SECTION ON NEONATAL-PERINATAL MEDICINE

SECTION ON NEONATAL-PERINATAL MEDICINENEWSLETTER - Winter 2020

Perinatal News “At a Glance”

Mary Nock, MD, FAAP, EditorVivian Thorne, Production

MOCA-Peds for Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

View From the Chair: An Unorthodox Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) and National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NANNP) Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Getting to Know… James Barry MD, District VIII Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

ONTPD Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

MidCaN Rising Star… Trent Tipple MD, FAAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Women in Neonatology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

TECaN Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Highlights from the SoNPM Program at the 2019 NCE . . . . . . . . 9

2020 AAP NCE SoNPM Program in San Diego, CA . . . . . . . . . . 10

SoNPM Task Force for Neonatal Perinatal Therapeutic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2020 Spring Workshop March 27-29, Scottsdale, AZ . . . . . . . . 11

Coding Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

ANNOUNCING! SoNPM Clinical Leaders Forum for Medical Directors and Quality Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

In Memoriam… Lois Johnson-Hamerman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

MidCaN Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

WECaN Meets at NCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Coding Answer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Executive Committee Roster 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

District News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

2019 AAP NCE SoNPM Scientific Session in NOLA . . . . . . . . . 33

2019 AAP Young Investigator Awardees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

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MOCA-Peds for Neonatal-PerinatalMedicineHeather French MD, MSEdBeginning in 2020, the American Board of Pediatrics(ABP) is launching an alternative to fulfill the medicalknowledge requirement (Part 3) of the Maintenanceof Certification (MOC) program in Neonatal PerinatalMedicine (NPM). Previously, the NPM recertificationexamination served as the only option to fulfill thePart 3 requirement. Maintenance of CertificationAssessment for Pediatrics, or MOCA-Peds, is analternative to taking the NPM recertificationexamination. MOCA-Peds is NOT a replacement forthe initial certification examination for NPM.

MOCA-Peds is a web-based assessment programfor pediatricians using multiple choice questions(MCQ) that are clinically relevant. Instead of a singleexam day, pediatricians can demonstrate medicalknowledge and clinical judgment in a flexible anddynamic model that emphasizes continuous learningthat is better aligned with the changing environmentof clinical practice. MOCA-Peds uses an onlineplatform for assessment of knowledge that will beconducted in 5-year MOC cycles. During each 5-yearMOC cycle, participants are automatically enrolled inMOCA-Peds. If preferred, MOC participants can optout of MOCA-Peds and instead sit for a proctoredNPM recertification exam at a secured testing centerevery 5 years (for an additional fee).

MCQs will be based on 45 learning objectives drawnfrom the ABP NPM content outline that reflectmedical knowledge required for clinical practice. Asubset of MCQs will be based on recently publishedarticles that will be provided to participants at noadditional charge. The learning objectives assessedby MOCA-Peds will change annually.

• Up to 20 MCQs will be delivered electronically toparticipants every quarter. MCQs can beanswered in one or many sessions. Questionsnot answered by the end of the quarter will bemarked incorrect. Printing and mailing of this issue

supported through a grant fromAbbott Nutrition.

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• MOCA-Peds MCQs can be accessed and answeredon any computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone withinternet access.

• The 4 lowest scored quarters of the 5-year MOC cyclewill be dropped and won’t be counted toward aparticipant’s final score. A standardized score scaleranging from 1 to 300 will be used. The passing scaledscore is 180.

• MCQs are open book. Participants must work alone toanswer MCQs but can use resources such as booksand the internet to help answer questions. Each MCQmust in answered in 5 minutes.

• Immediate feedback is provided after answeringMCQs including the rationale behind the correctanswer and supportive references.

• Throughout the MOC cycle, raw score performanceand scaled score performance will be updated on aparticipant’s MOCA-Peds dashboard.

MOCA-Peds participants will receive 5 points of MOC Part2 credit each year if a scaled score of 180 is achievedannually. If a participant isn’t passing MOCA-Peds by theend of year 4 of the 5-year MOC cycle, he/she will have totake and pass the proctored NPM recertification exam tomaintain certification. Participants who opt out of MOCA-Peds for Part 3 MOC credit can still participate inMOCA-Peds for Part 2 credit.

MOCA-Peds will be aligned with a participant’s 5-yearMOC cycle. Participants will be automatically enrolled inMOCA-Peds at the beginning of their next 5-year MOCcycle. Individual MOC cycle dates are listed within one’sABP Portfolio. The MOC enrollment fee ($1330 in 2020) willnot change with the addition of MOCA-Peds.

MOCA-Peds for NPM was based on the MOCA-Peds pilotproject for general pediatrics during 2017 and 2018. Therewere over 11,000 pediatricians who participated in thepilot project (73% general pediatricians, 27%subspecialists including 697 neonatologists). More than97% of participants reported they learned, refreshed, orenhanced their medical knowledge through participation inMOCA-Peds. The majority of subspecialty pilotparticipants (96.1%) preferred MOCA-Peds for theirsubspecialty certification over a proctored exam.

For more information, please visit the ABP’s MOCA-Pedswebsite https://www.abp.org/mocapeds and your ownABP Portfolio dashboard to determine when your nextMOC cycle begins.

View From the Chair: An Unorthodox ColumnMark Hudak MD, FAAPAs I sit down to write this column in December with thegoal of choosing content that would be relevant comepublication time, I am overcome by the stark reality andthe unprecedented breadth of danger to the world’schildren both now and, increasingly so, into the future. Aspediatricians and as parents, it is critical to understand thethreats and then to mobilize effectively to address them.

Thesis: Climate change poses the greatest existentialdanger to children today.

True fact: Climate change is real.

The scientific evidence unambiguously confirms thathumankind is responsible for the unprecedented rapidity ofclimate change that has outstripped the adaptivecapabilities of the natural ecosystems. The cryosphere ismelting: The summer polar icecap is nearly gone; the rateof glacial melt in Greenland continues to increase; thefrozen tundra in Alaska, Scandinavia, and Russia isdisappearing; large chunks of Antarctic glaciers havebroken from the continent. Look no further than what wehave witnessed in our country during our lifetime. No trueglaciers remain in Glacier National Park. Conifers in 70,000square miles of forest in the Rocky Mountains have diedoff due to shorter less severe winters, longer warmersummers, greater drought, and the ascendance of tree-killing insects. The colorful coral reefs off the Florida Keysare fading due to warmer waters and increased oceanicacidity. Sea grasses off the western coast have plummetedby 90% in some areas. Average US temperature has risen1.2-1.8°F from 1896 to 2016 and, without intervention, isexpected to increase a further 2.5°F by 2050. Shorelinesare retreating and some coastal urban areas areexperiencing flooding in calm weather.

Throughout the world, climate change will have adverseeffects on the supply of clean fresh water, agriculturalproductivity, the output of ocean fisheries, patterns ofhuman migration, pestilence, pollution, and humandisease.

Scientists over the past decade several times haveescalated estimates about the pace of climate change andits effects. The world is unprepared to deal with theconsequences. There will likely be conflict and warsrelated specifically to access to natural resources andpatterns of human migration.

As you are reading this, we are well into the democraticprocess of choosing candidates who will vie to becomeour next national, state, county, and city leaders. I wouldargue that there is nothing more important than that thesefuture leaders embrace the science of climate change andwork collaboratively in this country and with leaders of

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other countries to decelerate its rate of progression. Everypolicy and every consequential decision must beconsidered in this light.

The United States is the largest generator of CO2 percapita, yet the only major country in denial on this issue.Yes, there will be considerable pain in adopting effectivemeasures to combat climate change, but continued delaywill be even more painful and will risk passing the point ofirreversibility. It should not be that the only solution formankind, as Steven Hawking said in 2017, is that “humansneed to leave Earth” to ensure humanity’s survival.

While climate threat presents the greatest threat tochildren, there are numerous other immediate dangers tothe health and well-being of children. We are fortunate tobe members of the American Academy of Pediatrics,which as an organization has tirelessly worked to advocateon behalf of children in these areas. Let us choose ourfuture leaders through the prism of how they stand onthese issues.

• We must promote the principle that all children shouldhave access to quality and affordable health care. Anyfuture health care related legislation must recognizethis principle. It is alarming that the percentage ofuninsured US children less than 19 years of ageincreased from a historic nadir of 4.9% in 2017 to5.5% in 2018.

• We must strongly advocate for the ability of theMedicaid program to pay for current care. In fact, wemust advocate for greater Medicaid benefits in someareas. We must be clear-eyed about threats to theMedicaid program from block grants or other forms ofcapitation, Medicaid waivers that impose parentalwork requirements, and administrative policies thatreduce access or delay eligibility.

• We must continue to demand action that is likely toreduce gun-related mortality and injuries.

• We must advocate for a society that will treat all of itscitizens - irrespective of sex, gender, race, ethnicity,sexual orientation, economic status, religious beliefs,or political affiliation - with respect, fairness, andcompassion and for a society that recognizes thateach child should have a safe and loving environmentin which they can develop their full potential.

• We must promote the science behind childhoodimmunizations and proper child nutrition, theimportance of good education, and the effects ofpollution and environmental exposures such as vapingon the health of children. And then we must advocatefor legislation and policies that respond to these truefacts.

So, facts matter. Honesty matters. Words and principlesmatter. Courage matters. And the leaders we choose mustmatter. We have work to do.

National Association of NeonatalNurses (NANN) and NationalAssociation of Neonatal NursePractitioners (NANNP) ReportMedia Esser PhD, NNP-BC, APNP, CWN

Neonatal Nurse Education and Clinical Resources

NANN has had an exciting year and plans to continue themomentum with the release of podcasts. The NANNcastwill be releasing its first episode in late December. Listen toNANNcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Pocket Cast,YouTube, and Podbean. Stream the trailer now on NANN’sYouTube page or by searching “NANNcast” in the searchbar of your preferred podcast platform.

The NANN Research Summit will be in Scottsdale, AZ forits 15th year, March 24-26, 2020. Eighteen abstracts havebeen accepted and reflect a variety of NICU nursingtopics. Main topics include: Human milk and feeding,nursing care, educational initiatives, and nursing science.The Summit will also integrate four doctoral-preparedmentors to work with the participants to provide feedbackand support in the continuation of clinical inquiry in theNICU. This year the members of the SoNPM will join innetworking with all of the participants during a dinnerreception on March 25th, 2020. For more informationabout the 2020 Summit:http://nann.org/education/research/research-summit

The 35th Annual NANN Education Conference was held onOctober 9-12, 2019 in Savannah, GA and was the mostsuccessful conference thus far. Some of the 2019conference topics may be purchased individually or as abundle of four topics together. Available topics include:Challenging NICU Parents: How to Deal as Told by NICUParents Themselves; Building a Bridge: NRP to PALS,Meeting the Resuscitation Needs for the No Longer “NewlyBorn” Infant in the NICU; Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy inthe Age of Dr. Google; Ultra-thin, Adhesive-less EpidermalElectronic Systems with In-sensor Analytics for NeonatalIntensive Care; Transcatheter Closure of Patent DuctusArteriosus in Premature Babies Less Than 2kg; SupportingAuditory Development in the Premature and High-riskInfant: We Don’t Get Do-overs!

Best of NANN session recordings make a great groupeducational opportunity for unit learning, lunch and learns,or chapter events. For special group pricing, contactNANN Member Services at (800) 451-3795 [email protected]

The 36th Annual Educational Conference will be held inNew Orleans, LA. For more information:http://nann.org/education/annual-meeting/annual-meeting

Interested in submitting a research survey? NANNmembers can distribute surveys to thousands of neonatal

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Getting to Know… James Barry MD, District VIII Representative


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Medical School and Training I attendedmedical school at Creighton UniversitySchool of Medicine. I completed mypediatric residency at University ofMichigan School of Medicine and myneonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship atUniversity of Colorado School of Medicine.

Current Position I am an AssociateProfessor, Department of Pediatrics,Section of Neonatal Perinatal Medicine atthe University of Colorado School ofMedicine. I also serve as Medical Director of the University of Colorado Hospital NICU, Anschutz Campus.

Family and Pets My wife, Liberty, is a Family Medicine physician whose work I greatly respect and admire. I’m gladsomeone can care for those scary adults! We met amongst cadavers in medical school. The formaldehyde cloudedher frontal lobe or her vision, not sure which, or even if it matters. Thankfully, she still has not come to her senses, asI have been blessed to be on life’s journey with her for the last 22 years. Our son, Colton, is a freshman at theUniversity of Michigan studying mechanical/biomedical engineering and entrepreneurship. He is excited about thepossibilities and now understands his parents do actually know a thing or two. Our daughter, Reece, is an amazingand brilliant high school freshman and gymnast. She astounded us one afternoon this past summer when sheinformed us that she had started her own business. I was skeptical until she showed me her site on Etsy completewith a detailed budget and a well-defined ROI (SunnshineScrunchieCo if you want to check it out). We also have twodogs: Grey, our fly-fishing companion; and Glimmer, my daughter’s companion.

What Would People Be Surprised to Learn About You I grew up in a ranching valley, population 100, in southwestMontana where cattle outnumbered humans on the order of 100 to 1. I went to a two-room school house and K-8thhad a total of 14 students. The first birth I ever witnessed was that of a calf that required the assistance of a tractorand chains for delivery. At that moment, even as a preschooler, I assumed that “there must be a better way” todeliver and care for newborns. This has been a slogan of mine for a while.

Favorite Vacation of All Time Costa Rica - the flora, the fauna, the volcanoes, and the people were incredible. Also,there’s nothing like a little danger to blaze a vivid lasting memory. I was fishing (actually hand lining) in a small pondwith two boys under the age of eight in a rudimentary wooden boat with a “guide” (very loose term, actually just alocal high schooler with scant understanding of fishing). As we were poling around the pond (no paddles to befound), we came across a long snake swimming a few feet (within striking distance) from the boat. The “guide”nonchalantly told me that he had seen the same snake bite a cow in the recent past. The cow died five minutes later.Needless to say, I poled us skimming across the pond and ran us to the car in no short order. Later, I discovered itwas the fer de lance, the most venomous snake in Central America. The owner quietly offered that a guest was bittenby a fer de lance at the same lodge a week earlier and no one knew if he survived or not. Last they saw the poor guy,he was writhing around in the back of an old rusty truck heading to the nearest medical care three hours away. I didnot sleep very well that night!

If You Weren’t a Neonatologist, You Would Be A fly fishing guide and ski instructor somewhere in the Rockies. Iwould have my outdoor seasons covered.

Best Advice for Early Career Neonatologists Neonatology is a team sport. Traditional medical training has focusedtoo much on developing individual skills and knowledge. You would be wise to deliberately learn how to be a goodor better team member and a leader of teams.

Most Important Thing You Have Learned in Your Career Being an effective physician is more often about yourunderstanding of and interaction with people than your treatment decision.

Best or Favorite Childhood Memory Many a day with my father in the mountains. He was the best.

Your Hidden Talent Making my teenage daughter embarrassed on a daily basis.

James Barry with NICU graduates

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nursing professionals by reviewing this link for instructionsand completing the application form for approval:http://nann.org/uploads/Education/2019_Research_Survey_Instructions_and_Application_Form.pdf |Disclaimer:NANN is neither an active sponsor nor participant ofapproved research surveys. NANN does not collect ormonitor survey data related to approved research surveys.It is the sole responsibility of the researcher to collect thedata for his/her survey. In addition, NANN is unable toshare member contact information with researchers.

Advocacy

NANN will once again sponsor NANN members to attendthe three-day Nurse in Washington Internship Program inWashington, DC, March 2020. For more information:https://www.nursing-alliance.org/Events/NIWI-Nurse-in-Washington-Internship

Parent/Family Education

The NANN website continues to offer a variety of parentand family educational and support resources includingBaby Steps to Home, a free online resource available to allhospitals across the country and customizable:http://babystepstohome.com/

NANN also continues to offer an extensive list of resourcesfor families in the Advances in Neonatal Care: FamilyTeaching Toolbox. http://nann.org/education/educational-products/family-patient-education-products.

ONTPD UpdateHeather French MD, MSEdIt is a great honor to take over the role of Chair of ONTPD(Organization of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine TrainingProgram Directors) from Kris Reber. Kris skillfully ledONTPD for the past two years and we are grateful for herleadership and wisdom. We also thank Taylor Sawyer forhis service on the Council for the past four years. A warmwelcome is extended to the newest members of ONTPDCouncil – Alison Falck, Heidi Karpen, and Patrick Myers.

We had great attendance for our fall ONTPD meeting at theannual AAP meeting in New Orleans. The Boot Camp fornew and established PDs and APDs, directed by LizBonachea, Melissa Carbajal, and Melissa Bauserman, wasfull of helpful information for fellowship programadministration as well as a great opportunity fornetworking with new and old colleagues. Topics coveredincluded fellow recruitment, on-boarding, facultyengagement with teaching/mentoring, and professionaldevelopment. The speakers at the ONTPD meetingprovided important updates from the ACGME, ABP,SoNPM, TECaN, and COPS. Committee updates were


The Best Thing About where You Live I can ski, golf,and fly fish all in one day and have done so onoccasion.

I’ve Recently Been Inspired By I have been inspiredby a patient’s mother to use social media as a tool forchange. It just so happens she, Amy Jo Martin, wrote abook about it, Renegades Write the Rules. I now knowshe is quite well-known and helped many others suchas Shaquille O’Neal and the Phoenix Suns improvetheir image through social media. I now have a Twitterand Instagram account. I know many of you already dothis, but I am well behind the times.

