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US News badges

For fifth year in a row, Children’s National Hospital nationally ranked a top 10 children’s hospital

US News badges

Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., was ranked in the top 10 nationally in the U.S. News & World Report 2021-22 Best Children’s Hospitals annual rankings. This marks the fifth straight year Children’s National has made the Honor Roll list, which ranks the top 10 children’s hospitals nationwide. In addition, its neonatology program, which provides newborn intensive care, ranked No.1 among all children’s hospitals for the fifth year in a row.

For the eleventh straight year, Children’s National also ranked in all 10 specialty services, with seven specialties ranked in the top 10.

“It is always spectacular to be named one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals, but this year more than ever,” says Kurt Newman, M.D., president and CEO of Children’s National. “Every member of our organization helped us achieve this level of excellence, and they did it while sacrificing so much in order to help our country respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“When choosing a hospital for a sick child, many parents want specialized expertise, convenience and caring medical professionals,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “The Best Children’s Hospitals rankings have always highlighted hospitals that excel in specialized care. As the pandemic continues to affect travel, finding high-quality care close to home has never been more important.”

The annual rankings are the most comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals. The rankings recognize the nation’s top 50 pediatric hospitals based on a scoring system developed by U.S. News. The top 10 scorers are awarded a distinction called the Honor Roll.

The bulk of the score for each specialty service is based on quality and outcomes data. The process includes a survey of relevant specialists across the country, who are asked to list hospitals they believe provide the best care for patients with the most complex conditions.

Below are links to the seven Children’s National specialty services that U.S. News ranked in the top 10 nationally:

The other three specialties ranked among the top 50 were cardiology and heart surgery, gastroenterology and gastro-intestinal surgery, and urology.

Research & Innovation Campus

Boeing gives $5 million to support Research & Innovation Campus

Research & Innovation Campus

Children’s National Hospital announced a $5 million gift from The Boeing Company that will help drive lifesaving pediatric discoveries at the new Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus.

Children’s National Hospital announced a $5 million gift from The Boeing Company that will help drive lifesaving pediatric discoveries at the new Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus. The campus, now under construction, is being developed on nearly 12 acres of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Children’s National will name the main auditorium in recognition of Boeing’s generosity.

“We are deeply grateful to Boeing for their support and commitment to improving the health and well-being of children in our community and around the globe,” said Kurt Newman, M.D., president and CEO of Children’s National “The Boeing Auditorium will help the Children’s National Research & Innovation campus become the destination for discussion about how to best address the next big healthcare challenges facing children and families.”

The one-of-a-kind pediatric hub will bring together public and private partners for unprecedented collaborations. It will accelerate the translation of breakthroughs into new treatments and technologies to benefit kids everywhere.

“Children’s National Hospital’s enduring mission of positively impacting the lives of our youngest community members is especially important today,” said Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun. “We’re honored to join other national and community partners to advance this work through the establishment of their Research & Innovation Campus.”

Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus partners currently include Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS, Virginia Tech, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Cerner, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, National Organization of Rare Diseases (NORD) and local government.

The 3,200 square-foot Boeing Auditorium will be the focal point of the state-of-the-art conference center on campus. Nationally renowned experts will convene with scientists, medical leaders and diplomats from around the world to foster collaborations that spur progress and disseminate findings.

Boeing’s $5 million commitment deepens its longstanding partnership with Children’s National. The company has donated nearly $2 million to support pediatric care and research at Children’s National through Chance for Life and the hospital’s annual Children’s Ball. During the coronavirus pandemic, Boeing fabricated and donated 2,000 face shields to help keep patients and frontline care providers at Children’s National safe.

Yves d'Udekem

Yves d’Udekem, M.D., Ph.D., named Chief of Cardiac Surgery and Co-Director of the Children’s National Heart Institute

Yves d'Udekem

Children’s National Hospital announced that world-class surgeon Yves d’Udekem, M.D., Ph.D., will become the next Chief of Cardiac Surgery and Co-Director of the Children’s National Heart Institute this summer.

Dr. d’Udekem is Belgian-born with Canadian and Australian citizenship and received his early training in Belgium and Toronto. As an attending cardiac surgeon in Belgium, he operated on both adults and children with congenital heart disease. Dr. d’Udekem then worked with internationally recognized heart surgeon Marc de Laval, M.D., FRCS, and others in London to train in congenital heart surgery at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.

