Tag Archive for: luban

Kolaleh Eskandanian

Health IT Panel Focuses on Leveling the Playing Field for Women in Healthcare Leadership

Kolaleh-Eskandanian

Kolaleh Eskandanian, PhD, MBA, PMP, vice president and chief innovation officer at Children’s National Hospital, spoke on gender gaps in healthcare leadership during the 6th annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference hosted by Becker’s Healthcare.

Although women account for nearly half of entry-level jobs in the healthcare industry, female clinician-scientist executives continue to be sparse among healthcare leadership ranks. Less than a third of C-suite roles – approximately 26 percent – are filled by women and tend to focus on human resources or marketing, according to a recent analysis by Becker’s Hospital Review.

Addressing and bridging this gender gap in healthcare leadership was the focus of the recent panel, “Leveling the Playing Field for Women in Healthcare at Macro and Micro Levels,” as part of the 6th annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference hosted by Becker’s Healthcare. Moderated by Alya Ellison of Becker’s Hospital Review, the panel examined the different ways that leading healthcare institutions are working to improve mentorship and leadership opportunities for women to create a more equitable path to the C-suite.

Among those participating in the discussion was Kolaleh Eskandanian, Ph.D., M.B.A., P.M.P., vice president and chief innovation officer at Children’s National Hospital, who noted that some organizations may require one or two cycles of leadership change for more female clinician-scientist executives to reach the C-Suite. Even so, Eskandanian emphasized that the desire and strategy to bridge this gap should be imprinted in the DNA of every major healthcare organization.

“Hopefully, many organizations started thinking about diversity and inclusion years ago. At Children’s National Hospital, this is deeply engrained within our culture and is something that we consciously focus on,” Eskandanian says. “In addition to focusing on inclusion at the leadership level, we also work diligently with medical school graduates in our residency program to ensure that both the micro and macro levels of balance are in place.”

Eskandanian adds that Children’s National Hospital also has developed and implemented a program for physicians and scientists known as W@TCH (Women @ Children’s Hospital) to help address the specific needs of women in academic medicine. Led by Naomi Luban, M.D., vice chair of Faculty Affairs and medical director for the Office for the Protection of Human Subjects, the program began as a series of informal lectures designed to address the challenges faced by women in medicine and academia and, with the help of junior faculty, has expanded to include a yearly “brown bag” seminar series with a formal W@TCH-related Grand Rounds that includes a half-day Career Development Workshop and a growing organizing committee of junior faculty.

Senior W@TCH members, many of whom are division chiefs at Children’s National Hospital, also oversee the selection of faculty members to attend different Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) programs including Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) Professional Development Seminars for early and mid-level faculty and minorities.

“This incredible program started organically at the hospital and has proven highly successful, so we hope that many organizations can follow the same organic process, which truly demonstrates the kind of leadership we need in order to be problem-solving organizations that lead to positive outcomes,” Eskandanian says.

Eskandanian and fellow panelists Tracy Donegan of MLK Community Health and Amy Schroeder of Lexington Regional Health agreed that, as there are still inequities in healthcare leadership roles, it is up to organizations to acknowledge disparities in order to start a dialogue that creates a more inclusive culture focused on manageable strategic goals that make awareness actionable.

Billie Lou Short and Kurt Newman at Research and Education Week

Research and Education Week honors innovative science

Billie Lou Short and Kurt Newman at Research and Education Week

Billie Lou Short, M.D., received the Ninth Annual Mentorship Award in Clinical Science.

People joke that Billie Lou Short, M.D., chief of Children’s Division of Neonatology, invented extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, known as ECMO for short. While Dr. Short did not invent ECMO, under her leadership Children’s National was the first pediatric hospital to use it. And over decades Children’s staff have perfected its use to save the lives of tiny, vulnerable newborns by temporarily taking over for their struggling hearts and lungs. For two consecutive years, Children’s neonatal intensive care unit has been named the nation’s No. 1 for newborns by U.S. News & World Report. “Despite all of these accomplishments, Dr. Short’s best legacy is what she has done as a mentor to countless trainees, nurses and faculty she’s touched during their careers. She touches every type of clinical staff member who has come through our neonatal intensive care unit,” says An Massaro, M.D., director of residency research.

