News Briefs

Steven Hardy

Steven Hardy, Ph.D., awarded prestigious NIH grant for sickle cell research, career development

Steven Hardy

Steven Hardy, Ph.D., a pediatric psychologist in the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s National, has been awarded a K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in recognition of his progress toward a productive, independent clinical research career. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Mentored Career Development Awards are designed to provide early career investigators with the time and support needed to focus on research and develop new research capabilities that will propel them to lead innovative studies in the future.

Dr. Hardy, who has worked at Children’s National since 2013, specializes in the emotional, behavioral and cognitive aspects of children’s health, with a particular emphasis on evaluating and treating psychological difficulties among children with cancer or sickle cell disease. With the K23 award, he will receive nearly $700,000 over a five-year period, which will provide him with an intensive, supervised, patient-oriented research experience. The grant will support Dr. Hardy’s time to conduct research, allow him to attend additional trainings to enhance research skills, and fund a research project titled “Trajectory of Cognitive Functioning in Youth with Sickle Cell Disease without Cerebral Infarction.”

Many children with sickle cell disease (SCD) also have intellectual challenges which stem from two primary pathways – stroke and other disease-related central nervous system effects. While stroke is a major complication of SCD, the majority of children with SCD have no evidence of stroke but may still exhibit cognitive functioning challenges related to their disease. Such cognitive difficulties have practical implications for the 100,000 individuals in the SCD, as 20-40% of youth with SCD repeat a grade in school and fewer than half of adults with SCD are employed. Dr. Hardy’s project will focus on understanding the scope and trajectory of cognitive difficulties in children with SCD without evidence of stroke, as well as the mechanisms that precipitate disease-related cognitive decline. The study will characterize temporal relationships between biomarkers of SCD severity and changes in cognitive functioning to inform future development of risk stratification algorithms to predict cognitive decline. Armed with the ability to predict cognitive decline, families will have additional information to weigh when making decisions and providers will be better able to intervene and tailor treatment.

Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr. Award

Community-based AIDS prevention organization recognizes Children’s National Health System

Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr. Award

Credit: Don Bon Photography

The Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children’s National Health System was honored with the Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr. Award for outstanding service in HIV prevention by Us Helping Us, People Into Living, a community-based AIDS service organization committed to reducing HIV infection in the African American community on April 2, 2019 in Washington, D.C.

“We are so honored to receive the Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr. Award from our colleagues and friends, Us Helping Us, People Into Living,” said Dr. Lawrence D’Angelo, director of the Youth Pride Clinic and Burgess Clinics, a division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children’s National. “We have always considered Us Helping Us as an essential partner in this struggle and so it’s ingrained as a part of the community. It has been our honor to work with them, and an equal honor to be recognized in this way by them. We are so grateful and so proud!”

Dr. Lawrence D’Angelo and his team at the Burgess Clinic have cared for over 750 HIV infected youth, many who have gone on to live long and productive lives since the clinic opened its doors in 1988. The clinic started the Washington Area Consortium on HIV infection in Youth (WACHIVY) which later became MetroTeenAIDS Metro TeenAIDS, one of the largest and most successful prevention education programs for youth in the country. The Burgess Clinic is the home of over a dozen NIH and foundation grants that supported the diagnosis and treatment of HIV infected youth, accounting for over $55M in support.

“Receiving the Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr. Award from Us Helping Us, People Into Living is an honor beyond anything we could have hoped for,” says Dr. D’Angelo. “Our programs were started at the same time to meet similar needs and for years we have worked together and appreciated each other’s efforts in serving our community. D.C. could not have attained the progress it has made in the struggle against HIV without Us Helping Us, People Into Living and knowing that makes this award all the more special.”

Us Helping Us, People Into Living was incorporated in 1988 as a support group for HIV-positive black gay men.

Jeffrey Lukish

Pediatric Surgeon receives ACS/APSA Health Policy Scholarship

Jeffrey Lukish

Jeffrey Lukish, M.D., a pediatric surgeon at Children’s National Health System, has been named a 2019 American College of Surgeons (ACS) and American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) Health Policy Scholar for 2019.

