Medical Staff spotlight

Welcome to these new physicians in the Midlands and Upstate. All are or will be in the process of being approved for faculty appointments at the University of South Carolina Columbia or Greenville – an academic health center – depending on their location.

MIDLANDS Inpatient Pediatrics, Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital (Sumter)

Michael Abercrombie, MD, earned his medical degree at Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine in Charleston, South Carolina, and completed his Pediatrics residency at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina. He can be reached at 803-434-7945.

UPSTATE General Pediatrics

Andreea Stoichita, MD, completed her medical degree at University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia in Columbia, South Carolina, and her Pediatrics residency at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina. Dr. Stoichita is working as a pediatrician at both the Center for Pediatric Medicine (864-220-7270) and the Ferlauto Center for Complex Pediatric Care (864-220-8907).

Jennifer Raffaele, MD, completed her medical degree at Albany Medical College in Albany, New York, and her Pediatrics residency at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina. Dr. Raffaele is working as a pediatrician with the Center for Pediatric Medicine. She can be reached at 864-220-7270. Alex Yu, MD, completed his medical degree at East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine in Johnson City, Tennessee, and his Pediatrics residency at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina. Dr. Yu is working as a pediatrician with the Center for Pediatric Medicine. He can be reached at 864-220-7270.

Pediatric Neurology

Adrienne Bruce, MD, completed her medical degree at Washington University in St. Louis, located in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Bruce completed a Child Neurology combined residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. She can be reached at 864-454-5110.

Pediatric Sleep Medicine/Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders

James Hungerford, MD, FAAP, completed his medical degree at University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee, where he also completed an Internal Medicine & Pediatrics residency. He then completed two fellowships: Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and Sleep Medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He can be reached at 864-454-5660.

Robert Saul, MD, recently retired from a 41-year pediatric career. However, to say Dr. Saul “retired” is a misnomer. Dr. Saul has been an Upstate pediatrician and clinical geneticist serving children in South Carolina since 1981, when he joined Greenwood Genetic Center and then led the development of the Greenwood Community Children’s Center.

In 2013, he joined Prisma Health to head the Center for Pediatric Medicine practices. These offices serve as the residency training sites and are the largest Medicaid provider of care in the Upstate. Dr. Saul has cared for children across the age spectrum and also served the medically complex children’s program at our Ferlauto Center for Complex Pediatric Care.

But full-time pediatrics was not enough to keep Dr. Saul occupied, so he filled his spare time as the author of four books and more than 100 articles and publications. He also played an active role on national American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) committees, the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Admissions Committee and as Chair of Prisma Health’s Institutional Review Board.

At present, the indefatigable Dr. Saul is the president of the state chapter of the AAP, continues to work on research projects and serves on state committees as an advocate for children.

When asked about his future plans, Dr. Saul said, “making a difference on the never-ending journey of lifelong learning” and “helping children and families who need tireless advocates.”

The diagnosis (continued from Page 14)

Answer: C. Spasmus nutans

Spasmus nutans is an acquired disorder that typically presents by age 2. The diagnosis is a combination of head nodding, ocular oscillations and abnormal head positioning. It is idiopathic in nature and usually disappears by age 3 or 4. It is important to have imaging studies of the brain and an ophthalmologic evaluation to rule out other disorders, especially cerebellar abnormalities or optic nerve pathology.

Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome in young children is most often due to a paraneoplastic process, with occult neuroblastoma leading the list. Joubert syndrome, associated with cerebellar vermis dysplasia and renal cystic disease, can present with abnormal eye movements. Bobble-head doll syndrome – a rare neurologic disorder associated with third ventricle pathology – produces pressure on neural pathways, leading to abnormal head movements.

References

Allarakhia IN and Trobe JD. “Opsoclonus myoclonus presenting with features of spasmus nutans.” J Child Neurol. 1995;10:67–68. Kiblinger GD, et al. “Spasmus nutans-like nystagmus is often associated with underlying ocular, intracranial, or systemic disorders.” J Neuro-Ophthalmol. 2007;27:118–122. Winter T. ”Spasmus nutans.” Neuro-Ophthalmology, Oct. 14, 2015.