For these achievements, Dr. Short received the Ninth Annual Mentorship Award in Clinical Science.

Anna Penn, M.D., Ph.D., has provided new insights into the central role that the placental hormone allopregnanolone plays in orderly fetal brain development, and her research team has created novel experimental models that mimic some of the brain injuries often seen in very preterm babies – an essential step that informs future neuroprotective strategies. Dr. Penn, a clinical neonatologist and developmental neuroscientist, “has been a primary adviser for 40 mentees throughout their careers and embodies Children’s core values of Compassion, Commitment and Connection,” says Claire-Marie Vacher, Ph.D.

For these achievements, Dr. Penn was selected to receive the Ninth Annual Mentorship Award in Basic and Translational Science.

The mentorship awards for Drs. Short and Penn were among dozens of honors given in conjunction with “Frontiers in Innovation,” the Ninth Annual Research and Education Week (REW) at Children’s National. In addition to seven keynote lectures, more than 350 posters were submitted from researchers – from high-school students to full-time faculty – about basic and translational science, clinical research, community-based research, education, training and quality improvement; five poster presenters were showcased via Facebook Live events hosted by Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Two faculty members won twice: Vicki Freedenberg, Ph.D., APRN, for research about mindfulness-based stress reduction and Adeline (Wei Li) Koay, MBBS, MSc, for research related to HIV. So many women at every stage of their research careers took to the stage to accept honors that Naomi L.C. Luban, M.D., Vice Chair of Academic Affairs, quipped that “this day is power to women.”

Here are the 2019 REW award winners:

2019 Elda Y. Arce Teaching Scholars Award
Barbara Jantausch, M.D.
Lowell Frank, M.D.

Suzanne Feetham, Ph.D., FAA, Nursing Research Support Award
Vicki Freedenberg, Ph.D., APRN, for “Psychosocial and biological effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention in adolescents with CHD/CIEDs: a randomized control trial”
Renee’ Roberts Turner for “Peak and nadir experiences of mid-level nurse leaders”

2019-2020 Global Health Initiative Exploration in Global Health Awards
Nathalie Quion, M.D., for “Latino youth and families need assessment,” conducted in Washington
Sonia Voleti for “Handheld ultrasound machine task shifting,” conducted in Micronesia
Tania Ahluwalia, M.D., for “Simulation curriculum for emergency medicine,” conducted in India
Yvonne Yui for “Designated resuscitation teams in NICUs,” conducted in Ghana
Xiaoyan Song, Ph.D., MBBS, MSc, “Prevention of hospital-onset infections in PICUs,” conducted in China

Ninth Annual Research and Education Week Poster Session Awards

Basic and Translational Science
Faculty: Adeline (Wei Li) Koay, MBBS, MSc, for “Differences in the gut microbiome of HIV-infected versus HIV-exposed, uninfected infants”
Faculty: Hayk Barseghyan, Ph.D., for “Composite de novo Armenian human genome assembly and haplotyping via optical mapping and ultra-long read sequencing”
Staff: Damon K. McCullough, BS, for “Brain slicer: 3D-printed tissue processing tool for pediatric neuroscience research”
Staff: Antonio R. Porras, Ph.D., for “Integrated deep-learning method for genetic syndrome screening using facial photographs”
Post docs/fellows/residents: Lung Lau, M.D., for “A novel, sprayable and bio-absorbable sealant for wound dressings”
Post docs/fellows/residents: Kelsey F. Sugrue, Ph.D., for “HECTD1 is required for growth of the myocardium secondary to placental insufficiency”
Graduate students: Erin R. Bonner, BA, for “Comprehensive mutation profiling of pediatric diffuse midline gliomas using liquid biopsy”
High school/undergraduate students: Ali Sarhan for “Parental somato-gonadal mosaic genetic variants are a source of recurrent risk for de novo disorders and parental health concerns: a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis”

Clinical Research
Faculty: Amy Hont, M.D., for “Ex vivo expanded multi-tumor antigen specific T-cells for the treatment of solid tumors”
Faculty: Lauren McLaughlin, M.D., for “EBV/LMP-specific T-cells maintain remissions of T- and B-cell EBV lymphomas after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation”