The scholarship supports Dr. Lukish’s attendance at the Executive Leadership Program in Health Policy and Management at Brandeis University, which teaches knowledge and skills essential for participating in health care policy and equips health leaders with tools to create innovative and sustainable ways to improve health care service delivery. As a 2019 scholar, he will also provide health policy-related assistance to the ACS and the APSA as requested, and will have opportunities to build relationships with local, state and federal lawmakers.

Dr. Lukish is a nationally recognized expert in advanced minimally invasive surgery in infants and children, as well as pediatric surgical innovation. He has been voted a Baltimore Top Doctor by his peers for five of the last eight years. He holds academic appointments as a professor of surgery from the Uniformed Services University and associate professor of surgery at the George Washington University.

Dr. Lukish is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics, and member of several prominent professional societies, including the American Pediatric Surgical Society, the Pediatric Cancer Oncology Group and the International Pediatric Endosurgery Group.  He has authored over 100 publications.

Meghan Delaney

Pathology chief appointed to board of pathology advisory committee

Meghan Delaney

The American Board of Pathology (ABPath) has appointed the chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Children’s National Health System, Meghan Delaney, D.O., M.P.H., to its Test Development and Advisory Committee (TDAC) for blood banking and transfusion medicine. As a member of the committee, Dr. Delaney will play a role in the development and review of the American Board of Pathology certification exam questions. Physicians selected to serve on the TDAC are established subject matter experts in their subspecialty, with knowledge on the latest advances in the field of pathology and patient care.

“As TDAC members, these physicians play a critical role in the development of the exams and are entrusted with maintaining the integrity of the board-certified designation. The appointment to a TDAC indicates the physician is highly regarded in the field of pathology and exemplifies the utmost standards of care,” states Rebecca L. Johnson, M.D., CEO of the American Board of Pathology.

Dr. Delaney joined Children’s National as Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in 2017. A diplomate of the American Board of Pathology, with certification in transfusion medicine/blood banking and clinical pathology, she is an active member of several professional societies. She serves as chair of the AABB Transfusion Medicine Subsection Pediatric Subcommittee and as chair of the American Society of Apheresis Applications Committee Pediatric Subcommittee.  Dr. Delaney is also a scientific member of the BEST Collaborative, an associate editor for the journal Transfusion Medicine and a member of the editorial board of Transfusion.

The mission of the American Board of Pathology, as a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties, is to serve the public and advance the profession of pathology, by setting certification standards and promoting lifelong competency of pathologists. Founded in 1936, the ABPath accomplishes this mission by establishing certification and continuing certification standards, as well as, assessing the qualifications of those seeking to obtain voluntary certification in the specialty of pathology.  Since 1971, the ABPath has appointed test committees for each specialty area of pathology. The committee consists of ABPath trustees and other pathologists, or specialty physicians, who are recognized experts in their respective disciplines.

NephCure Kidney International logo

Marva Moxey-Mims, M.D., named NephCure Kidney International scientific adviser

NephCure Kidney International logo

Marva Moxey-Mims, M.D., chief of the Division of Nephrology at Children’s National Health System, has been named to the Scientific Advisory Board for NephCure Kidney International, a non-profit that aims to accelerate research for rare forms of nephrotic syndrome.

Dr. Moxey-Mims and two additional scientific advisers were selected for their commitment to improving care for patients with glomerular disease, diseases that impair kidney function by attacking blood cleaning units within the kidney.

During her tenure at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Moxey-Mims launched the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children Cohort Study, a prospective study to investigate chronic kidney disease risk factors and outcomes, and helped launch the Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network, a multi-site study with the overarching aim to advance the diagnosis and care of patients with four different glomerular diseases.

“I am truly honored to join this distinguished group of scientific advisers and look forward to leveraging our combined strengths and research knowledge in order to deliver cures for kidney diseases faster,” says Dr. Moxey-Mims.