Favorite Movie Star Wars – I love good triumphingover evil against all odds and the mythology of it all.

Favorite Way to Relax After a Hard Day Cautiouslycasting a size 16 grey parachute adams to a largeunsuspecting brown trout that is gently sipping caddisin a foam line several feet from a cottonwood-linedbank on a freestone river. It is a perfect windlessevening, a little after dusk minutes after the sun hasdipped behind the nearest mountain, at that momentwhen the water develops a silver, mercury-like mirroredsheen, during an abundant caddis hatch so thick thatone can only breathe with a closed mouth to preventinhaling the bugs. In the near distance, I can hear myson, Colton, fishing his favorite spot just downstream,let out a “Woo-hoo” as he plays a large rainbow thatperforms a characteristic aerial while my dog, Grey,hurriedly splashes through the water to reach him intime to nuzzle the fish upon release. The rest of myfamily is huddled around a crackling campfire along theriver bank spectating the entire series of events. Noworries here.

Who Would You Like to Swap Lives With For a DayCarli Lloyd in the 2015 World Cup Final against Japan,when she scored a hat trick in the first 16 minutes. Onegoal roofing the keeper from mid-field. Truly amazing! Iwould just like to know what she was thinking and tofeel the exhilaration coursing through her body duringthat game. Next, I would choose Ignaz Semmelweis, a19th century obstetrician, on a day that he convincedhis colleagues that good hand hygiene could decreasemortality rates. I could learn a lot from his approach.Lastly, JK Rowling, just to be engulfed by trueimagination.

Current Book I Am Reading Powder: The Greatest SkiRuns on the Planet.

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provided and break-out sessions were held to discussimportant issues for PDs and APDs. Important informationincluding changes to the Common Program Requirements(CPRs), online tracking for fellowship through the ABP (liveas of October 15, 2019), and innovative educationalprogramming within fellowship programs was presented.Slides from the fall ONTPD meeting are available on theONTPD website.

We will hold our annual ONTPD spring meeting on themorning of May 4th, 2020 in Philadelphia during the PASmeeting. This meeting will focus on scholarship activitiesduring fellowship.

Our ONTPD sub-committees remain active and continue towork on initiatives to support our NPM PD/APDcommunity. We encourage your feedback and participationin the ONTPD through communication with the council,attendance at meetings, and involvement with committees.

National Neonatology Curriculum Committee (ChairHeather French): The ONTPD National NeonatologyCurriculum for physiology is continuing to expand withFlipped Classroom materials continuing to be posted fornew topics. New topics under development are Neurology,MFM, QI, and Research Methodology. The RCT comparinglearning outcomes and preference between traditionaldidactic and flipped classroom learning closed to datacollection in September 2019. Data analysis is underwaywith hopes for presentation at PAS 2020. Development ofthe Neonatology Simulation curriculum, led by LindsayJohnston, is almost complete with over 50 cases beingwritten and piloted by simulation educators. Whereappropriate, simulation cases will be linked withphysiology topics to provide additional opportunities toreinforce physiologic concepts. Additionally, an onlineneonatology-focused ECMO course, led by LindsayJohnston, is under production by national experts inneonatal ECMO. This course will include FlippedClassroom guides to work through ECMO scenarios andemergencies and ECMO simulation exercises. MedEd OnThe Go (MedEdOnTheGo.com) is continuing to supportthis work by providing a free, online platform to housevideos and supporting educational materials for learners.Supporting educational materials for facilitators have beenmoved to the ONTPD website. Additional research projectsare underway to determine best practices in flippedclassroom facilitation (Alison Falck, Margarita Vasquez)and a cost analysis of standardized education (MelissaCarbajal, Rita Dadiz, Heidi Karpen).

Standard Forms Committee (Chair Heidi Karpen):Standard forms that are useful for fellowship PDs havebeen uploaded to the ONTPD website. We will continue toupdate this resource.

Fellowship Director Mentorship Committee (ChairMelissa Carbajal): We continue to facilitate pairingmentor/mentee relationships among APDs and PDs. If youare interested in serving as a mentor or would like to bepaired with a mentor, please email Melissa Carbajal([email protected]).

Website Committee (Chair Patrick Myers): Patrick hasworked hard to optimize our ONTPD website with the helpof the AAP staff. We will continue to provide resources forPDs through the website. He is developing a location onthe website to post job opportunities for fellows and 4thyear fellowships.

Important Dates to Remember:

Spring ONTPD Meeting at PAS - May 4th, 7-9amAnnual NPM PD/APD Boot Camp - October 1st, 3-6pm(Sponsored by Abbott Nutrition)Annual ONTPD Reception - October 1st, 6-9pm(Sponsored by Abbott Nutrition)Fall ONTPD Annual Meeting at the AAP NCE - October2nd, 9am-4pm

MidCaN Rising Star…Trent Tipple MD, FAAPWhat has been youreducation and careerpath so far? A Hoosier bybirth, I received myundergraduate educationat Butler University andmy medical degree atIndiana University Schoolof Medicine, both inIndianapolis. Aftercompletion of pediatricresidency andneonatology fellowship atColumbus Children’sHospital and The OhioState University, I served as an Assistant Professor foreight years. It was a transformative time to be in Columbusas Columbus Children’s grew into what is now known asNationwide Children’s Hospital. In 2014, I moved to theUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham as an AssociateProfessor. This fall, we relocated to Oklahoma City where Inow serve as Section Chief of Neonatal-PerinatalMedicine, Professor of Pediatrics, and the Children’sHospital Foundation Reba McEntire Endowed Chair inNeonatology at the University of Oklahoma College ofMedicine. I have an active laboratory-based researchprogram that merges redox biology with lungdevelopment, injury, and repair in order to develop noveltherapeutic approaches to prevent BPD. I have been

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fortunate to develop my career with NIH funding includingT32, K12, K08, and R01 grants. I am most grateful for theopportunity to create a lab-based environment that hasserved as a platform to mentor undergraduate students,residents, fellows, and non-clinician PhD trainees.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next five years?My relocation comes at a transformative time for TheChildren’s Hospital, the University of Oklahoma College ofMedicine, Oklahoma City, and the state of Oklahoma.Unlike many facilities, all deliveries in the OU system occurwithin The Children’s Hospital. I am fortunate to havetalented and passionate colleagues in the Section ofNeonatal-Perinatal Medicine. We will create aninterdisciplinary Women & Infant’s service line that willintegrate pre-, peri-, and postnatal care of moms andbabies in our state. As one who grew up in a small farmingcommunity, I appreciate the challenges of resourcelimitations. We will use technology to improve support forfront-line providers. We have partnered with the Division ofMaternal Fetal Medicine to create an integrated PerinatalResearch Center within which all lab-based pregnancy andneonatal research will occur. Finally, we will create aninterdisciplinary follow-up program that will enable us tobetter define the short and long-term risks associated withsurviving extreme prematurity. These platforms will createnovel training, career development, and leadershipopportunities for trainees and faculty.

What was the best advice you’ve gotten? Be selfless.

What advice would you give to your TECaNcolleagues? Introduce yourself to anyone you would liketo meet. I would also ask for their advice on the types ofopportunities that will keep them actively engaged inacademic neonatology.

What was smartest career move you’ve made thus far?Asking for advice and following it.

What would you like to change about your career or lifeif you could have a do over? I would be a better listener.

What helps to balance career and out of hospital life?My family and I have been through a lot together and theykeep me grounded. We love to travel together but alsoprioritize frequent one-on-one time. My wife and I takemini-getaways for a few nights each year. My son and Icelebrated his high school graduation with a trip to Turkeythis past summer. Most recently, I’ve discovered howrelaxing a pointless drive to nowhere can be when yourdaughter is the DJ and you’re singing at the top of yourlungs.

What made you get involved with MidCaN and what doyou hope that the group will do? I simply wanted toknow other neonatologists in my generation. We weretrained at a time of rapid expansion of our field with myriadprivate practice opportunities, strained NIH funding, and adesire to live life differently than our predecessors. As the

traditional academic model evolves, I want to ensure thatMidCaN advocates for the ways in which our field mustsimilarly evolve to accommodate the talented andpassionate generation coming after us.

Women in NeonatologyRenate Savich MD, FAAPThe Women in Neonatology (WiN) group continues toexpand and develop new programming to address issuesfaced by WiN. At the AAP NCE in New Orleans, we had anamazing session for the 50 women that attended. Ourkeynote speaker was Dr. Rhonda Acholonu enlightening uson “A PDSA Approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.”Her talk was a timely reminder on how we can addressgender disparities in medicine, starting with how we writeletters of recommendation for other women.

The Steering Committee for WiN had a strategic planningmeeting at the new AAP offices this past summer. First ofall, we now have an official steering committee! Thecurrent Chair of the WiN Steering Committee is MarilynEscobedo and the Chair-Elect is Renate Savich. Othermembers of the Steering Committee are ChristianeDammann, Clara Song, Krithika Lingappan, ShaziaBhombal and Namrita Jain. In the future, we will have aPast Chair, Chair and Chair –Elect, each for two-year termsand six standing members with up to two three-year terms.We have also established six standing committees basedon the feedback from our surveys:

• Leadership• Advocacy• Health/Wellness• Mentoring and Career Development• Membership• Networking and Communication

We are now sending out a call for WiN members to thesecommittees. Several of you have already signed up. If youare interested in participating in one of the committees,please send an email to Monique Phillips at AAP:[email protected]. Let us know if you are interested inleading one of the committees as well.

We have also been very productive in the area ofadvocacy. With the leadership of WiN, the Section on

Save the Date!44th Annual District VIII Conference

June 4-7, 2020Santa Fe, NM

http://www.district8perinatal.org/


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Neonatal Perinatal Medicine submitted a resolution to theAAP Annual Leadership Forum that the AAP take a leadrole in establishing an important parental leave policy forfamilies in the US. We are advocating for a minimum of 12weeks paid parental leave for both parents that areworking. You may have seen that this is an increasinglyimportant topic in the US, as we are the only developedcountry without an impactful parental leave policy. Pleaselet us know if you are interested in work on this advocacyproject!

The new WiN website is up and active:https://services.aap.org/en/community/aap-sections/sonpm/. We have two new Website Editors:Jessica Madden ([email protected]) and co-editor Karen Hussein ([email protected]). Pleasesend them an email if you find something of importance forthe website. As the website becomes more robust, we willhave rotating features of interest, highlight the great thingsyou do, and send out important articles. Several importantarticles on gender equity were just published in Pediatrics.“Women in Pediatrics: Progress, Barriers, andOpportunities for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion” shoulddefinitely be on your reading list! (Pediatrics. 2019Nov;144(5). pii: e20192149. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2019-2149)

We are really looking forward to our two-day WiN meetingin Scottsdale, AZ to be held March 29th and 30th, 2020.The meeting will start right after the Workshop onNeonatal-Perinatal Practice Strategies ends at noon onSunday. The 3rd annual WiN meeting at Scottsdale iscommitted to promoting the wellness and careers ofwomen in neonatology. WiN aims to form a nationalnetwork of women neonatal intensivists, promote womeninto leadership positions, support research andeducational endeavors, and support mentoring andadvocacy for gender equity. Come and connect! We willhave discussions about WiN initiatives, breakout sessions,and networking activities. We are requesting thatattendees offset some of the food and beverage costs forthe three meals with a $25.00 registration fee. We will havepreregistration on line, as well as at the time of themeeting. Thank you to SoNPM for supporting ten TECaNtravel grants to the WiN meeting in Scottsdale.

Our keynote speaker this year, Dr. Bonnie Koo, will besharing strategies on how to manage the unique financialcomplexities we face. Dr. Koo is a dermatologist, motherand creator of Wealthy Mom MD site, which fills in the“enormous gap in knowledge and resources not only onhow women physicians should manage money, but alsohow they should tackle the rising cost of childcare,divorce, elder care, and other unique concerns for usbreadwinning women.” She is a frequent guest on theHippocratic Hustle podcast, discussing financial topicswith host Dr. Carrie Reynolds. Dr. Koo’s mission is to

empower physicians to build wealth toward financialindependence and enable them to build the life they want.

We will also have another WiN Happy Hour at the PediatricAcademic Societies meeting in Philadelphia. Last year wasa great opportunity to catch up with all of you and learnmore about your successes and challenges. More detailsto follow.

Thank you all for your great enthusiasm and interest inWiN. The monthly WiN Newsflash, edited by Namrita Jain,has received tremendous feedback. Current and past WiNNewflashes can be accessed on the WiN website. We willalso send out biweekly wellness features. We are alsoaccepting nominations for the WiNovation Award - anannual award recognizing women neonatologists whosework has contributed towards progressing the role ofwomen in neonatology in an exemplary manner. Pleasecontact WiN Chair Marilyn Escobedo ([email protected]) for questions or suggestions.

TECaN UpdateAshley Lucke MD, FAAPHappy New Year from TECaN! We’re excited for all thegreat things 2020 holds in store for our members! Sinceoverhauling the Executive Council structure in 2019, ourCommittee Chairs focusing on Education, Membership,Research and Quality Improvement, Advocacy, CareerDevelopment and Leadership have been hard at workleading their committees. Below is a list of our TECaNresolutions for 2020!

1. Launch our very own TECaN podcast series to bringcareer guidance, educational resources, leadershipguidance, job search tips and all things TECaN right toyou! Look for an email blast with logistics of how todownload and locate the podcasts on the Sectionlistserv in the future.

2. Award scholarships to attend the Scottsdale Workshopon Neonatal Perinatal Practice Strategies and AAP


WiN at the 2019 AAP NCE in New Orleans

Women in NeonatologyContinued from Page 7

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National Conference and Exhibition. Call forapplications for scholarships to the March Scottsdaleworkshop went out in December and are due byFebruary 2nd. Email [email protected] to inquire how toapply. Information was also sent out in the Decemberand January newsflashes.

3. Complete the TECaN Quality Improvement Road Map(similar to our Research Roadmap) with helpful linksand tips for fellows and ECaNs interested in a career in QI.

4. Assimilate information from graduating fellows on theirjob offers (salary, time, bonuses, etc.) to help TECaNmembers make educated decisions in the job searchnegotiation process. This will also include specificinformation for international medical graduates. Surveylink will be included in our newsflash near the end ofthe academic year.

5. Pass boards for everyone taking it this April (!!) andplan the next phase of our TECaN WhatsApp BoardReview group.

6. Create a leadership structure for residents and medicalstudents within TECaN to build resources and facilitateconnections/networking among our differentmembership levels. If you know a bright resident ormedical student interested in neonatology please referthem to our working group by emailing [email protected] the subject “resident/med student.”

7. Continue updating our newly-launched TECaN websitewith spotlights, announcements and photos fromevents.

8. Plan and launch the next TECaN national advocacycampaign at NCE 2020! Focus will be on psychosocialwellness in the NICU. If interested in joining theplanning group email us at [email protected] with subjectline “advocacy campaign.”

The TECaN Executive Council looks forward to anothergreat year of working with our fantastic members on theseand many more initiatives!

Highlights from the SoNPM Program at the 2019 NCE Angel Rios MD, FAAPLaissez les bon temps rouler - let the good times roll! Agood time was had by all at the 2019 AAP NCE in NewOrleans where the Section on Neonatal Perinatal Medicine(SoNPM) held three sessions.

The first session was dedicated to the human microbiome.The microbiome has been a very hot topic of discussion atmany different levels. It has been stated that maintenanceof a healthy, diverse microbiome promotes immunedevelopment and that an imbalance (dysbiosis) betweenthe types of organism present in an individual’s cancontribute to a wide range of conditions of ill health that

can result in later diseases such as obesity, cardiovasculardisease, cancer, autoimmune disease, necrotizingenterocolitis, premature birth and asthma. Starting thediscussion was Joseph Petrosino from the Baylor Collegeof Medicine discussing current laboratory methods used inexamining the microbiome. Historically study of a microberequired culture-dependent techniques; it was necessaryto grow an organism in the laboratory in order to study it.This discussion centered on culture-independenttechniques such as whole genome sequencing and 16Sribosomal RNA that analyzes the DNA extracted directlyfrom a sample. Dr. Petrosino also discussed current workfrom his Center for Metagenomics and MicrobiomeResearch. Rodney Dietert went on to discuss howpregnancy and birth are the greatest environmental andmicrobial transitions that an infant will face across life.Planning for a healthy microbially complete infant beginswith the pregnant woman. Because the microbiota ismalleable, it is an ideal target for improving health. JosefNeu provided an in-depth review on antibiotic use inpreterm infants and its effects on intestinal microbiome,metabolome and inflammatory mediators. Finally, Jae Kimdiscussed the establishment of stable microbialcommunities within the gastrointestinal tract.

The next session was a partnership with the Section onBreastfeeding. This session was led by Lars Bode whodiscussed the mechanisms by which human milkoligosaccharides are involved in immune development andhealth outcomes of mothers and infants. Tarah Colaizyprovided a comprehensive review on the use of donor milkand its health impacts on preterm infants. Aloka Pateldiscussed hospital-based strategies to improve mother’sown milk use for NICU infants. Sarah Taylor ended thesession by discussing optimizing mother’s milk andnutrition following NICU discharge.

Simulation-based learning has gained center stage inclinical learning. The last session of the Program partneredwith the Section on Simulation and Innovative LearningMethods. Spearheading this interactive session was TaylorSawyer, Chair of the AAP Section on Simulation andInnovative Leaning Methods, and Lou Halamek, StanfordUniversity Medical Center, Director of the Center forAdvanced Pediatric and Perinatal Education (CAPE).Utilizing videos, they focused on effective ways to conductpost-event debriefings in healthcare which are facilitateddiscussions of a clinical event with emphasis on learningand performance improvement.