From there, he was recruited to The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, an institution that has been a leader in advancing the field of congenital heart disease. In Melbourne, Dr. d’Udekem built an outstanding reputation for clinical excellence and an exceptional academic career. He has over 300 publications and is highly cited and respected. Dr. d’Udekem obtained more than $7 million in grant funding over the past five years as the creator and leader of the highly touted Fontan Registry.

The Children’s National Cardiology team and hospital leadership have built a framework for Dr. d’Udekem to succeed and advance the legacy that has been so successfully created in cardiac surgery by Richard Jonas, M.D. Dr. Jonas is a world leader in congenital heart surgery who made significant clinical and academic advances in the field and will continue his award-winning research career at Children’s National in the laboratory focusing on neurodevelopmental outcomes for children with heart disease.

Children’s National offers a comprehensive surgical program that includes a team of experienced surgeons performing the full range of procedures available for treatment of pediatric cardiac disease and congenital heart defects. The high volume program serves neonates through adults with congenital heart disease with particular attention to neurodevelopmental outcomes.

tiny stent illustration

Thinking small for newborns with critical congenital heart disease

tiny stent illustration

Illustration of a hybrid stage I palliation with bilateral bands on the lung vessels and a stent in the ductus arteriosus for patients with small left heart structures.

A new LinkedIn post from Kurt Newman, M.D., president and CEO of Children’s National Hospital, tells a story about the hospital’s cardiac surgeons and interventional cardiologists working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to bring a better-sized, less-invasive vascular stent to the U.S. for the first time. The stent holds open a newborn’s ductus arteriosus, a key blood vessel that keeps blood flowing to the body, until the baby is big and strong enough to undergo a serious open-heart procedure for repair of hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

He writes, “Why is this important? At less than 6 lbs., these patients have arteries that are thinner than a toothpick – less than 2mm in diameter. Currently, the stent used in these children is an FDA approved device for adult vascular procedures, adapted and used off-label in children. It is not always well suited for the smallest babies as it is too large for insertion through the artery and often too long as well. The extra length can create immediate and long-term complications including obstructing the vessel it is supposed to keep open.

“While I am proud of the talent and dedication of our Children’s National cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology teams, I tell this story to illustrate a larger point – innovation in children’s medical devices matters. What’s unfortunate is that development and commercialization of pediatric medical devices in the U.S. continues to lag significantly behind adults…We can and must do better.”

Read Dr. Newman’s full post on LinkedIn.

cooking in the kitchen

Keeping it Renal: Global Cuisine for Kids

cooking in the kitchen

Children with kidney disease have very special diet and nutrition needs. In order to stay healthy, most children with kidney disease have to limit or avoid foods that are high in certain minerals including sodium, potassium and phosphorus. It is often challenging for children and their families to balance following these diet restrictions with getting proper nutrition and enjoying meal times.

As an innovative way to facilitate adherence to these limitations, our nephrology department collaborated with our patient families to create a cookbook “Keeping it Renal: Global Cuisine for Kids,” a compilation of their favorite kidney-friendly recipes.

Children’s National is one of the top pediatric hospitals in NIH funding, and our nephrology program ranks number 6 in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. The Kidney Transplantation Program is the only one of its kind in the Washington, D.C. area focused on the needs of children and teens with kidney disease. Committed to providing the best quality care to all of our pediatric transplant patients, we are always looking for new ways to support our patient families.

If you would like to receive a copy of the Keeping it Renal: Global Cuisine for Kids cookbook, please send your request via email to: emorrow@childrensnational.org.

2019 pitch competition

Pediatric medical device pitch competition deadline extended

2019 pitch competition

Pediatric innovators pitch for up to $250,000 in FDA-funded grant awards.

The National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI) announced today that the application deadline for its annual “Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids!” competition is extended one week to Feb. 22 at midnight EST. Innovators and startup companies with devices in the pediatric cardiovascular, orthopedic and spine, or NICU sectors are invited to apply for a share of up to $250,000 in FDA-funded awards and access to a newly created NCC-PDI pediatric device accelerator program led by MedTech Innovator. Submissions are being accepted now.

Up to 30 companies will be selected for the first round of competition scheduled for March 23, 2020 at the University of Maryland, College Park. Up to 10 finalists chosen from that event will compete for up to $250,000 in grant awards in Toronto, Canada on October 4. Finalists also receive a spot in the MedTech Innovator 2020 Accelerator – Pediatric Track, which provides a customized curriculum and in-depth mentorship.  Finalists will be announced in May, 2020.

This is the ninth competition in seven years hosted by NCC-PDI, one of five FDA Pediatric Device Consortia Grant Program members supporting the development and commercialization of pediatric medical devices. NCC-PDI is led by the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Hospital and the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland. Additional consortium members include accelerators Medtech Innovator, BioHealth Innovation and design firm partner Archimedic.