Maureen E Lyon

Maureen E. Lyon receives American Cancer Society grant

Maureen E Lyon

Children’s Clinical Health Psychologist Maureen E. Lyon, Ph.D., has received the “Judy White Memorial Clinical Research Pilot Exploratory Projects in Palliative Care of Cancer Patients and their Families” grant from the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Over two years, Lyon will be allotted $144,000 to translate Children’s evidence-based Family-Centered (FACE) pediatric advance care planning (ACP) protocol into Spanish through a process of community-based participatory research for teens with cancer.

Lyon’s research focuses on enabling families to understand their adolescents’ treatment preferences and describing patient-reported palliative care needs for teens with cancer. Ultimately, the research will help identify the wants, values, goals and beliefs of teens with cancer.

Along with the ACS research grant, Lyon and Jessica Thompkins, BSN, R.N., CPN, research nurse coordinator at Children’s National, will present at the Annual Assembly of Hospice & Palliative Medicine conference, March 13-16, 2019 in Orlando, Fla. on data from the current multi-site, five-year randomized clinical trial funded by National Institute of Health/ National Institute of Nursing Research for English-speaking teens with cancer.

During the presentation, they will speak about the effect of FACE ACP on families’ appraisals of caregiving for their teens with cancer and describing advance care planning communication approaches.

Lyon and other researchers at Children’s National look forward to making significant contributions to the science of advance care planning aimed to minimize suffering and enhancing quality of life for young adults. Their contributions give teens a voice in their future medical care and help families “break the ice,” by providing an extra level of support to treating clinicians.

Nikki Gillum Posnack

What are the health effects of plastics?

Nikki Gillum Posnack

Nikki Posnack, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Children’s National Heart Institute, is an early-stage investigator examining the impact plastic chemical exposure has on the developing hearts of newborns and young children.

For newborns or children in the pediatric intensive care unit, plastic tubing is part of daily life. It delivers life-sustaining blood transfusions, liquid nutrition and air to breathe. But small amounts of the chemicals in the plastic of this tubing and other medical devices can leak into the patient’s bloodstream. The potential effects of these chemicals on the developing hearts of newborns and very young children are not well understood.

One researcher, Nikki Posnack, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the Children’s National Heart Institute, aims to change that and shares her early insights, funded by the National Center for Advancing Translation Science (NCATS), in an NCATS news feature.

“While plastics have revolutionized the medical field, we know chemicals in plastics leach into the body and may have unintended effects,” Posnack said. “The heart is sensitive to toxins, so we want to look at the effect of these plastics on the most sensitive patient population: kids who are recovering from heart surgery and already prone to cardiac complications.”

Nephrology Infographic

Facts about Children’s National Kidney Transplant Program

The Children’s National 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. With expert, multi-disciplinary approach to care, and larger transplant volumes, Children’s National can accept more at-risk transplants resulting in shorter wait times and maintaining excellent outcomes for our patients.
William Gaillard

William D. Gaillard, M.D., begins tenure as Second Vice President of the American Epilepsy Society

William Gaillard

William Davis Gaillard, M.D., has begun his term as President-Elect of the American Epilepsy Society (AES), a medical and scientific society with over 4,000 members. Dr. Gaillard’s term started at the end of the society’s annual meeting in New Orleans, La. in December 2018. Dr. Gaillard will become president of the society in 2020.

Dr. Gaillard, an internationally recognized expert in pediatric epilepsy and imaging, is chief of the divisions of Child Neurology, Epilepsy and Neurophysiology, as well as director of the Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Program at the Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C. He is also the associate director of the DC-IDDC and director of the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (DC-IDDRC) imaging core and associate director of the Center for Neuroscience Research, Children’s Research Institute. His academic appointments include professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at the George Washington University, professor of Neurology at Georgetown University and professor adjunct of Hearing and Speech Sciences University of Maryland, College Park.

As division chief of Child Neurology, Epilepsy and Neurophysiology, Dr. Gaillard directs a team of pediatric specialists who see thousands of patients each year. Dr. Gaillard has worked throughout his career to care for children and young adults with epilepsy from the onset of seizures through novel therapeutic interventions, medication trials and, when appropriate, surgery. Treatment at Children’s National addresses the full range of the condition, including problems of difficult-to-control epilepsy. Additionally, treatment includes the concurrent social, educational and emotional issues faced by children with the condition and their families.