The 2019 SoNPM Program in New Orleans was veryeducational and a great success! I thank the PlanningCommittee and our partner sections for their contributionsto the Program. Save the date for the 2020 SoNPMProgram at the NCE to be held in San Diego, CA onOctober 2-5.


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2020 AAP NCE SoNPM Program in San Diego, CAClara H Song MDThe 2020 Section on Neonatal Perinatal Medicine (SoNPM)Program at the American Academy of Pediatrics NationalConvention and Exhibition (AAP NCE) will be held in SanDiego, CA. As always, the weekend program will kick offwith the annual fall meeting of the Organization of NeonatalPerinatal Medicine Training Program Directors (ONTPD) onFriday morning, October 2. We’ll round out the eveningwith the Poster Abstract Session and Reception.

Saturday morning opens the platform presentation portionof the annual Scientific Session. The top ten abstracts areinvited to present oral platform presentations. From theseten, the two most outstanding will be awarded the 2020SoNPM Young Investigator Awards. Throughout theweekend, we will also recognize the Marshall KlausResearch Grant recipients and honor our colleagues withthe Neonatal Landmark Award, the Avroy FanaroffEducation Award, the Neonatal Pioneer Award, and the“Nobel Prize of Neonatology,” the Virginia Apgar Award.

A feature character of the 2020 program will be theneonatal cardiac patient. A joint session with Section onCardiology & Cardiac Surgery will open the discussion onthe multidisciplinary team approach to caring for thesevulnerable neonates. Neonatal intensivists, cardiologists,and surgeons will talk through the pre- and post-operativeassessment and management, non-invasive technologiesfor hemodynamic assessment, defining the elusivehemodynamically significant PDA, and transcatheterclosure of the PDA.

The conversation will continue on Sunday, October 4 tofocus on cardiopulmonary dysfunction of the preterm andcritically ill neonate with such topics as transitionalcirculation, left ventricular function and the effect of thevascular bed, myocardial dysfunction in disease states asHIE and CDH, controversies in the management ofhypotension, and precision medicine in hemodynamics.Two concurrent interactive group forums will happen onSunday afternoon, “Case-based Discussion on theHemodynamics of Term vs. Preterm Physiology, PPHN andPDA” and “Neonatal Cardiovascular Compromise:Interpretation of Echocardiogram and Hands-onSimulation-based Assessment.”

Experts in this specialized field of neonatal hemodynamicswill travel from across the country to join the conversation:Gabriel Altit MD, Laurie Armsby MD, Carl Backes Jr. MD,Shazia Bhombal MD, Maky Fraga MD, Regan E. GiesingerMD, Patrick McNamara MB BCH, Shahab Noori MD, RuneToms MD, Victor Levy MD, and more.

Of course, our annual TECaN and MidCaN receptions willhappen on Saturday night. WECaN will lunch on Saturday.

Women in Neonatology (WiN) will have an extended lunchmeeting with keynote speaker Catherine DeAngelis, theEditor-in-Chief Emerita of JAMA.

Connect in the discussion. You will have a front row seat!Can’t wait to see you all!

SoNPM Task Force for NeonatalPerinatal Therapeutic Development:The Process for Advancing theCalifornia Neonatologists and NICUDirectory from Paper/PDF Format intoWeb Directory Ronald L Ariagno MD, FAAP Kimber Padua BSThis article will briefly describe the development of the2019 Neonatal Intensive Care Units (154) andNeonatologists (941) California Web Directory (for publicview see: nicu-directory.cpqcc.org). See original article inJournal of Perinatology for more details about the historyof directories and goals for this project (15 March 2018,https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-018-0097-8).

Chronology for Initiation and Funding (18 months):

The California Association of Neonatologists (CAN) Boardof Directors approved and provided seed funding, alongwith David Stevenson, Chief of the Division of Neonataland Developmental Medicine at Stanford, for the Web-Based Directory Project. Mead Johnson Nutrition (originalfunders of Directory Project 1994-2011) provided a grant.Dilip Bhatt (original author of national and Californiadirectories through 2011), with Marian Adams and JaniceStillwell, obtained all of the current data for California.Fibonacci Web Studio (https://fibonacciwebstudio.com/)collaborated with Dr. Bhatt and Ms. Stillwell to transferPDF data into a web platform. Henry Lee and the CaliforniaPerinatal Quality Care Collaboratives (CPQCC) at Stanford,Dr. Bhatt, and Ron Ariagno presented the original proposalto CAN. Kimber Lee Padua, Clinical Research Coordinatorfor CPQCC, and Meera Sankar, Chair of CAN ResearchCommittee, contributed. The leadership from CAN andCPQCC and the potential to link to the existing CaliforniaNICU database have been key to the success of theProject.

Technical Details on Development:

The NICU Directory website uses the Pantheon platform(https://pantheon.io/company) linked to CPQCC website,which has the NICU clinical data. Pantheon is a “webopsplatform” for Drupal, which allows for a high-performancehosting platform. Drupal (https://www.drupal.org/) is a freeopen-source content management framework, which


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supports the concept that CPQCC and NICU teams cancollaborate and innovate. Patheon and Drupal wereprimarily chosen because they are user-friendly, havecapability to download new data, and are easy to navigateand to share data with others when permitted.

Each center was listed by California city with the address,phone number, fax number, NICU medical director andemail. Each center’s level of practice, number of NICUbeds, availability of hypothermia treatment for hypoxicischemic encephalopathy, and use of inhaled nitric oxideare listed. The Neonatologists, Neonatal NursePractitioners, Neonatal Physician Assistants,Perinatologists (Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists),Hospitalists and Pediatric Surgeons, if relevant, areprovided.

In the web Directory, there are tabs for Centers, NICUMedical Directors and a People Directory. The Centers tabis categorized by Training Centers, California Children’sServices (CCS) Approved NICUs, Non-CCS NICUs, Clinicsand other facilities. The NICU Medical Directors pageshows a list of medical directors matched with theirrespective NICUs. The medical director name is a hyperlinkthat links to their personal page within the directory. TheNICU is a hyperlink that links to that center’s page. ThePeople Directory is organized alphabetically by last name,and has an available search bar to look up providers, withhyperlinks to each of their personal pages within thedirectory. There is also a separate tab for User Guide, formembers to refer to the basic steps of managing theirprofiles or centers, as well as a Feedback tab for membersto offer input to improve the website.

Next Steps and Goals:

Ron Ariagno presented the California Web Directory to theSoNPM Executive Committee at the American Academy ofPediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition (NCE)2019 for review and to initiate discussion for approval andsupport for establishing a National Web Directory. TheCalifornia Web Directory also has complete information forour nine training programs, which was reviewed withOrganization of Neonatal Perinatal Training ProgramDirectors (ONTPD) leadership at the AAP NCE 2019. Theywill survey program directors and their programs to decidewhat data are important for a National ONTPD WebDirectory (last update was 2011).

California is planning a Clinical Regulatory Research WebDirectory. To qualify, NICUs must have resources toachieve the scientific rigor beyond what is usuallyconsidered adequate for routine clinical trials. The ninetraining center NICUs have many affiliate NICUs that couldbe incorporated into a research network to potentiallymaximize participation of virtually all NICUs. A searchfunction could easily identify sites that have the capacity tocollaborate in multiple settings (e.g., NICU and outpatient

clinics) and to track performance conducting various typesof trials.

Conclusion:

For the Web Directory(ies) to be successful it requires: 1.Consensus from neonatologists, clinical programs andONTPD for ownership and inclusivity; 2. Commitment toupdating online; 3. Flexibility to add new information/links(e.g., include information on all subspecialists who makehighest level of intensive care feasible); 4. Plan forsustainability; 5. Agreement on what information isessential for training, clinical practice and research with theultimate goal to improve training, clinical care andoutcomes for mothers and infants.

2020 Spring WorkshopMarch 27-29, Scottsdale, AZKrithika Lingappan MD, FAAPThe 2020 Workshop on Neonatal Perinatal PracticeStrategies is to be held again this year at the beautifulDouble Tree Paradise Valley Resort in Scottsdale, AZ onMarch 27-29, 2020. The planning committee has puttogether an exciting collection of speakers, interactivebreakout sessions and thought-provoking talks andworkshops. This unique conference aims to empowerleadership, provide a forum for networking, guide change,encourage quality and promote advocacy among careproviders in neonatology.

This meeting provides the attendees with the opportunityfor closer interaction with AAP leaders and speakers in anideal setting. The topics are carefully selected to cater to awide range of neonatology providers and all stages ofneonatologists from trainees and early career to moresenior neonatologists.

The meeting kicks off with a unique session on neonatalcoding offered on Friday morning by Dr. Edward Liechtyand group with a case-based discussion of various clinicalscenarios as they relate to coding and billing. New thisyear, there will be a clinical leaders forum for medicaldirectors and quality directors, also on Friday morning. Ledby Drs. Munish Gupta, Jim Barry and Jessica Davidson,the forum aims to become an annual gathering for clinicaldirectors and will provide training and mentorship for theseroles.

We are very happy to have our Apgar Awardee Dr. BarbaraSchmidt present the Butterfield Lecture on Fridayafternoon titled “Caffeine for Apnea of Prematurity - theGood, the Bad and the Ugly.” Dr. Barbara Schmidt hasbeen instrumental in leading some of the most importantRCTs in neonatology including the Trial of IndomethacinProphylaxis in Preterms (TIPP Trial) which showed that thehigh rate of mental and motor deficits in these children is


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not improved by prophylactic treatment with indomethacin.She is also the PI of the Caffeine for Apnea of Prematurity(CAP) trial, which enrolled over 2,000 VLBW infants inNorth America, Europe, Israel and Australia. This trial hasshown that caffeine therapy for apnea of prematurityimproves the rate of survival without neurodevelopmentaldisability after very preterm birth. In addition, she was thelead on the Canadian Oxygen Trial (COT), which comparedthe effects of targeting lower or higher oxygen saturationsin extremely preterm infants on the rate of death ordisability at 18 months. This will be followed by a talk byDr. Satyan Lakshminrusimha on “Advances in NeonatalResuscitation - Oxygen, Chest Compressions andEpinephrine.” Dr. Satyan’s research focuses onresuscitation physiology and this talk will inform theaudience on new insights on resuscitation practices. Dr.Anne Ades will talk about making the delivery room asefficient and safe as an airplane cockpit. Mark Del MonteJD, CEO of AAP, will provide an update of national healthcare policies as they pertain to neonatologists. This will befollowed by a reception for all the meeting registrants,speakers and AAP leadership.

On Saturday morning, three concurrent breakout sessionshave been planned with an early career, management orclinical focus. These are designed to be small groupsessions to allow maximum attendee engagement with the

speaker. Several cutting-edge and practical topics will bediscussed including: Sustained inflation - biologicalplausibility versus therapeutic efficacy, practical aspects ofperforming clinical or translational chest imaging inneonatal patients, regulatory requirements and patientsafety in the NICU, advocacy for the early careerneonatologist, working with your lawyer to prepare asuccessful defense, what you should know beforechoosing a leadership position, building a comprehensiveand successful strategic plan for your NICU, the evolvingdefinition of BPD.

Dr. Stephanie Kukora will lead the Saturday afternoonworkshop, “Medical Improv for Fostering Wellness andResilience in the Workplace.”

The session from the Committee on Fetus and Newborn ofthe AAP on upcoming clinical reports will start off theSunday morning session. This will be followed by a talk byDr. Jason Woods on newer imaging modalities for thephenotyping and management of BPD. Mr. Jeff Kaas(kaastailored.com) will talk to us about the leanmethodology, reducing waste and learning how to adoptcontinuous improvement as a culture.

Throughout the meeting, Dr. DeWayne Pursley will beeliciting responses and opinions from the attendees aboutthe topics that are being addressed through the interactiveuse of the Audience Response System. Attendees will beable to obtain MOC Part II credit through completion ofpre- and post-meeting questions.


Calendar of Meetings33rd Annual Gravens Conference on thePhysical & Development Environment

of the High Risk InfantClearwater Beach, FL

March 4-7, 2020

Perinatal WorkshopScottsdale, AZ

March 27-29, 2020

District VI ConferenceChicago, IL

September 11-12, 2020

AAP National Conference & ExhibitionSoNPM Program

San DiegoOctober 2-6, 2020

VON Annual Quality CongressChicago, IL

November 5-8, 2020

Hot TopicsWashington, DC

December 5-9, 2020

Coding Question Edward Liechty MD, FAAP

You attend the C-section delivery of a 26 week infant.At delivery, the infant breathes spontaneously withmoderate tachypnea and suprasternal retractions.You administer 6 cm H2O CPAP via T-pieceresuscitator. The infant does not become apneic orrequire PPV in the DR. Birth weight is 0.900 kg. Aftertransfer to the NICU, the infant’s respiratory distressworsens, and you perform ET intubation and place anUAC. Chest x-ray shows diffuse severe atelectasisand air bronchograms.

Correct CPT coding for this infant:A. 99465, 31500, 99468B. 99464, 99477C. 99464, 99468

Identify the incorrect ICD-10 code:A. P28.5 Respiratory failure of newbornB. P07.25 Extreme immaturity of newborn,gestational age 26 completed weeks

C. P22.0 Respiratory distress syndrome of newborn

Answer on page 15.

2020 Spring WorkshopContinued from Page 11

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Many focused career groups: Early career (TECaN), mid-career (MidCaN), senior (WECaN) are planning to havenetworking opportunities during the meeting. The Womenin Neonatology (WiN) group will be holding their 3rd annualmeeting after the Workshop this year with great speakersand sessions.

I would like to thank all the Planning Committee membersand the AAP staff who have worked hard to organize the2020 meeting. This meeting is truly unique and offerstopics imperative to the practicing neonatologist. We hopeto see many of you at Scottsdale!

ANNOUNCING! SoNPM ClinicalLeaders Forum for Medical Directorsand Quality DirectorsIncreasingly, NICUs are appointing medical directors andquality directors specifically charged with directing andimproving the clinical service. Substantial anecdotalevidence suggests training and mentorship for these rolesis often lacking. While researchers, educators, andclinicians have numerous professional societies andorganizations that provide them with community andsupport, there does not appear to be an equivalentprofessional “home” for clinical leaders.

The AAP Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine (SoNPM)seeks to help fill this gap by developing a community ofNICU clinical leaders. As a community, we will delve intotopics critical for leadership of a clinical service, rangingfrom patient safety to quality improvement to regulatoryrequirements to team dynamics. This learning communitywill be anchored by an annual meeting at the SoNPMWorkshop on Neonatal-Perinatal Practice Strategies, heldeach spring in Scottsdale. In between the annual meetings,regular communications will support the group’s workthroughout the year.

Potential areas of focus for the Clinical Leaders Forum aremany, and include: Conducting a root cause analysis;organizing morbidity and mortality conference; creatingand maintaining a quality dashboard; understanding JointCommission and other regulatory requirements; writingguidelines and policies; developing leadership skills;achieving academic success and promotion as a clinicalleader; and more. For these topics, we will pursuestructured education and training, as well as using thegroup’s expertise to learn and share through survey andopen discussion.

Our Clinical Leaders Forum will launch at the 2020Workshop on Neonatal-Perinatal Practice Strategieswith a meeting on Friday, March 27, 2020, from 8am to11am. The main conference begins that afternoon at 1pm.There is no additional fee to attend the Clinical Leaders

Forum, but participants must be members of the AAPSoNPM.

The meeting is open to NICU medical directors, NICUquality directors, and neonatologists interested in thesetypes of roles. To join the Clinical Leaders Forum inScottsdale, or to express interest in being part of this newcommunity, please complete a short survey at:https://hms.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5iNH8Tit9iTds7H.For more information about the Workshop, visithttps://shop.aap.org/2020-workshop-on-neonatal-perinatal-practice-strategies-scottsdale-az/. If you are veryexcited about this Forum and would like to help us planthe meeting, or if you have other questions or ideas,please reach out! We hope you will join us!

SoNPM Clinical Leaders Forum Planning Committee

Munish Gupta ([email protected])Jim Barry ([email protected])Jessica Davidson ([email protected])Jeff Meyers ([email protected])

In Memoriam…Lois Johnson-HamermanLois Johnson-Hamerman died on August 10, 2019. Shewas born in Newcomb, NY, a small town in theAdirondacks. She attended Cornell University and receivedher MD from University of Rochester School of Medicine in1952. She completed an adult medicine internship atUniversity of Minnesota Hospital and a pediatricsresidency at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati.

From 1955-1958, she studied bilirubin-induced brain injuryand the etiologies of kernicterus at SUNY Brooklyn. Shecontinued her research at Albert Einstein Hospital beforerelocating to Philadelphia in 1963 to work at Children’sHospital of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Hospital. Sheremained at Pennsylvania Hospital for 40 years.

Dr. Johnson-Hamerman worked closely with PICK (Parentsof Infants and Children with Kernicterus) and developedthe Kernicterus Data Registry which reminded newborncaregivers that kernicterus still occurs and that it isimportant to do bilirubin screening in newborns prior todischarge. She was awarded the 1996 Bilirubin ClubAward for her contributions to bilirubin research andprevention of kernicterus.

Her outside interests included the piano and the violin. Herhusband of 57 years, Conrad Hamerman, died in 2014.They were members of the Philadelphia Museum of Artand supported the Philadelphia Orchestra, thePennsylvania Ballet, and the Opera Company ofPhiladelphia. She is survived by a daughter,granddaughter, brother, and sister.