Staff: Iman A. Abdikarim, BA, for “Timing of allergenic food introduction among African American and Caucasian children with food allergy in the FORWARD study”
Staff: Gelina M. Sani, BS, for “Quantifying hematopoietic stem cells towards in utero gene therapy for treatment of sickle cell disease in fetal cord blood”
Post docs/fellows/residents: Amy H. Jones, M.D., for “To trach or not trach: exploration of parental conflict, regret and impacts on quality of life in tracheostomy decision-making”
Graduate students: Alyssa Dewyer, BS, for “Telemedicine support of cardiac care in Northern Uganda: leveraging hand-held echocardiography and task-shifting”
Graduate students: Natalie Pudalov, BA, “Cortical thickness asymmetries in MRI-abnormal pediatric epilepsy patients: a potential metric for surgery outcome”
High school/undergraduate students: Kia Yoshinaga for “Time to rhythm detection during pediatric cardiac arrest in a pediatric emergency department”

Community-Based Research
Faculty: Adeline (Wei Li) Koay, MBBS, MSc, for “Recent trends in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area”
Staff: Gia M. Badolato, MPH, for “STI screening in an urban ED based on chief complaint”
Post docs/fellows/residents: Christina P. Ho, M.D., for “Pediatric urinary tract infection resistance patterns in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area”
Graduate students: Noushine Sadeghi, BS, “Racial/ethnic disparities in receipt of sexual health services among adolescent females”

Education, Training and Program Development
Faculty: Cara Lichtenstein, M.D., MPH, for “Using a community bus trip to increase knowledge of health disparities”
Staff: Iana Y. Clarence, MPH, for “TEACHing residents to address child poverty: an innovative multimodal curriculum”
Post docs/fellows/residents: Johanna Kaufman, M.D., for “Inpatient consultation in pediatrics: a learning tool to improve communication”
High school/undergraduate students: Brett E. Pearson for “Analysis of unanticipated problems in CNMC human subjects research studies and implications for process improvement”

Quality and Performance Improvement
Faculty: Vicki Freedenberg, Ph.D., APRN, for “Implementing a mindfulness-based stress reduction curriculum in a congenital heart disease program”
Staff: Caleb Griffith, MPH, for “Assessing the sustainability of point-of-care HIV screening of adolescents in pediatric emergency departments”
Post docs/fellows/residents: Rebecca S. Zee, M.D., Ph.D., for “Implementation of the Accelerated Care of Torsion (ACT) pathway: a quality improvement initiative for testicular torsion”
Graduate students: Alysia Wiener, BS, for “Latency period in image-guided needle bone biopsy in children: a single center experience”

View images from the REW2019 award ceremony.

American Society of Hematology logo

Leading blood disorder experts from Children’s National convene in Atlanta for 59th American Society of Hematology annual meeting

In early December 2017, more than 25,000 attendees from around the world, including several experts from Children’s National Health System, convened in Atlanta for the American Society of Hematology’s annual meeting and exposition, the world’s premiere hematology event. For four days, physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals attended sessions, listened to speakers and collaborated with each other, focusing on enhancing care and treatment options for patients with blood disorders and complications, including leukemia, sickle cell disease and transplants.

As nationally recognized leaders in the field, the Children’s National team led educational sessions and gave keynote speeches highlighting groundbreaking work underway at the hospital, which sparked engaging and productive conversations among attendees. Highlights from the team include:

  • Catherine Bollard, M.D., M.B.Ch.B., Director of the Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, educating global experts on cellular immunotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
  • Kirsten Williams, M.D., bone and marrow transplant specialist, presenting novel work utilizing TAA-specific T cells for hematologic malignancies with Dr. Bollard, the sponsor of this first-in-man immunotherapy; moderating sessions on immunotherapy and late complications and survivorship after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
  • Allistair Abraham, M.D., blood and marrow transplantation specialist, moderating a session on hemoglobinopathies.
  • David Jacobsohn, M.D., ScM, Division Chief of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, moderating a session on allogeneic transplantation results.
  • Naomi Luban, M.D., hematologist and laboratory medicine specialist, introducing a plenary speaker on the application of CRISPR/Cas 9 technology for development of diagnostic reagents for diagnosis of alloimmunization from stem cells.