An active member of AES for more than 25 years, Dr. Gaillard has served as treasurer and as chair of the Clinical Investigator Workshop and Pediatric Content Committees. He is an active participant in mentoring activities, including the Junior Investigators Mentoring program and past co-chair of the AES Research and Training Grant Review Study Section. He also serves as an associate editor for the journal Epilepsy Research.

Randi Streisand

Randi Streisand, Ph.D. to be honored with the Michael C. Roberts Award for Outstanding Mentorship

Randi Streisand

Randi Streisand, Ph.D., chief of Psychology and Behavioral Health at Children’s National Health System, will be honored with the Michael C. Roberts Award for Outstanding Mentorship by the  Society of Pediatric Psychology (SPP), a Division of the American Psychological Association. This award honors pediatric psychology faculty who go above and beyond to mentor students and provide professional advice and guidance through students’ various training phases.

The Society of Pediatric Psychology will present the award at their Annual Conference held on Apr. 4-6, 2019 in New Orleans, La.

Streisand was selected for the award based on her exceptional mentorship in the areas of research, clinical work and overall career development through graduate school, postdoctoral fellowships and early career stages.

“I’m very honored to be selected for this distinguished award,” says Streisand. “Working with students, fellows and junior faculty members has been the highlight of my career. I really enjoy helping guide people on their own career paths. I have been fortunate to mentor many truly talented individuals, several of whom I now get to work with as valued colleagues.”

Streisand has served as a primary mentor on funded career development awards, research fellowships and dissertations. Her impressive track record of mentoring behavioral researchers has benefited six faculty members by moving Children’s fellows into tenure-track and clinical faculty positions. Furthermore, her research assistants have been accepted into leading graduate programs in psychology and health including the University of Florida, Loyola University Chicago, Georgia State University and UT Southwestern Medical Center.

“Dr. Streisand’s approach to mentorship is comprehensive, and she goes the extra mile for each intern, colleague and researcher she works with,” says Roger J. Packer, M.D., senior vice president at Children’s Center of Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine. “She has already made a major impact on the field of pediatric psychology through her superb mentorship and will continue to do so for the years to come.”

Sangeeta Sule

Sangeeta Dileep Sule, M.D., Ph.D., joins Children’s National as Chief of Rheumatology

Sangeeta Sule

Sangeeta Dileep Sule, M.D., Ph.D., the new chief of rheumatology at Children’s National Health System, shares a similar vision and mission of all pediatric specialists: treat the whole child. Dr. Sule looks forward to supporting and expanding the Division of Rheumatology, while introducing clinics tailored for specific diseases – such as arthritis and lupus.

Dr. Sule has focused her clinical expertise and research efforts on providing multidisciplinary resources to pediatric patients diagnosed with rheumatologic disease. From integrating nephrology appointments into lupus clinics and exercise prescriptions into juvenile arthritis treatments, Dr. Sule is passionate about fusing the latest research into routine practice. For example, kidney disease affects up to 80 percent of children with lupus so it’s important for rheumatologists to work with nephrologists to conduct blood screenings and early detections, while practicing aggressive interventions, such as monitoring a child every one to three months following a diagnosis.

For arthritis, biological therapies are beneficial for treating targeted sections of the immune system where the disease manifests. Other therapies, such as exercise, can boost a child’s overall quality of life. Some patients may also need additional counseling to navigate weekly injections.

“The amount of innovation happening in pediatric health care is exciting,” says Dr. Sule, who mentors and teaches pediatric rheumatology residents and fellows. “Investing in pediatric rheumatology is critical. For example, children metabolize medicine differently than adults and this is one reason why they need extra support and care.”

Dr. Sule started her career as a pediatric rheumatologist by studying cellular and molecular biology at Tulane University. She attended medical school at Baylor College of Medicine and completed a doctorate in philosophy in clinical investigation from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship in rheumatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Sule taught courses in pediatrics and internal medicine while practicing in the field.