Adapted from The Philadelphia Inquirer

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MidCaN UpdateDena K. Hubbard MD, FAAPMidCaN members met informally at NCE in New Orleans.Our first event was held Friday afternoon in a joint sessionon mentoring with WECaN. This was followed by theposter walk and SoNPM reception. Saturday night we hada great turnout at the MidCaN reception despite being heldin room 399, the furthest from the front entrance! Cheers tothose who took the hike to get there, we all got our stepsin for the day!

Speaking of steps, two MidCaN members stepped up andstarted their terms as district representatives on theSoNPM Executive Committee after NCE. Congrats againto Alexis Davis (IX) and Josh Petrikin (VI)!

The next official MidCaN meeting will be Friday morningMarch 27th at the SoNPM Workshop on Neonatal-Perinatal Practice Strategies in Scottsdale. This will includethe Clinical Leaders Forum led by Munish Gupta and aninteractive session on creating your leadership elevatorspeech.

The focus area for MidCaN in 2019-2020 is leadershipdevelopment. MidCaN hosted their first quarterly webinarAugust 13th, “Setting Career Goals and Defining YourSuccess,” presented by Steve Olsen (SoNPM member)and Mary Anne Jackson (Peds ID). This presentation wasinformative and inspiring. It was recorded and is availablefor viewing on the new and improved website. Subsequentwebinar topics include developing your leadership skills,creating your elevator speech, leading QI efforts, andfinancial planning. Stay tuned for next webinar date whichwill be announced soon. Please share with your colleaguesand institutions, as these webinars are not limited toMidCaN or even SoNPM members. Additional leadershipresources are coming soon to the MidCaN website.

Be on the lookout for the inaugural MidCaN Newsflash setto release in January 2020. This will be a regular feature toshare and advertise MidCaN opportunities, events, andresources. This project is being led by Eric Horowitz,Andrea Duncan, Mobolaji Famuyide, and Dan Malleske.Tara Randis and Andrea Duncan are directing websitecontent and updates. Reach out to any of these individualsif you have an idea or resource to share for the newsflashor website.

Save the date: January 14th at 2 pm CST for “MidCaNCoffee Break Discussion on Leadership,” presented byHeather Kaplan and Elizabeth Rogers. This interactivevirtual journal club will begin with the review of twoHarvard Business Review articles as a framework forsharing challenges and lessons learned in our leadershippositions within our divisions, departments, andinstitutions. Check your email for further details.

Current MidCaN opportunities:

MidCaN members are currently reviewing, editing andcreating content related to neonatology forHealthyChildren.org. If you are interested in joining thiseffort, please email Dena Hubbard ([email protected]).Each article can have up to two authors and provides agreat opportunity to collaborate with TECaN or WECaNmembers.

MidCaN subcommittees and committee leaders are listedbelow. If you have an interest in joining one of thesecommittees, please email MidCaN Co-chairs Alexis [email protected] and Dena [email protected].

Leadership/Career Development: Heather Kaplan andAlexis Davis

Mentorship: Bolaji Famuyide, Kurlen Payton, DanMalleske

Physician Wellness: Fola Kehinde and Dena HubbardAdvocacy: Tara Randis and Josh PetrikinQI: Munish Gupta

If you are a mid-career neonatologist 7-17 years out offellowship, you are a MidCaN member! There is no extracost to your AAP/SoNPM membership to participate inMidCaN activities. Join the listserv and we’ll keep youinformed about resources and opportunities within theSoNPM and AAP. We are here for you and because of you!

If you would like to join the MidCaN listserv or areinterested in becoming more involved, please emailMidCaN co-chairs Alexis Davis [email protected] andDena Hubbard [email protected]. We hope to see youin sunny Scottsdale!

WECaN Meets at NCEStephen A Pearlman MD, MS, FAAPWECaN had another successful meeting at the NCE inNew Orleans. Our meeting began with a brief businessmeeting to discuss the future directions for our specialinterest group and topics for future meetings. Onesuggestion made is that WECaN take on a special projectto work on and we are hoping to get suggestions from ourmembership. Regarding topics for future meetings we areconsidering retirement planning, developing one’s outsideinterests, wills and trusts, different models for cutting backand if and when someone should stop teaching. Again, wewelcome additional topics, comments on these topics andsuggestions for speakers.

Following the business meeting, Scott Duncan MD, MHA,FAAP, Director of Neonatology at the University ofLouisville and Secretary/Treasurer of WECaN, gave awonderful talk about creating your legacy. He drew on his

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experiences of knowing Billy Andrews, one of the legendsof neonatology who passed away earlier this year. Scottused Billy’s life and achievements as a touchstone for howone can go about creating a legacy.

After Scott, Carl Bose MD from University of NorthCarolina and Ann Stark MD, from Beth Israel in Boston,gave a fireside chat about mentorship. WECaN was veryfortunate to have these two outstanding clinicians andacademicians who have mentored and continue to mentormany individuals over the years. Next, Dena Hubbard MD,from Children’s Mercy in Kansas City and a MidCaNmember, and Ashley Lucke MD, from Children’s National in

Coding Answer (Question on page 12)The correct CPT coding for this infant is C.

99464 is Attendance at delivery (when requested by the delivering physician or other qualified health careprofessional) and initial stabilization of newborn. All DR procedures and therapy up to but not includingcardiopulmonary resuscitation (PPV and/or chest compressions) are included in the intraservice work of thiscode.

99465 is Delivery/birthing room resuscitation, provision of positive pressure ventilation and/or chestcompressions in the presence of acute inadequate ventilation and/or cardiac output. In this case CPAP, but notPPV, was employed, so 99465 may not be reported, even though the CPAP was delivered by a T-pieceresuscitator. A common question is, “Why is CPAP not considered resuscitation?” Historically, 99465 waspatterned on and justified by analogy with 99250 Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (e.g., in cardiac arrest). Clearly,CPAP alone would not justify 99250.

31500 is intubation, endotracheal, emergency procedure. This procedure is bundled with 99468, and cannot bereported as the intubation was performed after transfer to the NICU.

The incorrect ICD-10 code is A (P28.5 Respiratory failure of newborn). An ICD coding principle is that the mostspecific code should be used and signs/symptoms that are inherent in the specific code should not be coded inaddition. For instance, since wheezing is inherent is acute asthma, one would not code asthma and wheezingconcurrently. Since respiratory failure is inherent in RDS, it is not proper to code both RDS and respiratoryfailure. Furthermore, an “Excludes 1” notation exists for these two codes. Excludes 1 means “these codesshould never be used at the same time” unless the conditions are not related, but in this instance they are. It ispossible to get an initial denial of payment if P28.5 and P22.0 are used together.

You may however, and should, use the verbiage “respiratory failure” in your documentation. Suggestedadmission or progress note documentation would be: “This infant continues to require mechanical ventilation forrespiratory failure secondary to respiratory distress syndrome.” This will signify to an auditor that a critical careCPT code is justified.

Complete ICD-10 coding for this infant is:Z38.01 Single liveborn infant, delivered by cesarean *P07.03 Extremely low birth weight newborn, 750-999 gramsP07.25 Extreme immaturity of newborn, gestational age 26 completed weeksP22.0 Respiratory distress syndrome of newborn

*Z38.xx codes are used only at the birth hospital. If the infant in the scenario had been transferred to youfrom a referral hospital, you would not use Z38.01

DC and a TECaN member, set us straight on what theyneed from a mentor at the respective stages in theircareers. A robust discussion involving audience membersensued and valuable learning took place.

We will be planning our next meeting for the NeonatalPerinatal Practice Strategies Workshop in Scottsdale nextspring. As always we welcome feedback from all WECaNmembers. If you would like to join our group, pleasecontact Stephen Pearlman [email protected] Scott Duncan [email protected]. We willadd you to the listserv that will keep you up to date onWECaN happenings.

Executive Committee Roster 2020www.aap.org/perinatal SECTION ON NEONATAL-PERINATAL MEDICINE

Mark Hudak MD FAAPChairpersonJacksonville, [email protected]

John A F Zupancic MD ScD FAAPImmediate Past Chair Boston, [email protected]

Lily J Lou MD FAAPChair-ElectAnchorage, [email protected]

Munish Gupta MD FAAPDISTRICT I, Exec Comm MemberBoston, [email protected]

Angel Rios MD FAAPDISTRICT II, Exec Comm MemberAlbany, [email protected]

Michael Alan Posencheg MD FAAPDISTRICT III, Exec Comm MemberNewtown Square, [email protected]

Brian Paul Hackett, MD FAAPDISTRICT IV, Exec Comm MemberNashville, [email protected]

Beena Gaind Sood MD MS FAAPDISTRICT V, Exec Comm MemberDetroit, [email protected]

Joshua Erin Petrikin MD FAAPDISTRICT VI, Exec Comm MemberOverland Park, [email protected]

Clara Song MD FAAPDISTRICT VII, Exec Comm MemberOklahoma City, [email protected]

James Scott Barry, MD FAAPDISTRICT VIII, Exec Comm MemberAurora, [email protected]

Alexis S Davis MD FAAP DISTRICT IX, Exec Comm MemberPalo Alto, [email protected]

Jose Antonio Perez MD FAAPDISTRICT X, Exec Comm MemberSanford, [email protected]

Carl L Bose MD MPH FAAPOf CounselChapel Hill, [email protected]

Heather H Burris, MD, FAAPTECaN MentorPhiladelphia, [email protected]

Ashley Lucke MD FAAPTECaN ChairWashington, [email protected]

Sergio G Golombek MD MPHHistory ChairScarsdale, [email protected]

Edward A Liechty, MD FAAPChair, Coding CommitteeIndianapolis, [email protected]

Mary Nock MD FAAPNewsletter EditorCleveland, [email protected]

Thomas Parker MD FAAPTECaN MentorAurora, [email protected]

Stephen Pearlman MD MS FAAPWeCaN ChairNeward, [email protected]

Renate D Savich MD FAAP Chair, Women in Neonatology Jackson, [email protected]

Ann R Stark MD FAAPChair, Fellow Education CommitteeBoston, [email protected]

Krithika LingappanWebsite Committee ChairHouston [email protected]

Jorn-Hendrik Weitkamp MD FAAPChair, Research CommitteeNashville, [email protected]

Dena K Wisner Hubbard MD FAAPMidCaN MentorKansas City, [email protected]

Rakhi Gupta Basuray MD FAAPSection on Hospital Medicine LiaisonNew Albany, [email protected]

SECTION COMMITTEE CHAIRSAND LIAISONS

Wanda Barfield MD MPH FAAPLiaison, Centers for Disease Control(CDC)Atlanta, [email protected]

Media Esser NANN LiaisonWauwatosa, [email protected]

Garrett K Lam MD Liaison, Society for Maternal-Fetal MedicineChattanooga, [email protected]

Raylene Phillips, MD, FAAP Liaison, National Perinatal AssociationLonedell, [email protected]

Heather French MD, MSEd, FAAPChair, Organization of Neonatal-PerinatalTraining Program DirectorsWynnewood, [email protected]

Jim Couto, MADirector, Hospital and Surgical SubspecialtiesAmerican Academy of PediatricsPhone: (630) [email protected]

Monique Phillips, MAManager, Hospital and [email protected]

Vivian ThorneManager, Hospital and Surgical SubspecialtiesPhone: (630) [email protected]

AAP STAFF

ORGANIZATION LIAISONS

16


disparities influencing the provision of breastmilk for our preterm infants.

We thank newborn hospitalist Mustafa Caylanas he continues to shape Baystate Children’sHospital’s first Pediatric Palliative Careprogram.

We extend a special thanks to our “family” ofper diem neonatologists: Stephen Bean,Thomas Campfield, Barbara Kelly, KathleenMeyer and Gary Rockwell for providingexceptional care to our newborns and neededrelief to our faculty as we rebuild our Division.

The success of our Telemedicine Program forRetinopathy of Prematurity Evaluation,pioneered by Rachana Singh, has sparkedinterest in a new application for Telehealth in thecare of newborns at risk for NeonatalAbstinence Syndrome. Again, with Rachana’svision, we are excited to launch atelemonitoring program for a subset of oursubstance exposed newborns to betransitioned early on to their own homes forrooming-in, prior to, and in hopes of preventing,the initiation of pharmacotherapy. The programwill allow for home monitoring and support forboth mothers impacted with Opioid UseDisorder (OUD) as well as their infants withfocus on maternal adherence to medications forOUD treatment, preventing postpartum relapse,depression, and improvement in infant growthtrajectory and enrollment in EI programs. Thiswork is supported by grant funding provided toBaystate Medical Center through the MA statebudget for year 2020.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston

We are excited to highlight our DepartmentChair, DeWayne Pursley, who recently receivedtwo extremely prestigious awards. In October,BIDMC presented DeWayne with the Daniel J.Jick Excellence in Leadership Award for his 28years of service as a physician-leader in thecommunity and dedication to compassionate,innovative patient care. In December, HarvardMedical School recognized DeWayne with theBarbara J. McNeil Faculty Award forExceptional Service. This highly selective awardwas established “to recognize and celebratefaculty who have set the standard for service atHMS/HSDM through their personal initiative inproviding service and engaging others to do thesame.”

Our department was proud to host RearAdmiral Wanda Barfield as she was honoredwith the Marie McCormick Lectureship inNeonatal Health Services Research andEpidemiology on November 7, 2019.

Dara Brodsky and Cami Martin recentlyreleased the 3rd edition of Neonatology Reviewwith enhanced content and visuals. This editionis a five-volume study guide, available in blackand white and in color. The books are availableat http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/neonatologyreview.

With the integration of BIDMC and LaheyHospitals, we eagerly welcome theneonatologists based at Beverly Hospital andWinchester Hospital to our department. These

Rounds for Holocaust Remembrance Week atMt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto on, “The Legacy ofthe Nazi Physicians: How the Holocaust InformsMedical Ethics.”

SAVE THE DATE! The Second Annual RichardA. Ehrenkranz Neonatology Symposium will beheld at Yale School of Medicine on April 20,2020. Speakers will include Alan Flake,Camilia Martin, Richard Martin, MarkMercurio, Angela Montgomery, and JonTyson. There will be a social event the eveningbefore to give old friends a chance to catch up.The 2019 Symposium drew a large nationalaudience and the same is expected for anexcellent conference in April. More informationto come. Any questions, please contactValencia Culbreath, [email protected]

Caty Buck and Sarah Taylor will be serving onthe Journal of Perinatology Editorial Boardstarting in January 2020.

MAINE

Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor

Our community extends its deepest thanks toMark Brown, who is retiring after more thanfour decades in newborn medicine. We wishhim the best in the next phase of hisadventures!

MASSACHUSETTS

Baystate Medical Center, Springfield

We want to thank Rachana Singh, MedicalDirector of our NICU and Associate Professor ofPediatrics at UMMS-Baystate, for her countlesscontributions over the past 15 years to ourNewborn Division, the Department ofPediatrics, Baystate Medical Center and thechildren/families of Western Massachusetts. Itis truly our loss, and she will surely be missed,as she departs Baystate to join the FloatingHospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center asthe Associate Chief of Neonatology and theDirector of the Neonatal Fellowship Program.

We would like to welcome Amy Blake who isreturning home to western Massachusetts andjoining our pediatric faculty at UMMS-Baystatein our Division of Newborn Medicine. Amy willlater be joined by Kate Horan, anotherMassachusetts native, and former Baystatepediatric resident, as she completes herneonatology fellowship at Jackson MemorialHospital-University of Miami.

Robert Rothstein continues to serve as InterimDivision Chief of Baystate’s Division of NewbornMedicine and champions NICU Solutions forPatient Safety (SPS) quality improvement. OurNICU, with JoAnne DeStasio redirecting ourPICC team and NICU nursing practicessurrounding CLABSI, was awarded the AnnualBaystate Medical Center 21st President’sExcellence Award-Distinguished PerformerQuality Category.

Our thriving newborns thank Laura Madore forher innovative research on breast milkmacronutrient analysis and addressing racial

CONNECTICUT

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Hartford

We congratulate James Moore who was the2019 recipient of the Graham’s FoundationAward for Contributions to Neonatology,presented by the Graham’s Foundation in NewYork City, November 7, 2019.

We congratulate Naveed Hussain who wonBest Platform Presentation at the AAP Sectionon International Child Health for his work inIndia, “Safe Care, Saving Lives.”

Mishika Malik received a travel award for herwork on the “Impact of Dietary Carbohydrateson Cytotoxin-Producing K. Oxytoca: A PotentialPathway to NEC.”

We were pleased to host our 4th AnnualSymposium on Neonatal Advances that tookplace on September 19, 2019. This year thefocus was on nutrition. Speakers includedMichael Georgieff who spoke on the IUGRbaby, Sarah Taylor on vitamin D health, DavidAdamkin on the use of human milk andfortification, Dena Goldberg on indicators ofmalnutrition, Marion Groetch on food allergy,and Betty Vohr on growth outcomes. DavidAdamkin gave the Memorial Lecture for JeffBartlett, who suddenly passed away this year.

SAVE THE DATE! Connecticut Children’s andthe University of Connecticut will be hosting our5th annual Symposium on Neonatal Advanceson September 24, 2020 at our location in theUniversity of Connecticut School of Medicine inFarmington, CT. The 2020 program will focus onupdates in respiratory care and will featureWaldemar Carlo, Bradley Yoder, HareshKirpalani, Vinneet Bhandari, and SaraDeMauro.

We welcomed Veronica Fabrizio to our faculty.She graduated from her neonatology fellowshipat Yale in June and will be working with ourclinical research team at the ConnecticutChildren’s Human Milk Research Center.

Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital

Harris Jacobs will be retiring in January 2020.Harris has been a valued member of the Yaleneonatology faculty for over three decades. Heis a nationally respected and innovativeinvestigator in addition to being a giftedclinician and teacher. His work advanced ourunderstanding of pulmonary physiology, inparticular, surfactant physiology. In more recentyears, he has served as the Chairman ofPediatrics at the Bridgeport campus of theYale-New Haven Children’s Hospital. We wishhim years of relaxation and fun in his retirement,and thank him for doing so much for babies,families, his trainees, and his colleagues.

Mark Mercurio was an invited speaker forBioethics Week in November at the Hospital forSick Children in Toronto, speaking on,“Approaching Ethical Dilemmas inNeonatology.” He also spoke at Medical Grand

DISTRICT I:Munish Gupta

17

convalescing preterm infants and makes thefamily members active participants in thebedside care of their baby, including asparticipators and presenters on daily NICUrounds. An app for tablets and smart phoneshas been created to facilitate parentaleducation and the app is available at the AppStore and Google Play (South Shore HealthNICU Family Integrated Care).

Tufts Medical Center, Boston

Jill Maron was recently awarded a R01 fromNICHD for her project, “Salivary Diagnostics forSepsis Screening the Newborn,” which seeks tocombine the latest technological advances forbiomarker quantification with non-invasivesalivary diagnostics to develop acomprehensive salivary infection-screeningplatform into neonatal care.

Jill Maron was named Co-Editor-in-Chief ofClinical Therapeutics, and has given severalrecent invited lectures, including at the 2019New York Regional Neonatology & PerinatalSymposium, at the 2019 American DentalEducation Association Annual Meeting, and atthe recent NICHD Clinical Scientist InvestigatorMeeting.

Jon Davis is the Chair of the SteeringCommittee of the NICHD HEAL Initiative OBOEstudy, the largest longitudinal study of infantswith antenatal opioid exposure to date, seekingto combine developmental assessments, serialMRIs, and parental and environmentalassessments to better understand long-termoutcomes of infants at risk for NAS.

Jon Davis was awarded the Zucker FamilyPrize from Tufts University School of Medicinefor an outstanding research career.

Tufts is very excited to welcome RachanaSingh from Baystate who is joining us asAssociate Chief of Neonatology and Director ofthe Neonatal Fellowship Program.

Geoff Binney has been named Chair ofPediatrics at Tufts Medical Center.

UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center,Worcester

UMass Neonatology was excited to host theannual Griffin Conference this past November.This year’s event, led by Organizing CommitteeChair Sanjay Aurora, brought together ourcommunity to hear outstanding presentationson BPD, shared decision-making, point-of-careultrasound, and more. SAVE THE DATE! Nextyear’s Griffin conference will be November 20,2020. Feel free to contact Sanjay [email protected] to getinvolved with next year’s planning.

RHODE ISLAND

Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island,Providence

Joseph Bliss presented on candidalcolonization in newborns at the InternationalAssociation for Dental Research in Vancouver,BC in June.

Adam Czynski presented at the Rhode IslandIdeA Symposium in June and at the Marcé of

outstanding physicians will continue to providecare at the Lahey Hospitals as well as in theNICU at BIDMC, while pursuing a wide varietyof academic interests. Welcome AsimeniaAngelidou, Maushumi Assad, KimberleeChatson, Ivana Culic, Ceara Deno, JustinGoldstein, Aimee Knorr, Jennifer Lee, KarenMcAlmon, Iris Streimish, Nancy Weinschenkand Diana Yanni!

We are also excited to welcome Amy Fan toour department! Amy is a primary carepediatrician in our community and will join ournewborn nursery Cochran Newborn Service.

Boston Children’s Hospital

In September 2019, Christos Papadelis movedto Fort Worth, TX to become the Director ofResearch at the Jane and John JustinNeurosciences Center of Cook Children’sHealth Care System. We wish him well in thisnew role!

Ellen Grant received a R01 for her project,“Novel MRI Assessment of Placental Structureand Function throughout Pregnancy,” and gavekeynote presentations at the InternationalWorkshop on Pediatric Neuroimaging and theNICHD Neonatal Research Network SteeringCommittee.

Kiho Im received the AHA grant, “Developing aPredictive Model of Fetal to Neonatal BrainDevelopment in Congenital Heart Disease.”

Philip Levy will be honored as the keynotespeaker of the Hemodynamics Club at thePediatric Academic Societies AnnualConference in May 2020.

Eric Greer received the Presidential EarlyCareer Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Our newest faculty member, ElizabethTaglauer, was awarded the European YoungInvestigator Exchange Program Award by theSociety for Pediatric Research.

We are very excited to share numerous recentachievements from our outstanding fellows:Lauren Frazer was appointed President-electof the Society for Pediatric Research’s JuniorSection. Julie Thai won the Hot Topics inNeonatology Fellow Award for her project onreducing antacid use in the NICU andpresented her work at the Hot Topics inNeonatology Quality Day. Samantha Enstadand Emily Herzberg received travel grantawards from the Vermont Oxford Network.Helen Healy, Alejandra Barrero Castillero andJonathan Levin received TECaN travel awardsfor the AAP NCE. Jonathan also received anaward and excellence in research grant from theNeonatal Cardiopulmonary Biology YoungInvestigators Forum.

Boston Medical Center

We welcome Bharati Sinha, who is returning toBMC to be the Director of Quality and Safety forNewborn Medicine.

Meg Parker, Elisha Wachman, BernadetteLevesque, and Vincent C. Smith were allpromoted to Associate Professor of Pediatricsat Boston University School of Medicine.

Elisha Wachman continues to earn well-deserved national attention for her pioneeringwork to improve the care of mothers andnewborns impacted by perinatal opioid use.She and her team were awarded a $1.8 milliongrant from the NIDA Clinical Trial Network for arandomized study of different formulations ofbuprenorphine for pregnant women with opioiduse disorder. They hosted Melania Trump atBoston Medical Center to share theircomprehensive program to support thesefamilies.

Bobbi Philip published her new book entitledThe Breastfeeding Blueprint.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston

Mandy Belfort and her team were awardedfunding from the National Institute forIntegrative Healthcare for the Nourishrandomized trial of individually targeted humanmilk fortification.

The “My Brigham Baby App” was launched byCarmina Erdei and team. This tool providesmultiple opportunities for families to join theirbaby’s care even when not present in the NICU.

Sailaja Ghanta, Foti Spyropoulos, and fellowJon Levin presented at the sixth annualNeonatal Cardiopulmonary Biology YoungInvestigators Forum. Saila and Jon werehonored with Young Investigator Awards fortheir presentations. Also, Saila was recentlyelected to the Society for Pediatric Research.

The 4th New England Neonatal NeurocriticalCare Conference led by Terrie Inder andMohamed El-Dib was held in October 2019and was a great success. This year’sconference again focused on neuromonitoringand neuroimaging, and brought together 100medical professionals to learn about theinterpretation and clinical application ofneonatal aEEG, NIRS, HUS, and MRItechnologies. Be on the lookout for theannouncement for next year’s conference!

South Shore Hospital, South Weymouth

South Shore Hospital was selected toparticipate in the National Action Partnership toPromote Safe Sleep Improvements andInnovation Network. The national initiativeseeks to make safe sleep and infant breastfeeding the national norm, and thereby reduceinfant deaths. The South Shore team is led byEyad Zahr.

Bonnie Arzuaga has the role of Site PrincipalInvestigator at South Shore Hospital for a NIH-funded project entitled, “Antenatal ConsultationPractice at Extreme Prematurity: Can We ElicitFamilies’ Values, Preferred Language andConsultation Approach to Improve Decision-Making and Satisfaction?” The project is led byChristy Cummings from Boston Children’sHospital.

Zuzanna Kubicka and the nursing staff atSouth Shore Hospital are changing the model ofNICU care from Family-Centered Care toFamily-Integrated Care (FI Care). The FI Caremodel recasts the role of NICU nurses asmentors, models and educators for families of

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SECTION ON NEONATAL-PERINATAL MEDICINE Winter 2020 www.aap.org/perinatal

19


North America (MONA) Conference in ChapelHill, NC in October on care of newborns withneonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome, includinginformation on a new multi-state randomizedtrial.

Martin Keszler was invited to share hisrespiratory physiology and mechanicalventilation expertise at a number of eventsincluding the XVI International Symposium onMechanical Ventilation in Neonatology andPediatrics in São Paulo, Brazil; the Workshopon Neonatal Ventilation in Traunstein, Germany;the First Russian Congress of PediatricAnesthesiologists and Reanimatologists inMoscow, Russia; the IPOKRaTES ClinicalSeminar at the Henan Children’s Hospital inZhengzhou, China; the Guangzhou InternationalInfant Chronic Lung Disease Forum inGuangzhou, China; the Best of IPOKRaTES: AnUpdate in Neonatology in Naples, Italy; and the39th Annual Symposium Advances andControversies in Neonatal Medicine inNashville, TN.

Abbot Laptook presented the 2019 John S.Curran Endowed Lectureship in NewbornHealth at the University of South Florida inTampa, FL in November. His talk was entitled,“Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy: Outcomeswith Therapeutic Hypothermia.”

Beatrice Lechner presented on a variety oftopics related to ethics and palliative care at theOrganization of Neonatal Training ProgramDirectors meeting in New Orleans, LA; at theEuropean Neonatal Ethics Conference inSouthampton, UK; and at St. Mary’s Hospital inthe National Health Service in Manchester, UK.

Barbara Stonestreet participated in a video-assisted NIH Neuroscience Special EmphasisPanel on “The Blood-Brain Barrier,Neurovascular System and CNS Therapeutics.”

Betty Vohr was invited to present her ongoingwork on improving long-term outcomes forpreterm infants at the 26th InternationalPerinatal Collegium in Porto Carras, Greece; the4th Annual Symposium on Neonatal Advancesin Farmington, CT; and at the 43rd MiamiNeonatology Conference in Miami Beach, FL.

Women & Infants Follow-up Clinic held aReunion Party celebration on September 15,2019 for former premature babies < 1250 gramsat birth and born in 2015 that spent time in ourNICU. Children and their families were treatedwith a magician, ice cream, cake, activity tablesand balloon animals.

NEW YORK

Bernard and Millie Duker Children’s Hospital atthe Albany Medical Center

Congratulations to Upender Munshi, JenniferCerone and Angel Rios for organizing asuccessful 11th Annual Current Topics inNeonatal Nutrition and Advances in NeonatalCare in Tarrytown, NY. Guest speakers included

District II:Angel Rios

Richard Polin, Susan Lynch. Aloka Patel,Jochen Profit, Ian Griffin, Rick Guidotti,Sagori Mukhopadhyay, Alan Fleischman, andSara Ramel. Special thanks to this year’smoderators: Sergio Golombek, DeborahCampbell, John Zupancic, and Andy Hopper.

Good luck and farewell to Angel Rios who, after20 years of incredible service, will be moving onto his new role as a Professor of Pediatrics atthe University of Washington/Seattle Children’sHospital where he will be the Associate Directorof the UW Medical Center NICU.

Children’s Hospital at Montefiore/Albert EinsteinCollege of Medicine, Bronx

Congratulations to Suhas Nafday who waspromoted to Professor of Pediatrics and SheriNemerofsky who was promoted to AssociateProfessor of Pediatrics.

Kudos to Mariam (Susan) LaTuga on herelection to the Society for Pediatric Research.

Suhas Nafday is site PI for the NIH-funded,eight-site multicenter consented pilot newbornscreening study, ScreenPlus, being conductedin NYS. Parents are offered the option to havetheir babies screened for an additional 13disorders beyond the current 47 disorderstested. The results of the study will providecritical information about whether thesedisorders should be added to routine newbornscreening panels nationwide.

Suhas Nafday was keynote speaker at the 3rdAnnual Patient Safety Conference, More toHealthcare: Perception vs. Reality, New Delhi,India from February 1-2, 2019. He sharedperspectives on “Engaging Family Caregivers asPartners in Transition” and “Safe and Cost-Effective Approach to Improve ICU CareUtilizing Multifaceted QI Methodology.”

Farewell to Angel Rios, dear friend, colleague,and former neonatal fellow (1989-1992) andfaculty member (1992-1999) at Montefiore-Einstein who has relocated from Albany MedicalCenter to Seattle, joining the faculty at theUniversity of Washington School of Medicineand Seattle Children’s Hospital. Angel has alsobeen the conference organizer for the AnnualUpdate in Neonatal Care and Neonatal Nutritionconference held in Tarrytown, NY for the past 11years and served as the AAP District IIrepresentative to the Section on NeonatalPerinatal Medicine. In recognition of his manycontributions, friends and colleagues presentedAngel with a gift to support his passion forphotography and a crystal awardacknowledging these important roles and hisdedication to his patients, their families and hiscommunity.

Thomas Havranek will be assumingresponsibility for the Annual Update in NeonatalCare and Neonatal Nutrition Conference held inTarrytown, NY.

Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, Valhalla

Farewell and good luck to Sergio Golombekwho will assume the role of Division Chief atJoseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital/Hackensack University Medical Center, NJ in

2020. He will continue as president of the Ibero-American Society and History Chair, AAPSection on Neonatal Perinatal Medicine.

Edmund LaGamma has received funding fromMallinckrodt to study the effects of iNO duringPRBC transfusions with Rachana Singh atBaystate Children’s Hospital, University ofMassachusetts and Uduak Akpan at EastCarolina University Hospital.

The RPC at MFCH began a neonataltelemedicine program with Kingston Hospital’slevel I newborn program in 2019. HeatherBrumberg received a site-grant from the NYSDOH to expand this program to other hospitalsin our network.

Due to high utilization, we are expanding ourregional NICU in 2020 by nine beds to a total of58 beds; we are grateful to be able to serveeven more patients in our Lower Hudson Valleycatchment area.

Congratulations to Shetal Shah, who assumedthe post of AAP Chapter 2 President in July. Hewas instrumental in helping push NassauCounty legislation to prohibit the sale offlavored vape products at the state and countylevel and has been recognized for his work incombating anti-vaccine misinformation as wellas coordinating pediatric statewide advocacyefforts to pass legislation which allows onlymedical exemptions from school vaccinationrequirements.

Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital/New York-Presbyterian

Elvira Parravicini and the Neonatal ComfortCare Program received the 2019 ASTRAAWARD from The New Jersey Communication,Advertising and Marketing Association for bestprint media – brochure.

Rakesh Sahni was appointed a member of theAmerican Board of Pediatrics Sub-board ofNeonatal-Perinatal Medicine.

The Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital NICUwas chosen as a VON Center of Excellence andasked to present our work on parentengagement in NICU discharge for the VONiNICQ webinar on December 11th.

Amelie Collins was selected to be a member ofthe Society for Pediatric Research.

Richard Polin is Co-PI for the NANO (NICUAntibiotics and Outcomes) Trial which hasreceived funding by the NICHD.

Educational grants from Mead Johnson, AbbottNutrition, Vapotherm, and Prolacta wereawarded to support the Annual AlumniMemorial Lectureship at Morgan StanleyChildren’s Hospital on December 5, 2019. Thetheme was neonatal resuscitation and guestspeakers were Stuart Hooper, Anup Katheria,and Georg Schmoelzer.

Elvira Parravicini received a donation of$25,000 from the Knights of ColumbusCharitable Fund in support of the NeonatalComfort Care Program.�She received grantawards from the AAP Section on NeonatalPerinatal Medicine, Abbott, Mead-Johnson, and

the Al Smith Foundation to support theprogram, “Next-Level Perinatal/NeonatalComfort Care Training: Creating anInterdisciplinary Palliative Care Plan for EachBaby and Their Family” that will take place onJune 19-21, 2020 at Mailman School of PublicHealth. �

Congratulations to Amelie Collins who was thewinner of the Young Investigator Al CassadyAward at the 2019 Perinatal Research SocietyAnnual meeting in Minneapolis. �

Martha Welch was awarded $4.5 million in giftsfor the Nurture Science Program in Pediatrics. �

Richard Polin was guest speaker at Ipokratesin Naples, Italy in November 2019. He spoke atCool Topics in Neonatology 2019 in Melbourne,Australia; at the Maternal & Infant Healthconference in Oaxaca, Mexico; at Neonatus2019 in Warsaw, Poland; and at Haifa Universityin Haifa, Israel.

Kristina Orfali was invited to give four lecturesat the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris-Sorbonne on “Bioethics and Religion: AComparative Perspective France - USA” and“The Impact of Religion in Clinical Practice inthe US.” She was also invited to give a lectureat the British University in Egypt on “MedicalInterventions in the Interest of Others” in Cairo.

Richard Polin published Workbook in PracticalNeonatology, 6th edition, Elsevier.

New York Health and Hospital Elmhurst/MountSinai School of Medicine

Congratulations to Uday Patil, who waspromoted to Director of Neonatology.

Nassau University Medical Center, EastMeadows

Congratulations to Rita Verma who recentlywas appointed Director of Neonatal-PerinatalMedicine.

Rita Verma was invited to deliver the keynotespeech at the International Conference inPediatrics and Neonatology, discussing“Controversies in the Current Treatment ofHypotension in Premature Neonates” in July inAmsterdam.

Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s MedicalCenter Northwell Health, New Hyde Park

We welcomed Naomi Cohen who joined usfrom NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi MedicalCenter.

Vita Boyar presented on Neonatal Coding at anAAP-sponsored coding webinar in June. InOctober, she spoke on, “Evaluation of Safetyand Efficacy of a Concentrated Surfactant Gelin Management of Complex Neonatal andPediatric Wounds” at Fall Symposium onAdvanced Wound Care in Las Vegas, NV.