“This year’s competition focuses on three medical device areas of critical need for pediatric patients, so we want to give innovators as much time as possible to prepare their submissions,” said Kolaleh Eskandanian, Ph.D., MBA, PMP, vice president and chief innovation officer at Children’s National Hospital and principal investigator of NCC-PDI . “Our goal is to support devices that will improve care for children by helping them advance on the pathway to commercialization. We have seen how this competition can provide significant momentum for pediatric innovations, so we want to encourage as much participation as possible.”

To date, NCC-PDI has mentored over 100 medical device sponsors to help advance their pediatric innovations, notes Eskandanian, with six devices having received either their FDA market clearance or CE marking. Along with the positive exposure of presenting at this competition, she notes that the success of NCC-PDI’s portfolio companies is attributed to funding, mentorship, support from partners and facilitated interactions between device innovators and potential investors.

Eskandanian notes that enhancing access to resources for pediatric innovators is one aim of the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus, a first-of-its-kind campus focused on pediatric healthcare innovation, currently under development on the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus in Washington, D.C. With its proximity to federal research institutions and agencies, universities, academic research centers, as well as on site accelerator Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS, the campus will create a rich ecosystem of public and private partners which, like the NCC-PDI network, will help bolster pediatric innovation and commercialization. Opening is scheduled for December 2020.

Research & Innovation Campus

Tailoring treatments to young patients

Research & Innovation Campus

The Children’s National Research & Innovation campus will be a a one-of-a-kind pediatric research and innovation hub.

Children’s National Hospital president and CEO, Kurt Newman, M.D., recently spoke with Modern Healthcare about the soon-to-open Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus and how it will help address the lagging development of devices, medications and technologies specifically designed to help children.

You can read the full article here.

Gilbert Vezina

Gilbert Vezina, M.D., recognized with American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology Gold Medal Award

Gilbert Vezina

Gilbert Vezina, M.D., Director of Neuroradiology in the Division of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology at Children’s National Hospital, is being recognized at the 2020 American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology 2nd Annual Meeting with the society’s most distinguished honor, the Gold Medal Award.

The American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology (ASPNR) Gold Medal is awarded for both professional and personal excellence, honoring individuals who are superb pediatric neuroradiologists, scientists, and/or physicians, and mentors and who also are truly outstanding people. Recipients have consistently extended themselves beyond self-interest to make contributions to the field of pediatric neuroradiology and as such, have elevated the subspecialty. This medal recognizes the exceptional service and achievements of these individuals.

Dr. Vezina completed his undergraduate degree at the Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, Montréal, Canada and medical school at McGill Medical School, Montréal, Canada. He completed a mixed internship at Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Canada; residency in Diagnostic Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts followed by a fellowship in Neuroradiology, Boston, Massachusetts.

He began his career at Children’s National Hospital in 1990. He is currently the Director of the Neuroradiology Program at Children’s National Hospital and Professor of Radiology and Pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington DC. He created the Neuroradiology Fellowship Program in 1993 where he impacted medical students, residents and fellows from around the world. He served as president of ASPNR from 2001-2002 and past President from 2002-2005. He also served as the Interim Chief, Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology at Children’s National for a brief period in 2017.

Congratulations, Dr. Vezina!

Drs. Tarini, Steinhorn, and Beers

Children’s National Hospital: Starting the new year with strong leadership

Drs. Tarini, Steinhorn, and Beers

Drs. Tarini, Steinhorn and Beers are also in leadership roles within professional societies, elected by their peers, further highlighting the strength of the leadership at Children’s National and professional respect within the health care community.

Three Children’s National Hospital executives are also in leadership roles within professional societies, elected by their peers, further highlighting the strength of the leadership at Children’s National and professional respect within the health care community.

Lee Savio Beers, M.D., FAAP, medical director of Community Health and Advocacy at the Child Health Advocacy Institute (CHAI) at Children’s National, was elected by her peers to become president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) beginning Jan. 1, 2020. Dr. Beers will then serve as AAP president in 2021 for a one-year term.

“I am humbled and honored to have the support of my peers in taking on this newest leadership role,” says Dr. Beers. “AAP has been a part of my life since I first became a pediatrician, and my many leadership roles in the DC chapter and national AAP have given me a glimpse of the collective good we pediatricians can accomplish by working together toward common strategic goals.”