Dr. Sule merged her research and clinical interests to support specialty clinics as the director of the Pediatric Lupus Center and of the Pediatric Arthritis Center within the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

She has published more than 24 peer-reviewed studies, and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, with a sub-board certification of Rheumatology, and by the American Board of Pediatrics.

Roger Packer

Roger J. Packer, M.D. presents keynote address for BRAIN 2019

Roger Packer

2019 Otto Lien Da Wong visiting professor in neuro-oncology at BRAIN 2019, Roger J. Packer, M.D. presented the keynote address.

 

More than 400 neurologists, neurosurgeons, pathologists, pediatricians, clinical and basic scientists gathered in Hong Kong for Brain 2019, a conjoint congress of the 3rd Asian Central Nervous System Germ Cell Tumour Conference (CNSGCT), the 9th Interim Meeting of the International Chinese Federation of Neurosurgical Sciences (ICFNS) and the 16th Asia Pacific Multidisciplinary Meeting for Nervous System Diseases (BRAIN) which is also jointly organized by The Chinese University of Hong Kong. This three-day convention discussed advances in pediatric neuro-oncology and neuro-rehabilitation.

Invited as the 2019 Otto Lien Da Wong (OLDW) visiting professor in neuro-oncology, Roger J. Packer, M.D., senior vice president for the Center of Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine and director at the Gilbert Neurofibromatosis and Brain Tumor Institutes, presented a keynote address titled “Advances in Pediatric Brain Tumors.” Established in 2009, the purpose of the visiting professorship is to advance surgical knowledge and techniques in neuro-oncology between Hong Kong and major medical centers around the world. Dr. Packer was selected from an international field of acclaimed academic surgeons and scholars in the field of neuro-oncology. Two additional presentations included “Pediatric Brain Tumors in Molecular Era: Germ Cell Tumors” as an invited guest of the BRAIN conference and a presentation on “Treatment of Medulloblastoma and PNET” as a session presented by the ICFNS.

In addition to his presentations, Dr. Packer will participate in surgical teaching and scholastic exchange with local surgeons, surgical trainees and medical students.

Megan Young

Orthopaedic Surgeon named 2019 LLRS Traveling Fellow

Megan Young

Megan Young, M.D.

Megan Young, M.D., has been named a 2019 Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society (LLRS) Traveling Fellow.

The fellowship provides leading education in limb lengthening and reconstruction, trains future leaders of LLRS and establishes mentor relationships between current society members and new surgeons.

“We are beyond proud that Dr. Young was selected for this highly competitive opportunity,” says Matthew Oetgen, M.D., chief of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. “This is only the latest recognition Dr. Young has received for her growing expertise in limb lengthening and complex lower extremity reconstructions.”

During her fellowship in August 2019, Dr. Young will travel to multiple limb lengthening and reconstruction surgical centers to share ideas and exchange best practices with orthopaedic surgeons at every career stage – from trainees to seasoned veterans. She will present her key takeaways from the experience at the society’s 2020 annual meeting.

Dr. Young has a special interest in caring for children with lower extremity deformity and limb length discrepancies and has developed a Limb Lengthening program at Children’s, which offers patients and their families comprehensive treatment options for these complex conditions using leading edge technology.

Ian Leibowitz

Ian Leibowitz, M.D., joins Children’s National as Chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Services

Ian Leibowitz

Ian Leibowitz, M.D., an internationally respected expert earning prominence for his focus on improving the care of inflammatory bowel disease for children, joins Children’s National Health System as the chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Services.

Dr. Leibowitz is an elected councilor to the Executive Committee of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASOHAN) and is a member of the Strategic Council and Physicians Leadership Group with ImprovedCareNow, a national collaborative that has created a community of clinicians and researchers that measures outcomes and develops best clinical standards.

Through his work as a highly accomplished pediatric gastroenterologist and his proactive approach to preventing remissions for those suffering from Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis, Dr. Leibowitz will lead a team of nationally recognized educators, research leaders and specialists to transform clinical care for children by enhancing the patient experience within this division.