Vita Boyar was promoted to a Board Memberof the International Society of Pediatric Woundsand spoke at their 7th annual meeting inNovember in Houston, TX.

Mariana Brewer received the MentoredPediatric Service Line Research Grant for EarlyCareer Investigators for $75,000 starting July

2019. She was a recipient of the DiversityEnhancement Award to attend the 42nd AnnualConference on Shock where she presentedresearch at the plenary session.

Robert Koppel was promoted to the rank ofProfessor of Pediatrics at Zucker School ofMedicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

Shahana Perveen was invited as a keynotespeaker at International Conference ofPediatrics, Neonatology and Perinatology heldin Rome in October where she spoke about herwork on antenatal inhibition of arginase activity.

Stony Brook Children’s Hospital

Stony Brook Children’s Hospital just opened itsnew 104 pediatric beds (including 10 beds inPICU and a 10-bed inpatient psychiatric unit) inOctober 2019.

Welcome to our new incoming fellows joiningthe Division of Neonatology: Sara MardanLouand Lale Akaydin.

Welcome to our new faculty additions!Stephanie Kyc completed her fellowship atYale and joined Stony Brook in September asAssistant Professor of Pediatrics. SurabhiAggarwal came from Kapi’olani Medical Centerin Honolulu as Assistant Professor in ClinicalPediatrics. Surabhi completed her fellowship atStony Brook Children’s and we are happy towelcome her back!

Echeyzona Maduekwe was promoted toAssociate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics.

Joseph Decristofaro was promoted toProfessor of Clinical Pediatrics.

University of Rochester Medical Center-Golisano Children’s Hospital

Congratulations to Gloria Pryhuber on herrecent NHLBI/NIH and Pacific NorthwestNational Laboratory award and renewal for hergrant titled, “Biorepository for Investigation ofDiseases of the Lung (BRINDL) – Phase II”.

Gloria Pryhuber received a Lung Biology PilotAward from University of RochesterEnvironmental Medicine for a grant titled,“Characterization of Antigen Presenting CellSubset Diversity and Function in PediatricLungs from Children SufferingBronchopulmonary Dysplasia.”

Congratulations to Ravi Misra for his TCORS(NIH Prime) grant award titled, “Evaluating theRegenerative and Anti-Inflammatory Potential ofPrimary Adolescent and Adult Human AirwayCell Culture Models to Flavored Juul.”

Congratulations to Kristin Scheible, whoreceived an Interim Funding Award from theUniversity of Rochester for her grant titled,“Alternative Pathways to Protection:Mechanisms of T Cell Activation and MucosalHoming in Fetal-Derived Naïve T Cells.”

DELAWARE

Christiana Care, Wilmington

Stephen Pearlman was the keynote speaker ata QI conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Theconference was supported by Fundasaminwhich is an Argentine foundation for maternal-child health. Dr. Pearlman gave three talks on QImethodology, QI tools and management of dataand culture.

Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children,Wilmington

On December 8-11, 2019, Nemours-sponsoredHot Topics in Neonatology will take place at anew venue in National Harbor, MD. For over 30years, Hot Topics has been the premiereneonatal conference, with more than 1000neonatologists and perinatologists from aroundthe world attending yearly. The conferencefeatures internationally-known faculty, postersessions, critical reviews and debate aboutpromising new therapies.

On September 12, 2019, the Advanced DeliveryUnit officially opened as part of the Nemours &Christiana Care Advanced Delivery Program.We have performed our first two deliveries withbabies and mothers doing well. We estimate30-50 deliveries in the first year with theopportunity for growth. The Program is beingled by Co-Medical Directors, Joanna Costa,Nemours neonatologist, and Margaret R.Chou, Christiana Care Department ofObstetrics and Gynecology.

We are pleased to announce ElizabethO’Donnell has been named Interim DivisionChief, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine,Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children(N/AIDHC). Dr. O’Donnell has been withN/AIDHC since beginning her pediatricresidency in 2011. She completed fellowshiptraining through the Sidney Kimmel MedicalCollege of Thomas Jefferson University andjoined N/AIDHC as an attending physician in2017. In her role as Interim Division Chief, Dr.O’Donnell will have oversight for all the day-to-day activities for the Department and willadvance the quality, research, and teachingactivities of the Division.

MARYLAND

Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, Baltimore

After 23 years at Johns Hopkins, Susan Aucottwill be leaving to take on a new challenge asthe Director of Neonatology at GreaterBaltimore Medical Center in Towson, MD.

Maureen Gilmore will take on the responsibilityof Medical Director of the Johns HopkinsChildren’s Center NICU. She previously servedas the Medical Director for the Bayview NICUfor many years, and has completed four yearsas the Interim Director of Pediatrics at Bayview.

We are pleased to welcome Kartik Makker toour Division. He is joining us from University ofFlorida College of Medicine.

District III:Michael Posencheg

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ELSO International Meeting, October 12-16,2019.

Fellowship News

Congratulations to Taylor Wild, recipient of theTrojan IV Award for the resident who “hasdemonstrated extraordinary support for his/hercolleagues, and excels in fostering camaraderiewithin the residency program.”

Congratulations to Michelle Pena who wasappointed to the TECaN Executive Council asone of three newly elected Regional FellowRepresentatives.

Congratulations to Chris Thom for selection asthe 2020 CHOP Physician Fellow DistinguishedResearch Trainee Reward. He received anAmerican Society of Hematology AbstractAchievement Award and his 2019 Senior FellowK-Readiness Pilot program was selected forfunding. Chris also received the Marshall KlausNeonatal-Perinatal Research Award sponsoredby the AAP.

Heidi Herrick was the winner of the TraineeTravel Award for the TIAE Poster at CHNC.

Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia

Tracey Harris joined our program this pastAugust following her fellowship at Penn StateMedical Center Hershey.

Rachel Fleishman joined our program from St.Chris.

Janet Weis Children’s Hospital at Geisinger,Danville

Lauren Johnson continues as Interim SiteDirector for the Geisinger Wyoming Valley(GWV) NICU in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Lauren hassucceeded in attaining level III NICU status asof October 2019, following the successfulrecruitment of Jayesh Shah and GurdeepAtwal, who joined Patricia Spitale and EileenTengco. Dr. Tengco previously practiced at thelevel IV NICU in the Janet Weis Children’sHospital at Geisinger in Danville and is nowbringing her expertise in simulation training toNortheastern Pennsylvania. The GWV NICU isthe first and only NICU in Luzerne County.

Newborn Special Care Associates/AbingtonHospital/Jefferson Health

We’ve brought on three new physicians sincethe spring. Erin Cipko joined our practice inApril, Endla Anday joined our practice in July,and Jessica S. Gaulton joined our practice inSeptember.

CRNP Rachel Carr will be join us January 1,2020.

We are saying goodbye to Ara S. Moomjian,who will be retiring from clinical practice as ofDecember 31st, 2019 after 37 years in theSpecial Care Nursery at Abington Health.

Penn State Children’s Hospital, Hershey

Thanks to Christiana Oji-Mmuo, Penn StateNICU was mentioned in the January 2020 issueof National Geographic.

Michael Posencheg was elected to a three-year term on the American Academy ofPediatrics Executive Committee of the Sectionon Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, representingDistrict III.

After 25 years of leadership, dedication andclinical service, Jacquelyn Evans has retiredfrom CHOP/UPenn.

Elizabeth Foglia was appointed to a two-yearterm on the Neonatal Resuscitation ProgramSteering Committee of the American Academyof Pediatrics.

Congratulations to John Chuo who wasselected as one of the 2019 CIO 100 AwardWinners for his submission, “Reducing ParentalStress in the N/IICU Using Digital Technology.”The CIO 100 is a highly competitive program,with more than 400 applicants. This honor is agreat testament to the innovative use of IT andthe business results these teams haveachieved.

Congratulations to Anne Ades who was electedto the American Pediatric Society.

The 15th Annual Advances in Neonatal PerinatalMedicine conference was, once again, a hugesuccess. This year’s guest speaker was AnnieJanvier, neonatologist, clinical ethicist andauthor from the University of Montreal, Canadaand Hôspital Sainte-Justine.

Heather French has been appointed Chair,Organization of Neonatal Training ProgramDirectors.

Due to construction on the CHOP campus, theRegional Neonatology Boot Camp, previouslydirected by Heather French and Anne Ades,will be moving to Yale University for theforeseeable future. Lindsay Johnston will takeover as Boot Camp Director.

Save the date for the Sixth Annual Children’sHospital of Philadelphia Chronic Lung DiseaseConference - next year expanding to 1½ dayconference to be held on March 10 and 11,2020 at the Union League of Philadelphia. Learnmore: https://chop.cloud-cme.com/default.aspx

Save the date for the Annual KniselyLectureship at Children’s Hospital ofPhiladelphia on Tuesday, April 14th, 2020 inStokes Auditorium at 11am. This year’s guestspeaker is Shoo Lee. Dr. Lee is thePaediatrician-in-Chief for the Sinai HealthSystem in Toronto, Canada. A neonatologistand health economist, he is also the Director ofthe Maternal-Infant Care Research Centre atMount Sinai Hospital, Associate Member of theLunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute and ascientist at the Institute of Clinical EvaluativeStudies. He is Scientific Director of the Instituteof Human Development, Child and Youth Healthat the Canadian Institutes of Health Researchand a Professor of Paediatrics, Obstetrics &Gynaecology and Public Health at theUniversity of Toronto.

Natalie Rintoul presented at the 38thInternational Fetal Medicine and SurgerySociety Annual Meeting in Sils, Switzerland andat Neonatal ECMO and Prematurity Conference,

Congratulations to Raul Chavez Valdez on hispromotion to Associate Professor of Pediatrics.

Congratulations to Chris Golden on hispromotion to Associate Professor of Pediatrics.

Janine Bernardo, current 2nd year fellow, hasbeen elected to the TECaN Executive Counsel.

University of Maryland Medical Center,Baltimore

Cynthia Bearer will be returning to Clevelandand Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital,Case Western Reserve University as DivisionChief of Neonatology to continue to conductresearch, train future physicians and scientists,and care for infants in their NICU. Since 2008,under her leadership, the Division ofNeonatology at UMD has more than flourished.She has served on numerous institutionalcommittees, established the J. Tyson TildonAward and Department of Pediatrics FacultyResearch Day, facilitated the Richard SchwartzPrize in Neonatal Research, and served asChair of the Research Committee. Dr. Bearerhas been elected to serve as the Editor-in-Chiefof Pediatric Research for a second term.

Dina El-Metwally is the new Interim DivisionChief of Neonatology at University of Maryland.Dr. El-Metwally continues to lead the clinicalservice in the NICU as Medical Director.

Rose Viscardi is the new Associate Chair ofClinical Research for the Department ofPediatrics at UMSOM and will foster anincrease in funded clinical research projects. Dr.Viscardi is also the Associate Director for JohnsHopkins University-University of MarylandClinical Translational Science Award KL2 (JHU-UMD CTSA-KL2) that fosters careerdevelopment awards.

Alex Medina is the new Associate Chair ofBasic Science Research for the Department ofPediatrics at UMSOM who will foster increasesin funded basic science research projects atUMD.

Natalie Davis is the new Director of ResidentResearch for the Department of Pediatrics atUMSOM and will be overseeing the pediatricresidency longitudinal research track.

Jocelyn Leung, Medical Director of the NICU atUM Prince George’s Hospital Center receivedthe NICU Leadership Award from the Universityof Maryland Capital Region Health and wasrecognized at the Women’s Health Awards andRecognition Dinner on November 9, 2019.

Sripriya Sundararajan was recognized for heroutstanding mentorship and transformationalimpact on medical students at the 42nd annualMedical Student Research Day at UMSOM.

PENNSYLVANIA

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Congratulations to the following neonatologistswho were named to the Early Career FacultyHonor Roll for 2019 by the CHOP pediatricresidents: Nicolas Bamat, SummerElshenawy, John Flibotte, Elizabeth Foglia,and Jennifer James.

NORTH CAROLINA

Duke University, Durham

Since June, P. Brian Smith, was awarded twoadditional grants reflecting his expertise inclinical trials and clinical trial infrastructure.NICHD awarded him funding for planning theHEALthy Brain and Child Development Study, alarge cohort study of infants with exposure tomaternal opioids. He and Rachel Greenbergwere also provided support within theEnvironmental Influences on Child HealthOutcomes (ECHO) initiative to coordinate twoclinical trials in infants with Neonatal OpiateWithdrawal Syndrome.

Sharla Rent has joined the faculty afterfinishing fellowship at University of Michigan.She will focus on gaining clinical researchorganizational skills as she continues herinvolvement with TECaN and global healthinitiatives.

Kristin Weimer joined the faculty after finishingher Duke neonatology fellowship, and hasreceived funding to build on work with SalliePermar on epidemiology, prevention andtreatment of congenital and postnatally-acquired CMV.

Trevor Burt joined the Duke faculty from UCSFand his lab will continue work on questionsrelated to development of the fetal and earlyneonatal immune system.

One of our Duke faculty, Eric Benner, was thesingle recipient of Duke’s CTSI TransformativeFunding Agreements (CTSI Accelerator) Award.The award supports Eric’s drug developmentwork on oxysterols to improve neurologicoutcomes after inflammatory postnatal injury.

Agnes Chao, 2nd-year neonatology fellow, wasnamed a Katz-Denny Fellow within the DukeUniversity/University of North Carolina UnifiedProgram for Therapeutics in Children (UPTiC)T32 training program.

2nd-year fellow, Sarah Bernstein, was namedChair of the Career Development andLeadership Section in TECaN.

Women’s Hospital of Greensboro/Cone Health

The NICU at Women’s Hospital ofGreensboro/Cone Health, which has been afree-standing women’s hospital since the early90s, is moving into a newly constructed bedtower on the campus of the mothership generalhospital, Moses Cone. Like many other recentlyopened or renovated units, it will have single-family rooms, but it will be different from most inthat it will offer couplet care rooms in whichNICU babies will be cared for in the samerooms as their mothers.

TENNESSEE

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville

It is with great sadness that we say good-bye totwo Vanderbilt colleagues. Christoph Lehmannleft VUMC to join the faculty at University of

District IV:Brian Hackett

Neonatology at Columbia University.

Pangiotis Kratimenos has been granted aninternal award from CNRI for his research on“Mechanisms of Adaptive Learning Deficits dueto Cerebellar Injury in Prematurity.”

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital andGeorgetown University Medical Center

Lewis P. Rubin has joined us as Professor andVice Chair for Research, Department ofPediatrics, Division of Neonatal-PerinatalMedicine. Dr. Rubin’s scientific researchfocuses on pregnancy and newborn nutritionand development, nutritional neuroscience,developmental epigenetics and genomics, andclinical trials. Dr. Rubin received his MPhil andMD from Yale University and trained inpediatrics, newborn medicine, and molecularendocrinology at Harvard. Before beingrecruited to Georgetown, he was a facultymember at Brown University/Women & Infants’Hospital of Rhode Island and Professor andChief of Neonatology at the Cleveland Clinic,University of South Florida, and Texas Tech. Heholds leadership positions in the AmericanPediatric Society, American Society forNutrition, and International Carotenoid Society.Dr. Rubin has been appointed to the GoverningCommittee of the Medical Nutrition Council ofthe American Society for Nutrition.

Lewis Rubin is the keynote speaker at theInternational Conference and Annual Meeting ofthe Korean Society of Cancer Prevention andvisiting professor, Ewha Womans University,both in Seoul, South Korea in December.

Pinaki Panigrahi joined as a Professor in theDivision of Neonatal Perinatal Medicine atGeorgetown University Medical Center this year.He has made seminal contributions linking therole of gut microbiome to neonatal sepsis andnecrotizing enterocolitis. He published thelargest clinical trial of probiotics to preventneonatal sepsis in Nature. His work has beenfunded by NICHD and the Gates Foundation. AtGeorgetown, he is heading a cross-departmental International Microbiome Programengaged in exploring the role of microbiome,diet, and other exposures in the pathogenesisof a range of conditions spanning frominfections, inflammation, to childhood obesityand cancer.

Siva Subramaniam, Professor of Pediatricsand Division Chief, Division of NeonatalPerinatal Medicine, MedStar GeorgetownUniversity Hospital, received the 2019 InterfaithLeadership Award presented by the InterfaithCouncil of Metropolitan Washington.

The Neolog, a new code sheet designed byJane Germano, former fellow, and DeborahHoy, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics,to promote accurate documentation duringneonatal resuscitation is now part of the NRPInstructor Toolkit.

MacDonald’s Atlas of Procedures inNeonatology, 6th edition, edited by JayashreeRamasethu and Suna Seo, published byWolters Kluwer, is due to be released inDecember 2019.

Kim Doheny’s NIH application forBabyGentlestick received an excellent score,and should be funded.

Congratulations to Kristen Glass andChristiana Oji-Mmuo for being elected asmembers of the Society for Pediatric Research.

Congratulations to Dawn Philpot, AdrienneGasda, and Monica Hardy for achievingClinical Ladder IV and to Elissa DeCarlo forachieving Clinical Ladder III.

Tammy Corr has been invited to sit on theMulti-Disciplinary Work Group for DauphinCounty, as part of the Pennsylvania Plan of SafeCare, to develop a plan of safe care for anychild with prenatal drug exposure.

Jill Arnold has achieved NEA-BC certification

Meenakshi Singh was elected as one of theTop Physicians under 40 by the PennsylvaniaMedical Society.