Dr. Beers is looking forward to continuing her work bringing together the diverse voices of pediatricians, children and families as well as other organizations to support improving the health of all children.

Robin Steinhorn, M.D., senior vice president of the Center for Hospital-Based Specialties at Children’s National was elected by her peers to become Vice President and President-elect of the American Pediatric Society (APS) in May 2018 and she is currently serving her role as the Society’s president, which began in May 2019.

“This is a tremendous honor. I look forward to leveraging the collective leadership and research accomplishments by our members to improve the health of infants and children throughout the U.S.,” said Dr. Steinhorn.

Dr. Steinhorn is particularly passionate about mentoring faculty and supporting the growth and career development of young neonatologists and scientists, with several having developed their own research laboratories and assumed division and department leadership positions. She was selected as a ‘Top Doctor’ by Northern Virginia Magazine in 2019.

Beth A. Tarini, M.D., MS, associate director, Center for Translational Research at The Children’s Research Institute, became vice president of the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR) in May 2019. Dr. Tarini will transition to President-Elect in May 2020 and become President in May 2021.

Dr. Tarini’s personal mission during this tenure will be to ensure that more pediatric researchers get to know SPR and are so excited about the organization that they become active members.

Dr. Tarini says she looks forward to working with other SPR leaders to find ways to build more productive, collaborative professional networks among faculty, especially emerging junior faculty. “Facilitating ways to network for research and professional reasons across pediatric research is vital – albeit easier said than done. I have been told I’m a connector, so I hope to leverage that skill in this new role,” says Dr. Tarini.

READ MORE:

 

4th International Symposium on hypothalamic hamartomas

Children’s National co-hosts the 4th International Symposium on hypothalamic hamartomas

The Children’s National Hospital’s Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Program co-hosted the 4th International Symposium on Hypothalamic Hamartomas held in September 2019 in Washington, D.C.

The 2019 Symposium focused on the psychiatric, neuropsychological, neurological and endocrinological comorbidities of Hypothalamic Hamartomas (HH). The participants also looked at treating the whole person – in addition to the tumor – covering the cognitive, physical, emotional and intellectual impacts of HH.

4th International Symposium on hypothalamic hamartomas

Attendees at the 4th International Symposium on Hypothalamic Hamartomas.

Presenters at the Symposium included experts from around the world, such as Children’s National’s Chief of the Divisions of Child Neurology and of Epilepsy and Neurophysiology,, William D. Gaillard, M.D., who moderated the entire event and served as the HH Symposium Chair on the Symposium Steering Committee.  Dr. Gaillard also facilitated a presentation titled “Developing a New Paradigm for Assessing, Surveilling, & Treating HH Comorbidities” and another presentation titled, “Set 3 Year Research Roadmap & Top Priorities.”

Senior Vice President for the Center for Neuroscience & Behavioral Health, Roger Packer, M.D., also presented at the event on treatments being used in other hypothalamic hamartoma syndromes which may possibly have opportunities for success with treatment of HH.

a necrotic muscle fiber with Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy

Children’s National Hospital to host 30th Annual Pediatric Neurology Update

a necrotic muscle fiber with Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy

The Children’s National Hospital’s Center for Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine is proud to host the 30th Annual Pediatric Neurology Update course.

This year’s course will feature two critical areas in pediatric neuroscience: neuromuscular diseases with a special emphasis on the scientific, medical, ethical and financial implications of the new molecular genetic therapies for pediatric neuromuscular disease (including Werdnig- Hoffmann and Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy) and advances in neurocritical care.

We invite you to join us for presentations from renowned experts in the field during this full-day, CME accredited event on April 2, 2020.

For more information and to register, visit ChildrensNational.org/NeurologyUpdate.

Rohan Kumthekar and Charles Berul

Rohan Kumthekar wins AAP’s Cardiology Research Fellowship Award

Rohan Kumthekar and Charles Berul

Dr. Kumthekar and Charles Berul, M.D., chief of Cardiology, discuss less invasive approaches for infants who require pacemaker and defibrillator placements.

Efforts to develop surgical approaches that would eliminate the need for complex, open surgery when placing pacemakers in tiny infants and young children has earned cardiology fellow Rohan Kumthekar, M.D., the American Academy of Pediatrics Cardiology Research Fellowship Award.

“Placing a pacemaker in a small child is different than operating on an adult, due to their small chest cavity and narrow blood vessels,” said Dr. Kumthekar in a 2018 interview about the proof of concept study for this work. “By eliminating the need to cut through the sternum or the ribs and fully open the chest to implant a pacemaker, the current model, we can cut down on surgical time and help alleviate pain.”