Prior to coming to Children’s National, Dr. Leibowitz served as the Chief Medical Officer at Pediatric Subspecialists of Virginia (PSV), worked at the Gastroenterology Associates of Northern Virginia and at Inova Fairfax Hospital as the Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology.

Dr. Leibowitz received his Medical Degree from St. George’s University of School of Medicine, St. George’s, Grenada, and completed his Residency and Fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. in 1989.

SIOP logo

Children’s National physicians attend the International Society of Paediatric Oncology in Japan

SIOP logo

From November 16 to 19, medical professionals, clinicians, nurses and oncology patients and families from around the globe gathered for the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) in Kyoto, Japan. Pediatric experts in their respective fields Jeffrey Dome, M.D., Ph.D., AeRang Kim, M.D., Ph.D., Steven Hardy, Ph.D., and Karun Sharma, M.D., attended SIOP representing Children’s National. The four-day scientific programme engaged those in pediatric oncology with educational lectures, keynote speakers, tailored sessions for survivors, families and support organizations, free paper sessions, specialist sessions and Meet the Expert talks.

Dr. Kim, an oncologist with the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and a member of the solid tumor faculty at Children’s National, presented with Dr. Sharma, director of Interventional Radiology at Children’s, on “Interventional Radiology: Technology and Opportunities” in Meet the Expert talks on both Saturday and Sunday of the programme. They discussed background information, preclinical studies, current, ongoing studies of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), HIFU in combination with heat sensitive formulated chemotherapy and future directions. In 2017, Children’s National was the first U.S. children’s hospital to successfully use MR-HIFU to treat osteoid osteoma, and is currently accruing on early phase studies evaluating HIFU ablation and HIFU in combination with lyso-thermosensitive liposomal doxorubicin for pediatric patients with refractory/recurrent solid tumors.

Dr. Hardy, a pediatric psychologist in the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s, presented on “Brief Psychosocial Screening to Identify Patients in Need of a Mental Health Treatment Referral in a Childhood Cancer Survivorship Clinic.” In his educational lecture, Dr. Hardy described findings that show a brief mental and behavioral health questionnaire given to patients in the Children’s National survivorship clinic is a sensitive screening tool that can identify patients in need of more formal psychosocial evaluation and treatment. He also presented data supporting the use of a lower threshold of psychological symptoms necessary to trigger discussions about mental health treatment compared to previous reports. The key implication of Dr. Hardy’s work is that survivorship clinics lacking embedded psychology support could adopt this questionnaire, which is publically available and translated into 86 languages, to help identify survivors with mental and behavioral health concerns and ensure appropriate referrals are made.

Dr. Dome, Vice President of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, served on the SIOP Scientific Programme Advisory Committee, which selected the topics for presentation.

SIOP provides an international forum for the sharing of new research and ideas related to pediatric oncology. The annual conference furthers the efforts made towards developing new treatments and cures and opens the conversation, encouraging innovation and collaboration with experts from around the world. Children’s National has taken part in SIOP for many years, most recently hosting the meeting in Washington, D.C., in 2017.

Top Children’s Hospital logo

The Leapfrog Group names Children’s National Health System a 2018 “Top Children’s Hospital”

Top Children’s Hospital logo

On December 4, 2018, Children’s National Health System was named a 2018 “Top Children’s Hospital” by The Leapfrog Group, an independent watchdog organization. The highest performing hospitals on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey are recognized annually for this prestigious award. Children’s National is proud to have been recognized 10 times as “Top Children’s Hospital.” Top hospitals are given the designation for having distinct achievements in patient safety and quality, including lower infection rates, decreased length of stay, fewer readmissions and higher survival rates for high-risk procedures.

“We’re particularly proud of this acknowledgment as it recognizes our unwavering commitment to high-quality patient care,” said Kurt Newman, M.D., president and CEO of Children’s National. “It highlights our exceptional clinicians and support teams who work to constantly improve the safety of the care we provide.”