Jeff Kaiser will begin working on a NIH StudySection (NST-1) for NINDS Clinician ScientistMentored Training grants.

St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children,Philadelphia

We welcome Joshua Erickson, KameliaMcRae, Mary Elizabeth Pease and NnekaUgwu as new 1st year fellows in our Division.

We wish our 2019 fellowship graduates the bestof luck in their future endeavors. Mitali Sahni isan attending neonatologist at Sunrise Children’sHospital in Las Vegas, NV. Jessica May-Rabbach is an attending neonatologist atLakeland Regional Medical Health Center inLakeland, FL. Sudip Sheth is an attendingneonatologist at Texas Tech University inOdessa, TX.

Folasade Kehinde was promoted to AssociateProfessor of Pediatrics at Drexel UniversityCollege of Medicine.

Shadi Malaeb was promoted to AssociateProfessor of Pediatrics at Drexel UniversityCollege of Medicine.

The following faculty are leaving or retiring:Endla Anday, Vineet Bhandari, HarbhajanChawla, Rachel Fleishman, Jan Goplerud,and Suzanne Touch.

Alison Carey is the new Division Chief ofNeonatal-Perinatal Medicine.

Ogechukwu Menkiti is the new MedicalDirector of the St. Christopher’s Hospital forChildren Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Maria Delivoria-Papadopoulos will host the22nd Annual Day of the Newborn Symposium:An Investment in Our Future on January 31,2020 at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.Robin Steinhorn is the keynote speaker.

WASHINGTON DC

Children’s National Medical Center

Sudeepta Basu has been elected to theSociety for Pediatric Research.

Anna Penn will be leaving Children’s NationalHospital to become Chief of the Division of

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therapists, nurses and others from the regionand across the US.

Stephen Patrick gave the Teresa and ByronPollitt Family Chair in Fetal & Neonatal MedicineVisiting Professor’s Lectureship at Children’sHospital of Los Angeles/University of SouthernCalifornia in September. In September, he wasthe plenary speaker at the Annual PovertyResearch and Policy Forum on Human ServicesPrograms and The Opioid Crisis, sponsored bythe Office of Human Services Policy, AssistantSecretary for Planning and Evaluation, USDepartment of Health and Human Services inWashington DC. In October, he was the plenaryspeaker at the AAP NCE in New Orleanssession, “Newborns Exposed to Substances:Understanding Their Needs and SupportingTheir Caregivers.”

Scott Guthrie was a co-organizer, moderator,and speaker at the Baku InternationalNeonatology Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan inOctober. He also directed a hands-on workshopto teach attendees how to administer surfactantusing the LMA and other NICU procedures. Thetrip included a visit to the Azerbaijan MedicalUniversity and the Pediatric Research Institute.Other US speakers at the conference included:Zuzanna Kubicka (Boston Children’s, DistrictI), Kari Roberts (University of Minnesota,District VI), Prem Fort (Johns Hopkins AllChildren’s, District X), and Natasha Halasa(Vanderbilt Peds ID).

Scott Guthrie received the Physician of theYear award from the West Tennessee Chapter ofthe March of Dimes.

Jeff Reese gave the Jerry Elliot MemorialLectureship, “The Problematic PDA: FindingLaboratory Solutions for a Perplexing Vessel,”at the 45th Annual Mead Johnson NortheasternConference on Perinatal Research in Chatham,MA on Oct 16-18, 2019.

Jeff Reese was an invited speaker at theSecond Annual International PDA Symposium,Memphis, TN, where he spoke on “Mouse (AndOther) Models of PDA.”

Three of our fellows were awarded traininggrants: Meredith Campbell, the NIH VulnerableChildren T32 Grant; Lindsey Knake, theNational Library of Medicine T15 Grant; and

Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas,TX to become Director of the new ClinicalHealth Informatics Center. Elizabeth Harrelsonwill be stepping down as Medical Director ofour Level II NICU at Maury Regional MedicalCenter to join the Neonatology group at St.Thomas Murfreesboro in Murfreesboro, TN.

In February, the Division welcomes a newneonatology faculty member. Dennis Slagle willjoin our faculty at our neonatology center atTennova-Clarksville in Clarksville, TN.

Michael DeVoe will assume the role of InterimMedical Director at Maury Regional MedicalCenter in Columbia, TN after the New Year. Heis also the Project Lead for the TennesseeInitiative for Perinatal Quality Care project onOpioid-Exposed Newborns.

L. Dupree Hatch was awarded a three-yeargrant from the Gerber Foundation entitled,“Developing and Testing a User-CenteredVentilator Weaning System for Critically IllNeonates.”

L. Dupree Hatch, Elaine Shelton, and JenniferSucre will be inducted as new members of theSPR at the 2020 Annual PAS Meeting.

Jennifer Herington was awarded a NIH R01entitled, “Pre-clinical Studies to RepurposeFDA-approved Drugs for Tocolytic Use.”

Maria Krakauer was named Program Directorfor our Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine FellowshipProgram. She also led two national workshopson Flipped Classroom Teaching, including oneat the Association for Pediatric ProgramDirectors annual meeting.

Lauren Sanlorenzo was accepted to theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics YoungPhysicians Leadership Alliance, a three-yeartraining program designed to developleadership skills of early career pediatricians.She was also named site coordinator for ThePASSiVE study (PrevAlence Study of SevereBPD Ventilation), a multi-center descriptivestudy aimed to compare different ventilatormodes and settings being used with severeBPD across the BPD Collaborative.

Hendrik Weitkamp successfully directed the39th (and his first as director) Annual NeonatalSymposium at Vanderbilt November 7-8, 2019.Guest faculty included Michael Georgieff, fromthe University of Minnesota, as the JayantShenai Keynote Speaker, Hannah Glass fromUCSF, Martin Keszler from Brown University,Paul Rozance from the University of Coloradoand James Wynn from the University of Florida.Vanderbilt neonatology speakers were EmilyMorris and Roxanne Stahl. State-of-the-artpresentations gave updates on nutritionalchallenges for the developing brain,management of hypo- and hyperglycemia in theELBW infant, benefits of volume-targeted andhigh-frequency ventilation, immunologicalissues predisposing preterm infants to sepsis,treatment of neonatal seizures, brachial plexusinjuries, congenital heart disease and otherdiagnostic or management strategies. TheSymposium was well-attended by over 90neonatologists, fellows, NNPs, respiratory

Lindsay Sternad, the NIH PRactice OutcomesResearch in Effectiveness and Systems Science(PROgRESS) T32.

Save the date for The 40th Annual NeonatologySymposium which will be held November 12-13, 2020 in Music City! Looking forward toseeing everyone there next year! For furtherinformation on content and registration, contactAngie Tune ([email protected]).

VIRGINIA

University of Virginia, Charlottesville

UVA Children’s Hospital had eight programsranked in the 2019-20 USNWR Best Children’sHospital Survey. The neonatology program wasranked for the 6th consecutive year. Ourneonatal transport system was also recentlyaccredited by the Commission on Accreditationof Medical Transport Systems.

Jennifer Burnsed was recently awarded theBest Bedside Manner award for neonatology byOurHealth Magazine, a regional health carepublication. Her research on hypoxic ischemicencephalopathy and the NICU’s NeuroNICUprogram was also recently profiled by the localNBC affiliate.

David Kaufman spoke at the InternationalLactoferrin Conference in Lima, Peru inNovember. He spoke on “Optimizing LactoferrinDosing: Have We Been Studying the RightDose?”

Jonathan Swanson spoke at the annualInnovations in Neonatal Care conference inAustin, TX. His talk was on “RedefiningNecrotizing Enterocolitis.” He also was a guestlecturer at Medstar Georgetown on developingan exclusive human milk diet program. With thehelp of Hannah Gall, he led a Helping BabiesBreathe program in Djagble, Togo in September.

Brooke Vergales had a well-received platformpresentation at the 2019 AAP NCE. She spokeon our implementation of remote homemonitoring of a home NG feeding program.

Congratulations to Brooke Vergales on beingpromoted to Neonatal-Perinatal FellowshipProgram Director starting in January 2020.

Many thanks to Karen Fairchild for her decadeplus leadership in the Fellowship ProgramDirector role.

Susan Almarode was recently awarded theNational Association of Neonatal Nurses 2019NNP Excellence Award.

From the 39th Annual Neonatology Symposiumat Vanderbilt: (L to R) Course Director Eva Dye,Jayant Shenai Keynote Speaker Michael

Georgieff, Symposium founder Jayant Shenai,and Course Director Joern-Hendrik Weitkamp.

Karl Desch is PI for BIGBiRD (Biobank toIlluminate the Genomic Basis of Rare Diseases).

Third-year fellow Carly Gisondo was awardedBest In-training Paper at the AAP NCE Sectionon Transport Medicine.

Three fellows graduated in 2019. Kate Brune isat St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI.Brittany Burns-Jackson works at WilliamBeaumont Hospital/Oakland University, RoyalOak, MI. Sharla Rent has joined DukeChildren’s Hospital and Health Center, Durham,NC.

Three fellows joined our program in 2019. MaryAlice Reinoehl is from Spectrum Health/MSU/Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. KatelynRoberts is from Indiana University. GretchenStepanovich is from Eastern Virginia MedicalSchool/Children’s Hospital of the King’sDaughters.

OHIO

Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital,Cleveland

We are pleased to announce that CynthiaBearer has joined our Rainbow team asDivision Chief of Neonatology. Dr. Bearercompleted a BA with honors in mathematicsfrom Smith College, a PhD in biochemistry fromCase Western Reserve University, and a MDfrom The Johns Hopkins University School ofMedicine. She became an Assistant Professorof Pediatrics at Case Western ReserveUniversity in 1994 where she was promoted toProfessor of Pediatrics with tenure. In 2008, shemoved to University of Maryland School ofMedicine to become the Mary Gray CobeyProfessor of Neonatology. In 2009, she becameChief, Division of Neonatology and in 2012,Associate Chair for Research. She is activelyinvolved in research, education and service.She has published extensively on fetal andpediatric environmental health. Her researchhas received funding from NIH, CDC and USEPA. Dr. Bearer is Editor-in-Chief of PediatricResearch.

The Division is extremely grateful to MicheleWalsh for her leadership as Division Chief since2011. Michele remains in the Division,continuing clinical work and her work on manyresearch and QI endeavors.

Rita Ryan has joined us as faculty in theDivision of Neonatology. Dr. Ryan received hermedical degree from SUNY-Upstate MedicalCenter in Syracuse and stayed there for herpediatrics residency. Dr. Ryan then did herfellowship at Cincinnati Children’s HospitalMedical Center. She was on the faculty at theUniversity of Rochester for 11 years, thenbecome Chief of the Division of Neonatology inBuffalo in 2000. During these years, Dr. Ryanwas Fellowship Director in both Rochester andBuffalo, and became the Chair of the ONTPD.Dr. Ryan then went to the Medical University ofSouth Carolina to be the Chair of Pediatrics.After five years as Chair, Dr. Ryan became afull-time member of the MUSC Division of

INDIANA

Indiana University School of Medicine/RileyChildren’s, Indianapolis

Melinda Markham joined the IUSM faculty asan Associate Professor of Pediatrics, who willtransition into the role of Fetal Center MedicalDirector in 2020.

Matt Durbin won the James Sutherland JuniorFaculty Award at Midwest Society for PediatricResearch.

Jo Ann Matory was recognized by SteppingStones of Women in Leadership as havingachieved significant accomplishments inmedicine and science.

Edward Liechty was awarded a $469,000 grantfrom the Foundation for the National Institutesof Health for his project, “Multisite Efficacy andSafety Trial of Intrapartum Azithromycin inLMICs.”

MICHIGAN

Wayne State University, Detroit

In honor of Ronald L. Poland (first Chief of theDivision of the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine atWSU Department of Pediatrics, Children’sHospital of Michigan, and Hutzel Women’sHospital) the first Ronald Poland and SeethaShankaran Annual Invited Lectureship was heldon October 17-18th, 2019. Kristi Watterbergwas the keynote speaker.

Seetha Shankaran delivered the GeraldMerenstein Lecture at the AAP NCE SoNPMmeeting.

University of Michigan/C.S. Mott Children’sHospital, Ann Arbor

Steve Donn retired to active emeritus status inMarch 2019.

Jenni Bermick and Stephanie Kukora werepromoted to Clinical Assistant Professor.

Karl Desch and Naomi Laventhal werepromoted to Clinical Associate Professor.

John Barks is serving as Division Chief/ServiceChief of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine.

Shannon Vandervennet is our DivisionAdministrative Assistant.

The Brandon NICU Medical Director is BobSchumacher.

Rebecca Vartanian is our Division QI Lead andis Medical Director for Respiratory Therapy,C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

Gary Weiner serves as Neonatal-PerinatalMedicine Fellowship Director while AshleyPrzybylski is Neonatal-Perinatal MedicineFellowship Administrator.

Kate Stanley is Medical Director for RevenueIntegrity, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

Naomi Laventhal is Faculty Ethicist forMichigan Medicine Program in Clinical Ethics.

District V:Beena Sood

Neonatology. In October, she moved fromMUSC to join us in Cleveland.

Peter MacFarlane has been appointed as theWilliam and Lois Briggs Research Chair inNeonatology.

Fellow Zeyar Htun presented a poster at theVON Quality Congress on a collaborative effortbetween neonatology, pediatric anesthesiology,and Rainbow Quality to reduce hypothermia inneonatal patients in the OR.

Pediatric resident Richelle Reinhart, withneonatology faculty mentors Mary Nock andAnna Maria Hibbs, presented a poster onreduction of anti-acid medication use in theNICU at the AAP NCE Section on Quality andPatient Safety program in New Orleans.

In spring 2020, Richard Martin will speak at theRecent Advances in Neonatal MedicineConference in Wurzburg, Germany, and theEuropean Neonatal Ventilation Conference inMontreux, Switzerland.

Richard Martin will present at the Annual NewYork Regional Neonatal Symposium, LongIsland, NY, and the 2nd Richard EhrenkranzSymposium at Yale University.

ILLINOIS

Rush University Children’s Hospital, Chicago

We would like to welcome new faculty to ourdivision: Jieun David joined in September 2019after completing fellowship at LAC+USCMedical Center and Children’s Hospital LosAngeles. Chirag Talati joined in September2019 after completing fellowship at theUniversity of Mississippi.

Andrew Berenz received research funding fromLittle Giraffe Foundation for “Lactoferrin Doseand the Effect on the Intestinal Microbiome ofPreterm Infants.”

Aloka Patel was invited to speak at theUniversity of Michigan and NEC SocietyMeeting in June 2019 and at the AAP NCE inNew Orleans in October 2019 about hospital-based strategies to improve mother’s milk usein the NICU.

University of Illinois, Chicago

Anantha Harijith was promoted to AssociateProfessor with Tenure at UIC in the spring of2019. He has recently received three grants:R01 from NICHD entitled, “Role of Novel SphK1Inhibitor, PF543, in Therapy ofBronchopulmonary Dysplasia and AirwayRemodeling;” transformational grant fromAmerican Heart Association on the role of S1Preceptor in bronchopulmonary dysplasia andairway remodeling; and Chiesi ResearchFoundation grant on developing the role ofSphK1 inhibitor, PF543, as a surfactant co-administered drug in bronchopulmonarydysplasia.

Howard Hast was appointed as an AssociateProfessor of Pediatrics in 2019. Dr. Hast is a

District VI:Joshua Petrikin

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MISSOURI

Children’s Mercy, Kansas City

Joshua Petrikin was elected to be the DistrictVI representative to the SoNPM ExecutiveCommittee and began his service on November1st. The Division of Neonatology at Children’sMercy Kansas City is indebted to Josh for hisexample and is excited for his regional andnational leadership opportunity.

Tamorah Lewis was accepted for membershipin the Society for Pediatric Research.

Tamorah Lewis was selected byadministrators, faculty, staff, and students atthe University of Missouri-Kansas City to be amentor/leader in an inauguralmentoring/leadership program called STAHR(Students in Training, in Academia, Health, andResearch).

In August 2019, Steve Olsen co-presented“Setting Career Goals and Defining YourSuccess,” on an AAP SoNPM MidCaN webinar.

Ayan Rajgarhia recently took over the reins asEditor of the Articles of Interest section on theAAP website under the SoNPM. In his role asEditor, he is now responsible for summarizingthe relevant neonatal literature published in highimpact journals every month along with histeam. Articles of Interest enjoys a widereadership and remains the most popularsection on the website.

Venkatesh Sampath continues to maximize hisefforts with both R01 funding for his researchon SIGIRR and NEC in premature infants andspreading his knowledge through invitedlectures. He recently spoke at the NEC SocietyMeeting, Ann Arbor, MI.

Howard Kilbride was a panel discussant forthe 3rd Annual Symposium on NeonatalResuscitation at the University of Oklahoma inSeptember 2019.

Dena Hubbard provided guest commentary onbehalf of the AAP in the Kansas City Star op-ed, “We Must Find Real Solutions to GunViolence.”

Dena Hubbard presented at 2019 AAP NCE atthe Section on Administration and PracticeManagement Program, “Combatting Burnout:Rediscovering Why We Love Pediatrics.”

Joshua Petrikin and Dena Hubbard served astwo of the 18 topic experts for SoNPM QualityMeasures Taskforce. They were responsible forsystematically reviewing assigned publishedneonatology metrics for reliability, validity, andimportance for comparative qualityassessments. They presented at the consensusconference October 7-8 at the AAPHeadquarters in Itasca, IL.