“We hope that this approach to lead placement eliminates the need for surgery in this group of pediatric patients,” he further explains in the 2019 award announcement. “This research could have a transformative impact in changing the current clinical standard for pacemaker and ICD implantation in pediatric patients by converting an open surgical approach to a minimally invasive procedure.”

The award, which is supported by the Children’s Heart Foundation, provides research support for an individual who has demonstrated aptitude for basic science or clinical science research during their pediatric cardiology fellowship.

Andrew Dauber

Andrew Dauber, M.D., MMSc, awarded prestigious laureate award

Andrew Dauber

Unfortunately, we’ve been notified that the ENDO2020 conference has been canceled due to concerns of COVID-19. Because of this, we will not be hosting our reception in honor of Andrew Dauber, M.D., on Sunday, March 29.

We hope to see you at a future Endocrinology or Pediatric Endocrinology event.

Children’s National Hospital is incredibly proud of the work Dr. Dauber has done in the endocrinology community.

Andrew Dauber, M.D., MMSc, division chief of Endocrinology at Children’s National Hospital, will receive the 2020 Richard E. Weitzman Outstanding Early Career Investigator Award from The Endocrine Society. Given annually, the award was established in 1982 and honors the memory of the late Richard E. Weitzman, who had a brief but outstanding career studying neurohypophyseal hormone and cardiovascular-endocrine physiology – two seminal areas of modern endocrinology.

Dr. Dauber was selected as a recipient for the prestigious award for his contributions to understanding the regulation of growth and puberty, and his success at applying innovative genetic technologies to studying pediatric endocrinology.

“I feel extremely honored and humbled to be the recipient of the Richard E. Weitzman Outstanding Early Career Investigator Award from the Endocrine Society,” says Dr. Dauber. “I am so grateful to my many collaborators throughout the world as well as to my entire research team whose hard work and friendship are the basis for this award. I am excited to continue our work at Children’s National, an institution dedicated to innovation and team science.”

Dr. Dauber joined Children’s National in 2018 and specializes in studying and treating growth disorders. He has published over 75 studies examining genetic clues to endocrine disorders, with a focus on short stature and growth disorders.

The award will be presented at ENDO 2020, The Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, March 28-31, 2020, in San Francisco, California.

Pavan Zaveri

Children’s National Receives Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Grant

Pavan Zaveri

“Providing educational opportunities to teach about safety, communication and leadership can be leveraged into quality & safety and process improvement,” said Pavan P. Zaveri, M.D., MEd, CHSE, medical director of the Simulation Program at Children’s National.

Recent medical innovations at Children’s National Health System have made it possible for the doctors and care teams to treat some of our most vulnerable patients. To support that technological innovation, Children’s National has received a grant provided by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) entitled, “Pursuing Excellence through Innovation”. This grant has utilized simulation and several other initiatives to achieve its aims toward quality, safety, interprofessionalism and more.

“A primary goal of the ACGME Pursing Excellence grant is to improve the clinical learning environment, specifically for the interprofessional education in clinical areas,” said Heather Walsh, MSN, RN, PCNS-BC CHSE CPN, Simulation Program manager at Children’s National.

The $300,000 grant supports 10 to 12 initiatives at Children’s National and is currently in its 3rd year. One of the major initiatives has been to incorporate simulation activities into more aspects of training and patient care. This growth has required the Simulation Program to expand its personnel, activities and abilities in multiple ways. With a team consisting of three educators, a program manager, two simulation technicians, a program coordinator and medical and nursing directors, their efforts directly support the simulation program as a whole.

“Providing educational opportunities to teach about safety, communication and leadership can be leveraged into quality & safety and process improvement,” said Pavan P. Zaveri, M.D., MEd, CHSE, medical director of the Simulation Program at Children’s National. “However, the focus of the work that we’re performing is focused on interprofessional care that is delivered at the bedside,” he added.

Through the Simulation Program, educators work to recreate situations by using manikins and supplies to replicate patient scenarios and function in a realistic situation. The cost of the manikins range from $5,000 to $50,000 and they perform a whole spectrum of presenting the pediatric patient including talking and providing vitals. This simulation provides doctors and nurses with the opportunity to perfect the care that they aim to deliver to patients at Children’s National.

In 2018, the Simulation Program was proud that 53% of simulations supported by the Children’s National team were interprofessional and 43% were conducted in clinical areas. Between 2016 and 2017, the Simulation Program led an initiative entitled “Code Response Training”, which focused on the use of safety communication techniques in critical situations.