The Top Children’s Hospitals are selected based on The Leapfrog Group’s annual survey of nearly 1,900 hospitals across the country which measures hospitals’ performance in many areas of hospital care, including reduced medication rates and capacity to prevent medication errors.

“Being acknowledged as a Top Children’s Hospital is an incredible feat achieved by less than six percent of eligible hospitals nationwide,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “With this honor, Children’s National has established its commitment to safer and higher quality care. Providing this level of care to patients in Washington, D.C. requires motivation and drive from every team member. I congratulate the board, staff and clinicians, whose efforts made this honor possible.”

ChildrensSV_Seal

Surgery team attains prestigious level 1 verification

ChildrensSV_Seal

Children’s National Health System has been verified as a Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program (ACS CSV). This distinction recognizes surgery centers whose quality improvement programs have measurably improved pediatric surgical quality, prevented complications, reduced costs and saved lives.

“We are extremely proud to achieve the prestigious Level 1 Surgery Verification,” says Anthony Sandler, M.D., senior vice president and surgeon-in-chief of the Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Center for Surgical Care at Children’s National. “The rigorous standards and focus on meeting the unique needs of each patient make this distinction particularly meaningful to us.”

The CSV program was developed to improve the safety and quality of children’s surgical care. Level 1 designation is given to hospitals who meet the standards for care outlined in Optimal Resources for Children’s Surgical Care 2015. These standards help to ensure children facing surgery receive care under a multidisciplinary program with quality improvement and safety processes, data collection and appropriate pediatric resources.

Children’s National is one of just twelve children’s hospitals nationwide to have earned this verification. To become a verified center, Children’s National met the essential criteria for staffing, training, facility infrastructure and protocols for care, ensuring its ability to appropriately care for pediatric surgical patients.

Shriprasad Deshpande

Accelerating advanced cardiac treatments for tiny patients

Shriprasad Deshpande

Shriprasad Deshpande, M.B.B.S., M.S., a pediatric cardiologist, joins Children’s National Health System as the director of the advanced cardiac therapies and heart transplant program.

Shriprasad Deshpande, M.B.B.S., M.S., a pediatric cardiologist, has joined Children’s National Health System as the director of the advanced cardiac therapies and heart transplant program.

Dr. Deshpande, an intensivist and heart failure and transplant cardiologist, will work within the Children’s National Heart Institute (the Division of Cardiology and the Division of Cardiac Intensive Care) to guide the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric heart failure. He will also work with researchers, surgeons and engineers to accelerate the field of biomedical research and make it easy for patients to receive advanced therapies, such as mechanical pumps to support circulation, and, if necessary, heart transplant.

“Subspecializing in personalized care is critical for all patients right now, not just adults,” says Dr. Deshpande. “This is one of the reasons I’m looking forward to working with Children’s National, a leader in the many subdivisions of pediatric medicine and research.

“Our priority is to recognize the special needs of infants and children as they relate to heart failure,” he adds. “We want to provide the best care and advance science at the same time.”

As an example, a grant from the National Institutes of Health enabled Dr. Deshpande to test ventricular assist devices for infants. Through another NIH grant, he analyzed the safety of organ transplants by testing a donor’s DNA, instead of conducting invasive biopsies in children.

“The field of cardiology is in a unique position now to take advantage of discoveries happening in science, technology and engineering,” says Dr. Deshpande. “In addition to thinking about the logistics of heart transplants, we’re thinking about how we can delay the need for a heart transplant, understand how to grow tissue better and utilize technology to improve these outcomes. We’re investing in a child’s quality of life.”

As the medical director of Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Dr. Deshpande led the mechanical circulatory support program and created a subspecialty clinic to provide treatment for pediatric heart failure patients. He started the Muscular Dystrophy Cardiomyopathy clinic, which analyzes and treats cardiovascular comorbidities associated with muscular dystrophy. While he was an assistant professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine, he created a curriculum for pediatric cardiologists and for nurses training in the cardiac intensive critical care unit.

