidisciplinary team dedicated to firearm injury prevention at Children’s National. She is also the medical director of the newly founded hospital-based violence intervention program at Children’s National and an associate professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at The George Washington University.“To be recognized by my peers as a researcher with a significant contribution to our field is very validating. It also opens a world of potential collaborations with excellent scientists, which is very exciting!” said Dr. Donnelly. “I am grateful for the immense support offered to me by the Division of Emergency Medicine to complete the research I am passionate about, especially my mentor Monika Goyal.”
    • Panagiotis Kratimenos, M.D., Ph.D., newborn intensivist and neuroscientist at Children’s National. He studies mechanisms of brain injury in the neonate, intending to prevent its sequelae later in life. Dr. Kratimenos’ interest lies in identifying therapies to prevent or improve neurodevelopmental disabilities of sick newborns caused by prematurity and perinatal insults.“Being a member of SPR is a deep honor for me. SPR has always been a ‘mentorship home’ for me since I was a trainee and a member of the SPR junior section,” said Dr. Kratimenos. “A membership in the SPR allows us to access a very diverse, outstanding team of pediatric academicians and researchers who support the development of physician-scientists, honors excellence through prestigious grants and awards, and advocates for children at any level either locally, nationally, or internationally.”
    • Rana Hamdy, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.C.E., pediatric infectious diseases physician at Children’s National and Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. She is an assistant professor of pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Her area of expertise focuses on the prevention and treatment of antimicrobial resistant infections and the promotion of good antimicrobial stewardship in inpatient and outpatient settings.“It’s an honor to be joining the Society for Pediatric Research and becoming part of this distinguished multidisciplinary network of pediatric researchers,” said Dr. Hamdy. “I look forward to the opportunity to meet and work with SPR members, make connections for future collaborations, as well as encourage trainees to pursue pediatric research through the opportunities that SPR offers.”
    • Shayna Coburn, Ph.D., director of Psychosocial Services in the Celiac Disease Program at Children’s National. She is a licensed psychologist specializing in coping and interpersonal relationships in chronic illness treatment, particularly for conditions involving specialized diets. She holds an appointment as assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Her work has focused on promoting effective doctor-patient communication, reducing healthcare disparities and supporting successful adherence across the developmental span of childhood and adolescence. She currently has a Career Development Award from National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to refine and test a group intervention designed to improve self-management and quality of life in teens with celiac disease.
      “I hope that my background as a psychologist researcher will help diversify SPR. As an SPR member, I hope to encourage more opportunities for training, awards, and other programs that would be inclusive of clinician researchers who may not hold a traditional medical degree,” said Dr. Coburn.
    • Brynn Marks, M.D., M.S.-H.P.Ed., endocrinologist at Children’s National. As a clinical and translational scientist her goal is to use unique personal experiences and training to optimize both patient and provider knowledge of and behaviors surrounding diabetes technologies thereby realizing the potential of diabetes technologies improve the lives and clinical outcomes of all people living with diabetes. Her experiences as a person living with Type 1 diabetes have undoubtedly shaped her clinical and research interests in diabetes management and medical education.
      “It is an honor to be accepted for membership in the Society for Pediatric Research,” said Dr. Marks.  “Being nominated and recognized by peers in this interprofessional pediatric research community will allow me networking and growth opportunities as I continue to advance my research career.”

Firearm injuries disproportionately affect African American kids in DC Wards 7 and 8

Katie Donnelly

“Because the majority of patients in our analyses were injured through accidental shootings, this particular risk factor can help to inform policy makers about possible interventions to prevent future firearm injury, disability and death,” says Katie Donnelly, M.D.

Firearm injuries disproportionately impact African American young men living in Washington’s Wards 7 and 8 compared with other city wards, with nearly one-quarter of injuries suffered in the injured child’s home or at a friend’s home, according to a hot spot analysis presented during the Pediatric Academic Societies 2019 Annual Meeting.

“We analyzed the addresses where youths were injured by firearms over a nearly 12-year period and found that about 60 percent of these shootings occurred in Ward 7 or Ward 8, lower socioeconomic neighborhoods when compared with Washington’s six other Wards,” says Monika K. Goyal, M.D., MSCE, assistant chief of Children’s Division of Emergency Medicine and Trauma Services and the study’s senior author. “This granular detail will help to target resources and interventions to more effectively reduce firearm-related injury and death.”

In the retrospective, cross-sectional study, the Children’s research team looked at all children aged 18 and younger who were treated at Children’s National for firearm-related injuries from Jan. 1, 2006, to May 31, 2017. During that time, 122 children injured by firearms in Washington were treated at Children’s National, the only Level 1 pediatric trauma center in the nation’s Capitol:

  • Nearly 64 percent of these firearm-related injuries were accidental
  • The patients’ mean age was 12.9 years old
  • More than 94 percent of patients were African American and
  • Nearly 74 percent were male.

Of all injuries suffered by children, injuries due to firearms carry the highest mortality rates, the study authors write. About 3 percent of patients in Children’s study died from their firearm-related injuries. Among surviving youth:

  • Patients had a mean Injury Severity Score of 5.8. (The score for a “major trauma” is greater than 15.)
  • 54 percent required hospitalization, with a mean hospitalization of three days
  • Nearly 28 percent required surgery, with 14.8 percent transferred directly from the emergency department to the operating room and
  • Nearly 16 percent were admitted to the intensive care unit.

“Regrettably, firearm injuries remain a major public health hazard for our nation’s children and young adults,” adds Katie Donnelly, M.D., emergency medicine specialist and the study’s lead author. “Because the majority of patients in our analyses were injured through accidental shootings, this particular risk factor can help to inform policy makers about possible interventions to prevent future firearm injury, disability and death.”

Pediatric Academic Societies 2019 Annual Meeting poster presentatio

  • “Pediatric firearm-related injuries and outcomes in the District of Columbia.”
    • Monday, April 29, 2019, 5:45 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Katie Donnelly, M.D., emergency medicine specialist and lead author; Shilpa J. Patel, M.D., MPH, emergency medicine specialist and co-author; Gia M. Badolato, co-author; James Jackson, co-author; and Monika K. Goyal, M.D., MSCE, assistant chief of Children’s Division of Emergency Medicine and Trauma Services and senior author.

Other Children’s research related to firearms presented during PAS 2019 includes:

April 27, 8 a.m.: “Protect kids, not guns: What pediatric providers can do to improve firearm safety.” Gabriella Azzarone, Asad Bandealy, M.D.; Priti Bhansali, M.D.; Eric Fleegler; Monika K. Goyal, M.D., MSCE;  Alex Hogan; Sabah Iqbal; Kavita Parikh, M.D.; Shilpa J. Patel, M.D., MPH; Noe Romo; and Alyssa Silver.

April 29, 5:45 p.m.: “Emergency department visits for pediatric firearm-related injury: By intent of injury.” Shilpa J. Patel, M.D., MPH; Gia M. Badolato; Kavita Parikh, M.D.; Sabah Iqbal; and Monika K. Goyal, M.D., MSCE.

April 29, 5:45 p.m.: “Assessing the intentionality of pediatric firearm injuries using ICD codes.” Katie Donnelly, M.D.; Gia M. Badolato; James Chamberlain, M.D.; and Monika K. Goyal, M.D., MSCE.

April 30, 9:45 a.m.: “Defining a research agenda for the field of pediatric firearm injury prevention.” Libby Alpern; Patrick Carter; Rebecca Cunningham, Monika K. Goyal, M.D., MSCE; Fred Rivara; and Eric Sigel.