“This was the largest simulation-based initiative in our organization, reaching 1,400 clinicians,” Walsh stated.

The following year, Children’s National implemented “Adaptive Response Training” that focused on teaching clinicians about the importance of safety event reporting, apparent cause analysis and root cause analysis. This initiative led 1,800 clinicians through a simulated apparent cause analysis and team simulation.

Marius George Linguraru

Marius George Linguraru, D.Phil., M.A., M.Sc., awarded Department of Defense grant for Neurofibromatosis application development

Marius George Linguraru

Marius George Linguraru, D.Phil., M.A., M.Sc., is a principal investigator in the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National, where he founded and directs the Precision Medical Imaging Laboratory. He’s an expert in quantitative imaging and artificial intelligence.

Marius George Linguraru, D.Phil., M.A., M.Sc., a principal investigator in the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National has been awarded a Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) grant through the Department of Defense. This grant allows Dr. Linguraru to develop a novel quantitative MRI application that can inform treatment decisions by accurately identifying which children with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and optic pathway glioma (OPG) are at risk of losing their vision.

This grant is part of the Neurofibromatosis Research Program of the CDMRP, which fills research gaps by funding high impact, high risk and high gain projects. Dr. Linguraru, who directs the Precision Medical Imaging Laboratory in the Sheikh Zayed Institute, is collaborating with the Gilbert Family Neurofibromatosis Institute and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on this project.

An expert in quantitative imaging and artificial intelligence, Dr. Linguraru has published several peer-reviewed studies on NF1 and OPG, a tumor that develops in 20 percent of children with NF1. The OPG tumor can cause irreversible vision loss, leading to permanent disability in about 50 percent of children with the tumor. This project, titled “MRI Volumetrics for Risk Stratification of Vision Loss in Optic Pathway Gliomas Secondary to NF1” will provide doctors certainty when identifying which children with NF1-OPG will lose vision and when the vision loss will occur.

Dr. Linguraru and his team will validate the quantitative MRI application that they’re developing by studying children at 25 NF1 clinics from around the world. Doctors using the application, which will perform comprehensive measurements of the OPG tumor’s volume, shape and texture, will upload their patient’s MRI into Dr. Linguraru’s application. Using recent advances in quantitative image analysis and machine learning, the application will then definitively determine whether the child’s NF1-OPG is going to cause vision loss and therefore requires treatment.

This diagnosis can occur before visual acuity starts to decline, which provides an opportunity for early treatment in children at risk for vision loss. Dr. Linguraru believes that early diagnosis and treatment can help to avoid lifelong visual impairment for these patients while preventing unnecessary MRIs and aggressive chemotherapy in pediatric patients who are not at risk of vision loss.

Occurring in one in 3,000 to 4,000 live births, NF1 is a genetic condition that manifests in early childhood and is characterized by changes in skin coloring and the growth of tumors along nerves in the skin, brain and other parts of the body. It is unknown why the OPG tumor caused by NF1 only results in vision loss for 50 percent of children. Some children will sustain lifelong disability from their vision loss, despite receiving treatment for their tumor, likely because treatment was started late. In other instances, doctors are unknowingly treating NF1-OPGs that would never cause vision loss.

Dr. Linguraru and his team have already proven that their computer-based, quantitative imaging measures are more objective and reliable than the current clinical measures, enabling doctors to make earlier and more accurate diagnoses and develop optimal treatment plans.

Denice Cora-Bramble with the Mayor’s Commission on Healthcare Systems Transformation

Denice Cora-Bramble, M.D., MBA, selected for Mayor’s Commission on Healthcare Systems Transformation

Denice Cora-Bramble with the Mayor’s Commission on Healthcare Systems Transformation

Photo credit: Executive Office of the Mayor

Denice Cora-Bramble, M.D., MBA, chief medical officer and executive vice president of Ambulatory and Community Health Services at Children’s National, has been selected to serve as a member of the Mayor’s Commission on Healthcare Systems Transformation. Established by Mayor Muriel Bowser, the commission will make recommendations on strategies and investments necessary to transform health care delivery in the District of Columbia.

Dr. Cora-Bramble is one of three representatives appointed to the commission from specialty hospitals in the District. “I am honored to have been invited to participate in the commission’s important discussions,” she says.

While D.C. has many resources related to health care and is home to several acute care hospitals, residents still need help accessing services. The 27-member commission will work to alleviate these challenges and over the next six months they will develop recommendations for improving access to primary, acute and specialty care services, addressing health system capacity issues for inpatient, outpatient, pre-hospital and emergency room services and maternal health.

