DIVISION ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Adolescent and Transition Medicine Transgender Health Program Launched
Our new Transgender Health Program, led by Lee Ann Conard, RPh, DO, MPH, was launched this year to provide evidence-based, comprehensive services to this vulnerable group of adolescents and their families. Although some of our care providers were delivering these services in an informal manner, we worked with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Divisions of Endocrinology and Child Psychiatry to formalize the program. The program also incorporates recommendations from several other medical organizations and transgender health programs.
Our Transition Medicine program was developed to support the growing number of adult patients we care for. Our medical center had more than 38,000 patient encounters in FY 2010 with people ages 19 and older. Transition Medicine Program Supports Young Adult Patients
Cincinnati Children’s has a long history of continuing to work with young adults who have grown up with complex pediatric disorders. In fact, our medical center had more than 38,000 patient encounters in FY 2010 with people ages 19 and older. Our new Transition Medicine program was formed this year to further organize our expertise in this growing field. In collaboration with other divisions, we develop and monitor care plans for older patients. These plans integrate accessible and developmentally appropriate healthcare with health risk screening and promotion of self-management. Our program includes inpatient and outpatient services incorporating the biopsychosocial model for care. Our program includes care managers, social services, a research team and three faculty members: Abigail Nye, MD; Jennifer Shoreman, MD; and Darcey Thornton, MD.
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CINCINNATI CHILDREN’S RESEARCH FOUNDATION
DIVISION ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Allergy and Immunology Study Identifies Regulators of Eosinophilic Inflammation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Simon Hogan, PhD, Research Director, identified an unexpected role for the innate inflammatory cell macrophage and NFκB signaling pathway in the regulation of eosinophilic inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). NFκB signaling in inflammatory macrophages was required for secretion of the eosinophil-selective chemokine CCL11, eosinophilic inflammation and the histopathology of experimental colitis (DSS-induced murine model). The study, published in the Journal of Immunology, indicates that targeting myeloid cells and NFκB-dependent pathways may be of therapeutic benefit in treating IBD.
James A. Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence Health Services Research Supports Learning Health Systems
The Health Services Research (HSR) Matrix encourages researchers, patients and clinicians to create practices and policies that improve care and outcomes for children, families, and communities. An integral part of the HSR Matrix is supporting “learning health systems,” which help patients and providers choose evidence-based care. One example is The Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative (OPQC), whose goal is to reduce preterm births and improve outcomes for babies in Ohio. Since 2008, the project has prevented an estimated 950 NICU admissions by lowering the number of scheduled deliveries, with a cost savings of approximately $19 million.
Method Developed to Directly Evaluate Eosinophil Tracking In Vivo
Expanding ‘Decision Aids’ in Pediatrics
The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) selected Amal Assa’ad, MD, Clinical Director, to receive its 2013 Woman in Allergy Award in recognition of her work in food allergy and science. Patricia Fulkerson, MD, PhD, was awarded the 2013 ARTrust Faculty Development Award by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) for her eosinophil progenitor research. Joseph Sherrill, PhD, received the Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Award in recognition of his promise as an investigator.
More Than 120 Papers and Presentations, 13 New Grants
Our Department continued to be recognized nationally as a leader in pediatric anesthesia research. Faculty members delivered 70 lectures; authored 70 research papers, review articles and book chapters; presented 57 research abstracts; and were awarded 13 extramural research grants. Steve Danzer, PhD, Mike Jankowski, PhD, Andreas Loepke, MD, PhD, Mohamed Mahmoud, MD, Dave Richards, PhD, Senthil Sadhasivam, MD, and Anna Varughese, MD, MPH, led the research efforts. The Society for Pediatric Anesthesia awarded Raj Subramanyam, MD, and Vanessa Olbrecht, MD, first prizes for resident and faculty research for their studies on mortality after tonsillectomy and morphine pharmacogenetics.
Faculty Reaches Goals Early
Most in vivo studies of granulocytes estimate their trafficking indirectly via steady-state tissue or blood levels rather than directly examining cellular trafficking. Ting Wen, PhD, and Marc Rothenberg, MD, PhD, Division Director, have developed a direct examination method that involves transferring genetically labeled, bone marrow-derived eosinophils into an elicited inflammatory site, the allergic lung. This unique cell transfer system is detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Faculty Recognized For Research Endeavors
Anesthesiology
Evidence-based “decision aids” have been used with increasing success in adult medicine, but so far, their use has been limited in pediatrics. William Brinkman, MD, MEd, MSc, is leading efforts to prototype and test decision aids for shared decision-making (SDM) in pediatrics. Brinkman and colleagues have recently reported that parents of children with ADHD who received an SDM intervention were better informed and more involved in decision making. Other studies about decision aids for human papillomavirus vaccination and use of medications for juvenile idiopathic arthritis are showing great success.
Mentoring Program Hosts Speakers and Events
The HSR Matrix mentoring program promotes the career development of young investigators in health services research. In FY 2013, HSR Matrix hosted 12 speakers and two community learning events, at which national and international leaders spoke on topics ranging from methodology to community building and innovative care strategies.
Our faculty set records this year for general and regional anesthetics provided and for consultations in pain management and palliative care. These efforts helped us reach our strategic plan goal for faculty productivity one year early. Our faculty members recruited 12 outstanding fellows into the core pediatric anesthesiology fellowship program. We also recruited fellows into advanced programs for palliative care, pain medicine, quality and safety, neurophysiological monitoring, education, and cardiac anesthesia.
Continuing our role as a leader in pediatric anesthesia research, our faculty set records this year for providing anesthesia and consultations in pain management and palliative care. We reached our strategic goal for faculty productivity one year ahead of schedule. Faculty Members Play National Leadership Roles
John McAuliffe, MD, was elected president of the Society of Neurophysiological Monitoring. Dean Kurth, MD, serves on the Boards for the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia and the journal Pediatric Anesthesia and is President of the Pediatric Anesthesia Leadership Council. Paul Samuels, MD, and Lori Aronson, MD, lead Board Exam review courses for the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia and American Physician Company.
CINCINNATICHILDRENS.ORG/RESEARCH
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