Dr. Deshpande has published more than 70 studies and abstracts and will oversee clinical practice models, subspecialty clinics and academic research efforts at Children’s. His current research portfolio, inclusive of grants from the NIH and other funding agencies, is robust and varied: He’s studying how to improve mechanical support for complex heart disease patients, how to improve the performance of current pumps and how to develop new algorithms for these devices. Improving the diagnosis of transplant rejection, using technology to improve compliance and using new technologies to diagnose rejection, without invasive biopsies, are his other research interests.

Dr. Deshpande serves as the chair of the scientific committee at the nonprofit Enduring Hearts and is on the American Heart Association’s Strategically Focused Research Network committee.

Dr. Andrew Campbell examines a child

Children’s National physicians provide education at 46th Annual Sickle Cell Disease Association of America Convention

Dr. Andrew Campbell examines a child

Andrew Campbell, M.D., presented at the conference on the topics of hydroxyurea (HU) and blood transfusions.

More than 600 researchers, physicians, nurses, social workers and individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD) and sickle cell trait (SCT) gathered in Baltimore for the 46th Annual National Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA) Convention in mid-October. Children’s National physicians Andrew Campbell, M.D., director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Program, and Deepika Darbari, M.D., were among the speakers at the four-day convention discussing the latest scientific research and clinical information through seminars, panel discussions and symposiums.

Dr. Campbell presented at the conference on the topics of hydroxyurea (HU) and blood transfusions. He spoke to families about the benefits of HU, explaining how it lowers the percentage of sickle cells in the blood and decreases the overall inflammatory process. He stressed the importance of HU as a medication used in the prevention of SCD and emphasized the potential decrease in organ damage and increased overall survival rate of SCD patients. The importance of minor antigen blood group phenotyping was also discussed, as it can decrease the chance of patients rejecting future blood transfusions by developing new red blood cell antibodies.

“The indications for blood transfusions in the acute ‘ill’ setting can be life-saving and improve oxygen delivery and overall clinical outcomes within sickle cell complications, including acute chest syndrome, stroke and splenic sequestration. Approximately 10 to 15 percent of patients will need monthly blood transfusions for primary (i.e. stroke, patients with abnormal brain vessel TCD velocities >200cm/s) and secondary (i.e. patients with a previous stroke, multiple splenic sequestrations, recurrent priapism, recurrent acute chest syndromes) sickle cell complications,” explains Dr. Campbell.

Dr. Darbari, a hematologist at Children’s National, educated medical colleagues on chronic pain in SCD and emphasized the increase in pain from adolescence to adulthood.

“During childhood, pain in SCD is considered a consequence of discrete episodes of vaso-occlusion.  Such vaso-occlusion is a complex process in which abnormally shaped (so-called ‘sickled’) red blood cells episodically obstruct the microcirculation thereby causing distal ischemia and resultant pain. As patients get older, mechanisms such as peripheral neuropathic or centralization may play important roles in transition and maintenance of chronic pain. It is important to consider underlying mechanisms contributing to pain when managing a patient with SCD,” states Dr. Darbari. She referenced her coauthored and published Analgesic, Anesthetic and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations Innovations Opportunities and Networks (ACTTION)-American Pain Society Taxonomy (AAPT) criteria for classifying chronic pain in SCD and how useful this tool can be for physicians in the treatment of patients with SCD.

Both Drs. Campbell and Darbari shared their expertise on different facets of SCD with families and medical professionals alike. Their impactful work is paving the way for future treatments and pain management techniques for treating patients living with SCD and their families.

QUILT conference

Children’s National hosts Quality Improvement Leadership Training Course

QUILT conference

In October 2018, Children’s National hosted 20 neonatologists from 15 hospitals in China for a 10 day Quality Improvement Leadership Training Course focused on quality improvement principles and methodology. The course also featured presentations on hospital-wide quality improvement work and included speakers from the Quality & Safety Department, Nursing Quality, and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The Performance Improvement team worked with the attendees on their own projects, such as reducing antibiotic use and increasing family-centered care in the NICU. The attendees then presented at the end of the course to their colleagues, as well as to five hospital presidents visiting from China.