The commission will also work to promote equitable acute care and specialty services in communities east of the Anacostia River.

“I’m looking forward to serving as a resource to citizens living within the District,” says Dr. Cora-Bramble.  “I am hopeful that the group’s recommendations will improve the delivery of health services, particularly for vulnerable and underserved populations.”

Dr. Cora-Bramble joined Children’s National in 2002. In her role as chief medical officer, she leads the tri-state clinical operations of Children’s National primary and specialty sites, including regional outpatient centers, emergency departments, community health centers, pediatric practices, school-based health centers, mobile medical units and nursing services in D.C. Public Schools and Public Charter Schools. She also oversees the telemedicine program and the Children’s National Health Network.

Antonio R. Porras

Antonio R. Porras, Ph.D., awarded prestigious NIH grant for craniosynostosis modeling, career advancement

Antonio R. Porras

Antonio R. Porras, Ph.D., is a staff scientist in the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Health System.

Antonio R. Porras, Ph.D., a staff scientist in the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Health System, has received the prestigious Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This award funds Dr. Porras’ research for the next five years, enabling him to develop two bone growth models that will better inform clinicians treating patients with craniosynostosis and help to optimize outcomes. Also referred to as the K99/R00 grant, this NIH award is for researchers who are either in the postdoctoral/residency period or who are early career investigators. It is designed to transition them from mentored positions to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions so that they can launch competitive research careers.

Marius George Linguraru, D.Phil., M.A., M.Sc., a principal investigator in the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, is Dr. Porras’ primary mentor on this research project along with co-mentors Robert Keating, M.D., division chief of neurosurgery at Children’s National, and Maximilian Muenke, M.D., chief in the Medical Genetics Branch at the National Human Genome Research Institute.

Dr. Porras has taken a research interest in craniosynostosis, the early fusion of one or more cranial sutures that may lead to craniofacial malformations and brain growth constraints during childhood. With this NIH K99/R00 award, Dr. Porras will employ his expertise in computer science, biomedical engineering, quantitative imaging and statistical modeling to create a personalized computational predictive model of cranial bone growth for subjects without cranial pathology and for patients with craniosynostosis. Dr. Porras will also quantify the coupled growth patterns of the cranial bones and the brain using an existing brain growth model.

Affecting one in 2,100 to 2,500 live births, craniosynostosis complications can result in elevated intra-cranial pressure and subsequent impaired brain growth. While treatable, optimal outcomes are stymied by subjectivity in the evaluation of cranial malformations and prediction of cranial bone development. There are currently no personalized clinical tools available to predict healthy or pathological cranial growth and no objective techniques to optimize the long-term outcome of treatment for patients with craniosynostosis.

Vittorio Gallo Alpha Omega Alpha Award

Vittorio Gallo, Ph.D., inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha

Vittorio Gallo Alpha Omega Alpha Award

Vittorio Gallo, Ph.D., Chief Research Officer at Children’s National, was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA), a national medical honor society that since 1902 has recognized excellence, leadership and research in the medical profession.

“I think it’s great to receive this recognition. I was very excited and surprised,” Gallo says of being nominated to join the honor society.

“Traditionally AΩA membership is based on professionalism, academic and clinical excellence, research, and community service – all in the name of ‘being worthy to serve the suffering,’ which is what the Greek letters AΩA stand for,” says Panagiotis Kratimenos, M.D., Ph.D., an ΑΩΑ member and attending neonatologist at Children’s National who conducts neuroscience research under Gallo’s mentorship. Dr. Kratimenos nominated his mentor for induction.

“Being his mentee, I thought Gallo was an excellent choice for AΩΑ faculty member,” Dr. Kratimenos says. “He is an outstanding scientist, an excellent mentor and his research is focused on improving the quality of life of children with brain injury and developmental disabilities – so he serves the suffering. He also has mentored numerous physicians over the course of his career.”

Gallo’s formal induction occurred in late May 2019, just prior to the medical school graduation at the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences (GWSMHS) and was strongly supported by Jeffrey S. Akman, Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the university’s medical school.

“I’ve been part of Children’s National and in the medical field for almost 18 years. That’s what I’m passionate about: being able to enhance translational research in a clinical environment,” Gallo says. “In a way, this recognition from the medical field is a perfect match for what I do. As Chief Research Officer at Children’s National, I am charged with continuing to expand our research program in one of the top U.S. children’s hospitals. And, as Associate Dean for Child Health Research at GWSMHS, I enhance research collaboration between the two institutions.”