Additional presentations from the Children’s National team included an oral abstract on the hospital’s work to improve hydroxyurea treatment for sickle cell disease by pediatric resident Sarah Kappa, M.D., who also received an ASH Abstract Achievement Award; another key session on hemoglobinopathies moderated by Andrew Campbell, M.D., director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease Program; an abstract on the clinical use of CMV- specific T-cells derived from CMV-native donors, presented by Patrick Hanley, Ph.D.; a leukemia study presented by Anne Angiolillo, M.D., oncologist; and a presentation about pain measurement tools in sickle cell disease by Deepika Darbari, M.D., hematologist.

Blood Transfusion

Hydroxycarbamide effective in sickle cell stroke prevention

Blood Transfusion

Hydroxycarbamide treatment is on par with blood transfusions for preventing stroke in patients with sickle cell anemia.

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What’s known

Strokes are common and devastating complications for patients with sickle cell anemia, often leading to severe and lifelong motor and neurocognitive problems for people with this congenital blood disorder. Results of a clinical trial published in 1998 showed that having regular blood transfusions could reduce the risk of having a first stroke by 90 percent in children with sickle cell anemia. Since then, doctors have employed this prophylactic treatment widely. However, blood transfusions can be painful, inconvenient and carry substantial risks themselves — including the potential of blood-borne infections, iron overload and immune-related reactions to blood products. Finding a way to reduce stroke risk without over-relying on blood transfusions could substantially benefit patients with sickle cell anemia.

What’s new

A team of researchers, including Naomi L.C. Luban, M.D., a Children’s National Health System hematologist and laboratory medicine specialist, tested transfusions against a drug treatment called hydroxycarbamide in a clinical trial to see if the pharmaceutical intervention could reduce strokes at least as well as transfusions. The clinical trial, known as “TCD With Transfusions Changing to Hydroxyurea (TWiTCH),” assigned 60 patients with sickle cell anemia who had abnormally high transcranial Doppler (TCD) flow velocities—a measure of blood flow in the brain that suggests elevated risk of stroke—to receive hydroxycarbamide instead of transfusions. The research team compared the outcomes for these patients with 61 other patients who received standard prophylactic transfusions. Over the 24-month study period, neither group experienced any strokes, although three transient ischemic attacks (a temporary blockage of blood flow in the brain) occurred in each group. These comparable findings suggest that hydroxycarbamide treatment, also known as hydroxyurea, is on par with transfusions for preventing strokes in patients with sickle cell anemia.

Questions for future research

Q: Does hydroxycarbamide offer a long-term way for patients with sickle cell anemia to avoid transfusions?
Q: Could hydroxycarbamide help patients with sickle cell anemia who already have suffered a stroke or who have had severe problems with blood vessels in their brains that impair blood flow?
Q: Which other treatments can help patients avoid the myriad complications that accompany sickle cell anemia?

Source: “Hydroxycarbamide versus chronic transfusion for maintenance of transcranial doppler flow velocities in children with sickle cell anemia—TCD With Transfusions Changing to Hydroxyurea (TWiTCH): A multicentre, open-label, phase 3, non-inferiority trial.” Ware, R.E. B. R. Davis, W. H. Schultz, R.C. Brown, B. Aygun, S. Sarnaik, I. Odame, B. Fuh, A. George, W. Owen, L. Luchtman-Jones, Z.R. Rogers, L. Hilliard, C. Gauger, C. Piccone, M.T. Lee, J.L. Kwiatkowski, S. Jackson, S.T. Miller, C. Roberts, M.M. Heeney, T.A. Kalfa, S. Nelson, H. Imran, K. Nottage, O. Alvarez, M. Rhodes, A.A. Thompson, J.A. Rothman, K.J. Helton, D. Roberts, J. Coleman, M.J. Bonner, A. Kutlar, N. Patel, J. Wood, L. Piller, P. Wei, J. Luden, N.A. Mortier, S.E. Stuber, N. L. C. Luban, A.R. Cohen, S. Pressel and R.J. Adams. Published by The Lancet on Feb. 13, 2016.