Johannes Van den Anker

Dr. Johannes van den Anker awarded 2019 Sumner J. Yaffe Lifetime Achievement Award

Johannes Van den Anker

Johannes van den Anker, M.D., Ph.D., division chief of Clinical Pharmacology and vice chair of Pediatrics for Experimental Therapeutics at Children’s National Health System, has been selected to receive the 2019 Sumner J. Yaffe Lifetime Achievement Award in Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics by the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group (PPAG). Given annually, the Yaffe Award was established in 2002 by the PPAG Board of Directors and recognizes individuals with significant and sustained contributions toward the improvement of children’s health through the field of pediatric pharmacology and therapeutics.

Dr. van den Anker was selected as this year’s recipient for his contributions to the field of pediatric pharmacology and therapeutics, which have expanded and enhanced medical knowledge about the use of drugs in children and about the treatment of disease. He has also played an integral role in training the next generation of clinical pharmacists and pharmacologists.

“This award means a lot to me as it recognizes the importance of the field I am so passionate about and to which I have dedicated my career,” says Dr. van den Anker.

Dr. van den Anker joined Children’s National in 2002 and has become a leader in the discipline of pediatric pharmacology and therapeutics with significant contributions to research in this field. Some of his work includes changes in the dosing guidelines for frequently used antibacterial agents in newborns, the optimization of the dosing of pain medications in newborns and young infants and studies addressing the pharmacology of drugs in obese pediatric and adolescent patients.

“I am excited about being the 2019 recipient of this award” Dr. van den Anker says, “I am enthusiastic about future developments in the field of pediatric pharmacology and therapeutics with multiple ongoing studies with my colleagues, ranging from antibiotic dosing to the management of muscular dystrophy with novel drugs.”

The award will be presented at the 28th PPAG Annual Meeting on Friday, April 12 in Oklahoma City, OK., where he will also present the 2019 Yaffe Award Lecture to the attendees. The title of his lecture is “The Evolution of Neonatal Pharmacology and Therapeutics:  A Story of Resistance, Resilience and Revelation”.

Congratulations to Dr. Johannes van den Anker for this highly deserved honor!

Kofi Essel, M.D., M.P.H. and Ankoor Shah, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., named among 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health

Ankoor Shah and Kofi Essel

Ankoor Shah, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., and Kofi Essel, M.D., M.P.H., were named 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health.

Two doctors from Children’s National Health System are among the recipients of the 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health award by the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) for 2019. Kofi Essel, M.D., M.P.H., is a pediatrician, Ankoor Shah, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., is the medical director of the IMPACT DC Asthma Clinic and also a pediatrician at Children’s National.

Founded in 1998, the NMFQ is dedicated to ensuring that high-risk racial and ethnic populations and communities receive optimal health care. The 40 individuals selected for this award represent the next generation of thought leaders in reducing health disparities.

Dr. Kofi Essel is a pediatrician at the Children’s Health Center Anacostia.  His focus and research has been around health equity, obesity, food insecurity and nutrition.

“Hunger strikes so many of our families,” says Dr. Essel, “In D.C., we were number one in the nation for having the highest rate of food hardship in households with children.”

Dr. Essel is involved with many organizations and initiatives that raise awareness about hunger and how much of an issue it is.  He strives to be a partner for the families that he serves, many of whom are in the fight against obesity, and works alongside them to improve their overall health.

“It’s a huge honor to receive recognition from this national organization,” says Dr. Kofi Essel, “Ultimately, it allows us to have a bit more of a platform to continue to advance some of the great work we’re doing with health disparities.”

Dr. Ankoor Shah is the medical director for IMPACT DC asthma clinic and a pediatrician at the Children’s Health Center at THEARC.  His focus includes improving pediatric population health and reducing child health asthma disparities.

“Through the coordination of the best in class care at Children’s National with amazing on the ground community partners, we have been able to transform the lives of the most at-risk children with asthma” says Dr. Shah.

Dr. Shah collaborates with organizations to improve the outcomes of kids with asthma by targeting intervention in high-risk areas.

“This award is recognition of the great work we’re doing in terms of improving asthma health in high-risk child populations throughout the District of Columbia.”

Both Dr. Essel and Dr. Shah are from Arkansas, attended Emory University and they did their residency together at Children’s National.

Congratulations to these wonderful doctors and leaders for receiving this award.

The 40 Under 40 recipients received their awards at the 2019 NMQF Leadership Summit on Health Disparities and CBC Spring Health Braintrust Gala Dinner on April 9.