Washington University/St. Louis Children’sHospital

This past August, we moved into a new wing inthe 5400 tower, putting our NICU bed capacityat 126 all private rooms. The new tower is partof the Women and Infants expansion that beganlast year. With this expansion comes additionalresources for families to encourage infant

board-certified pediatric critical care specialistwho has chosen a new career as a NICUhospitalist.

Wenxiang Luo is Research Assistant Professorin the Section of Neonatology. Dr. Luo is theCo-Director of the Neonatology Laboratory, inpartnership with De-Ann Pillers. He is an activescientist and mentor, and is Co-Investigator onthe Gerber Foundation grant that is studyingurine metabolomics.

Uwa Montgomery was appointed as AssistantProfessor of Pediatrics in 2019 and will serve asa NICU hospitalist. Dr. Montgomery is boardcertified in both internal medicine andpediatrics and completed a fellowship inpalliative care jointly at Stroger Cook CountyHospital and Rush University.

Shannon Murphy is Assistant Professor ofPediatrics and serves as a NICU and generalpediatrics hospitalist.

In September 2019, De-Ann Pillers wasinvested as the Dharmapuri VidyasagarProfessor of Neonatology at UIC. Dr. Pillers isthe Program Director of the Neonatal-PerinatalFellowship at UIC, which has recently expandedto a capacity of nine fellows. She is also site PIfor the NICHD Pediatric Trials Network, the IBTTherapeutics Connection Probiotics study, andthe Shire/Takeda Footprints study.

De-Ann Pillers serves as the neonatology sitePI for “Butterflye Study to Assess the Efficacy,Safety, and Tolerability of Intravitreal Afliberceptcompared to Laser Photocoagulation inPatients with Retinopathy of Prematurity.”

Aarti Raghavan is the Medical Director of theNICU and is the new Director of Patient Safetyfor the Department of Pediatrics. Aarticompleted a MS in Patient Safety at UIC in2019.

Phornphat (Paul) Rasamimari is the MedicalDirector for Neonatology for Labor & Deliveryand the Director of the NICU Follow-upProgram. Paul is currently enrolled in a clinicaland translational research program at UIC. He issite PI on Study of Attitudes and FactorsEffecting Preterm Infant Care Practices todetermine the US national prevalence ofadherence to each AAP recommended preterminfant care practice (safe sleep, breastfeeding,and smoke exposure) and to determine thematernal and infant health characteristicsassociated with the prevalence of eachpractice.

Joann Romano-Keeler was appointed toAssistant Professor on the tenure track in theDepartment of Pediatrics. Her focus is on theneonatal microbiome and she is currently beingmentored by Jun Sun, Department of Medicine,UIC.

Arvind Shukla is an Associate Director of theUIC Illinois Department of Public HealthAdministrative Perinatal Center as a contentexpert in neonatal medicine.

Arvind Shukla received the DistinguishedPhysician Award from the Indian American

Medical Association of Illinois in November2019.

Hernan Sierra-Fernandez serves as a theDirector of Neonatal Informatics and is jointlyappointed as a Clinical Informaticist forthe Chief Health Information Office for UIHealth.

Nishant Srinivasan is the Associate Director ofthe Neonatology Fellowship Training Programand was appointed to the UIC IllinoisDepartment of Public Health AdministrativePerinatal Center as a neonatology educatorwith emphasis on neonatal simulation.

Anshul Arora and Vrinda Arora completedtheir fellowship training in 2019 and acceptedpositions at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Nicole Glaser and Zaynab Kadhem wereappointed as Clinical Research Coordinators inthe Section of Neonatology in 2019.

Joe Greenia serves as the ProgramCoordinator for the Fellowship.

Shirley Scott is the Executive Director of theUIC IDPH Administrative Perinatal Center andJoann Sorce was recruited as the Educator forthe Center in 2019.

KANSAS

Sunflower Neonatology Associates, OverlandPark

This summer, Sunflower NeonatologyAssociates was pleased to welcome RebeccaVerhaeghe to our group. Dr. Verhaeghe earnedher medical degree from A.T. Still University ofHealth Sciences-Kirksville College ofOsteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, MO. Shecompleted her pediatric residency at theUniversity of Oklahoma-Tulsa and her neonatal-perinatal fellowship at St. Louis University in2019. Dr. Verhaeghe’s background includesparticipation in several clinical and benchresearch projects during her career and she haspresented her work in poster and oralpresentations.

Robert Holcomb, Medical Director for the HCAMidwest Neonatal Transport Team, and theentire MNTT Transport Executive Staff is proudto announce that the team has entered a newphase, evolving into a dedicated, specialtytransport service with expanded capabilities tooffer rotary service, vastly expanding ourcatchment area to provide life-saving care.

MINNESOTA

Children’s Minnesota, Minneapolis/St. Paul

Children’s Minnesota continues to grow theunified neonatal program and recentlywelcomed Lia Gravari from the University ofLouisville where she has been on the faculty forthe last several years, as well as JenniferBerger from the University of Iowa and AbbyFaulman from the University of Coloradofellowship programs.

interactions, maternal breast milk use andfamily-centered care. We have one more phaseof construction to complete over the next yearto achieve our final bed count of 150.

Beverly Brozanski has joined the Division andwas named Vice Chair of Quality and Safety forthe Department of Pediatrics and Vice Presidentof Pediatric Quality Improvement and PatientSafety for BJC Healthcare and St. LouisChildren’s Hospital. Bev was a foundingmember of the Children’s Hospitals NeonatalConsortium (CHNC) in 2006. Currently, she isCo-Chair of the CHNC Collaborative Initiativesfor Quality Improvement group and remainsinvolved as a member of the board andexecutive committees.

Hayley Friedman, Steve Liao and BarbaraCohlan received the Standing Up for Mothersand Babies Award from Generate Health, a St.Louis foundation dedicated to advancing racialequity in pregnancy outcomes, for work withopioid dependent mothers in the newlyestablished CARE clinic (Clinic for Acceptance,Recovery, and Empowerment).

Hayley Friedman has been chairing theTECaN-led advocacy education program,Navigating NAS (https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/campaigns/navigating-nas/Pages/default.aspx).

Emily Fishman now serves on the AAP Sectionon Early Career Physicians Strategic PlanWorkgroup Breastfeeding Physician Educationand Training Project Advisory Committee.

Bryanne Colvin was a presenter for the SafeSleep Summit in November with GenerateHealth. She, along with hospitalist Eve Colson,has been examining safe sleep practices in ourpreterm population.

Shawn O’Conner has been named Director forNewborn Simulation.

Jagu Anadkat has been named Co-MedicalDirector for Fetal Care.

Jennifer Wambach obtained an NIH R01 toidentify and characterize ABCA3 genomicvariants in pulmonary epithelial cells resulting indisease phenotypes, including surfactantprotein deficiency.

Zachary Vesoulis obtained K23 and GerberFoundation grants to examine racial disparitiesin preterm brain injury related to cerebralautoregulation and hypotension. He wasselected as a founding member of the NewbornBrain Society and recently received theMidwest SPR James Sutherland Junior FacultyAward for outstanding abstract.

Misty Good was instrumental in WashingtonUniversity receiving the Burroughs WellcomeFund Physician-Scientist Institutional Award,and the PCORI-funded Building Capacity forPCOR/CER in the neonatal NEC community.

Elena Minakova received a grant from theWashington University Center for ClinicalPharmacology to study in utero exposure tooxycodone in a mouse model, beginning withpre-pregnancy maternal use, in utero exposure,and postnatal crossover treatments.

Cindy Ortinau was inducted into the Societyfor Pediatric Research.

Fellow Taylor Hendrixson received the awardfor Best Trainee Oral Presentation - Research inNutrition at the Commonwealth Association ofPediatric Gastroenterology and Nutritionscientific meeting in Toronto in October 2019.

Fellows Rebecca Martinez, Carly Schuetz andHallie Morris presented at the AAP NCE inNew Orleans.

NEBRASKA

University of Nebraska, Omaha

Ann Anderson Berry has been appointedInterim Executive Director of the Child HealthResearch Institute, a collaborative effortbetween University of Nebraska Medical Centerand Omaha Children’s Hospital.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Sanford Children’s Hospital, Sioux Falls

After nearly 40 years, David Munson andDennis Stevens have retired from clinicalpractice at Sanford Children’s Hospital. Theywill be greatly missed for their contributions tothe NICU and to the USD Sanford School ofMedicine!

Kathryn Anderson has joined our neonatologygroup following her fellowship at UCSD RadyChildren’s Hospital.

ARKANSAS

University of Arkansas for MedicalSciences/Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock

Congratulations to Ashley Ross and NahedElHasan who were promoted to Professor ofPediatrics.

Congratulations to Angela Chandler, SaraPeeples, and Clare Nesmith, who werepromoted to Associate Professor of Pediatrics.

Sherry Courtney presented several talks onNAVA, high frequency ventilation, and modes ofmechanical ventilation in Shanghai, Nanjing,and Zhengzhou, China in November.

MISSISSIPPI

University of Mississippi Medical Center,Jackson

Mobolaji Famuyide received a $1,111,287grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation titled,“Mother’s Milk for Very Low Birth WeightInfants: A National Quality ImprovementApproach, Mississippi” to improve breastfeeding rates in all of the NICUs in Mississippi.

Pradeep Alur was an invited faculty speaker atthe National Neonatology Forum of India 39thAnnual Convention 2019 in Hyderabad, India inDecember.

Abhay Bhatt, Jagdish Desai, Pradeep Alur,and Lir-Wan Fan were recognized at theUMMC Inaugural Intellectual Property

District VII: Clara Song

Recognition Ceremony for their work related topatents and intellectual property in theirresearch.

Jaimin Patel has been awarded the Intra-Departmental Discovery Program grant for“Evolution of Microbiome in Extremely LowBirth Weight Neonates.” He has been enrollingsubjects and preliminary results have beenaccepted as a platform presentation for anupcoming Southern Society of PediatricResearch conference.

Jaimin Patel has continued representingneonatologists in the Epic NeonatologySteering Board. At the University of MississippiMedical Center, he implemented the NutritionCalculations Project in NICU, a new HIV orderset, and has been working on improvingcommunications by selecting communicationdevices and participating in the selection ofmiddleware solutions to optimize alerts. He isalso serving as Co-Chair of the Clinical DecisionSupport Committee and has been elected asSenator in the Faculty Senate at the Universityof Mississippi Medical Center.

Renate Savich was an invited faculty speakerat the 24th Annual Congress at Saint GeorgeHospital University Medical Center in Beirut,Lebanon in October. She also was an invitedspeaker at the AAP District VIII Section onNeonatal-Perinatal Medicine 43rd AnnualConference in Anchorage, Alaska in June,speaking on, “Health Disparities in Neonataland Perinatal Outcomes” and “GenderDisparities in the NICU Workforce.” She wasalso honored to receive the District VIII AAPSoNPM Founders Award at the 43rd AnnualConference in Alaska.

Renate Savich was the keynote speaker at the6th Annual Mississippi State Perinatal QualityCollaborative speaking on “AddressingMaternal and Neonatal Health Disparities inMississippi and the Deep South: Time forChange and Action.”

OKLAHOMA

University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center,Oklahoma City

The Section on NPM at OU is proud towelcome two new faculty members: AbhrajitGanguly, who completed fellowship at RainbowBabies and Children’s Hospital and SamuelLevin, who completed fellowship at LoyolaUniversity Medical Center.

The Section congratulates Sarah Drennen andMichael Melek for completing their NPMfellowship at OU this past year. Dr. Drennenaccepted a position at Covenant Children’sHospital in Lubbock, TX. Dr. Melek accepted aposition at the Children’s Hospital at St. Peter’sUniversity in New Brunswick, NJ.

Trent Tipple started as Section Chief ofNeonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Professor ofPediatrics, and the Children’s HospitalFoundation Reba McEntire Endowed Chair inNeonatology.

Trent Tipple delivered the Ferring SponsoredMember Lecture entitled, “Lost in Translation:

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Amy Hair was the winner of the PerinatalResearch Society Annual Associate MemberPaper Prize at the Pediatric Research Societymeeting.

The following faculty received Norton RoseFulbright Awards for excellence in educationalleadership, enduring materials, orteaching/education: Melissa Carbajal,Caraciolo Fernandes, GangaGokulakrishnan, Krithika Lingappan, andMohan Pammi.

Greg Valentine, a graduated clinical post-doctoral fellow who is now an AssistantProfessor at the University of Washington,received a Baylor College of Medicine Centerfor Research, Innovation & Scholarship MedicalEducation Fellow Teaching Excellence Award.

Michael E. Speer was elected the Vice-Chair ofthe Texas Department of State Health ServicesNewborn Screening Advisory Committee.Charleta Guillory stepped down as Chair of theCommittee.

The Baylor College of Medicine PerinatalOutreach Program will hold the 43rd AnnualNursing Symposium on January 24th, 2020 atthe Sheraton Suites, 2400 West Loop South,Houston, TX.

The second annual Baylor Avoiding Lung Injury(BALI) conference was held successfully onOctober 18, 2019. Baylor Neonatology facultypresented interesting and interactive talks on avariety of respiratory topics.

Frank Placencia received his Master’s Degreein Health Care Ethics.

Grant Shafer, 3rd year neonatology fellow,gave a presentation entitled, “Frequency ofDiagnostic Errors in the Neonatal Intensive CareUnit Using the Safer Dx-NICU Instrument -Diagnostic Error in Medicine” at the 12th AnnualInternational Conference in Washington DC inNovember.

Grant Shafer and Pablo Lohmann receivedfirst place for their poster entry to the TexasPediatric Society 2019 meeting.

Gautham Suresh presented a talk at the annualMednax Innovations Conference in Austin, TXtitled, “Avoiding Physician-Induced Lung Injury- Can We Prevent BPD with QualityImprovement?”

Gautham Suresh and Lucky Jain from Emorywere Editors of a book titled Clinical Guidelinesin Neonatology published recently by McGrawHill. Various Baylor faculty were authors ofchapters: Vicki Georgiadis, Cary Fernandes,Grant Shafer, Lakshmi Katakam, AshleyLucke, Nathan Sundgren and GauthamSuresh.

Danielle Rios has accepted a position at theUniversity of Iowa.

Leonard Weisman, Professor of Pediatrics,retired after 25 years as active faculty at Baylor.

Charleta Guillory was named Co-Chair, withTiffany McKee-Garrett, to the Texas PediatricSociety Fetus and Newborn Committee.

Bridging the Gap in Perinatal Redox BiologyResearch” at the 50th Anniversary annualmeeting of the Perinatal Research Society inMinneapolis, MN.

Rita Raman delivered a lecture entitled,“Epigenetics: Early Life Origins of AdultDiseases” at the KG Hospital and Post-Graduate Institute, Coimbatore, India.

Marilyn Escobedo and Clara H. Song, asmembers of the AAP Women in Neonatology(WiN) Steering Committee, organized theSecond Annual Fall WiN Meeting at the AAPNCE this past October in New Orleans, LA. WiNwill meet next in Scottsdale, AZ, at the 2020Workshop on Neonatal-Perinatal MedicinePractice Strategies on March 29-30 withkeynote speaker Bonnie Koo, to discussfinancial health for women physicians.

Clara H. Song chaired the 2019 AAP NCESoNPM Scientific Session in New Orleans, LAthis past October. She will chair the 2020 AAPNCE SoNPM Program which highlights a jointsession with the Section on Cardiology andCardiac Surgery. She also sits on the organizingcommittee for 2020 AAP NeoPrep this comingFebruary 2020.

Clara H. Song was invited to speak at the 2019Scott & White Annual Neonatology Conferencein Temple, TX on “Digital Communication for theNeonatologist.”

The Children’s Hospital at OU Medicine hostedthe 3rd Annual Neonatal ResuscitationSymposium this past September. OrganizingCommittee Members include MarilynEscobedo, Birju Shah, Edgardo Szyld andClara H. Song. This year’s speakers includedNoah Hillman, Jeffrey Perlman, Anne Ades,Payam Vali and Gary Weiner.

The Children’s Hospital at OU Medicine alsohosted the 23rd Annual Changing Seasons inNeonatology Conference this past Novemberorganized and spearheaded by the OUNeonatal Nurse Practitioners and NeoFlightTeam.

TEXAS

Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’sHospital, Houston

Bhagavatula Moorthy was named as the firstholder of the Kurt Randerath MD EndowedChair at Texas Children’s Hospital and theDepartment of Pediatrics, Baylor College ofMedicine.

Krithika Lingappan has been awarded an NIHR01 grant for “Mechanisms of Sex Differencesin Neonatal Pulmonary Oxygen Toxicity.” Shealso received the Young Investigator Award ofthe Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College ofMedicine, and was appointed to the EditorialBoard of AAP’s NeoReviews.

Lauren Swanson, 2nd year fellow, wasselected as a post-doctoral trainee on a BCMT32 grant in Precision Environmental HealthSciences from the National Institute ofEnvironmental Health Sciences (PI CherylWalker).

AnnaMarie Arias Shah was re-elected asTECaN Regional Representative and electedonto AAP Section of Pediatric TraineesExecutive Committee.

University of Texas Health Science Center atHouston/McGovern Medical School

Eric Reynolds, of the University of TexasHealth Science Center at Houston/McGovernMedical School, was an invited speaker inChangsha, Hunan, China in November. He gaveinvited lectures at the 20th Anniversary of theChinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics atboth the main meeting and at the NewbornSpecial Lecture series. He also gave informallectures to the medical staff in the NICU atChangsha Hospital and participated in teachingrounds in the unit.

UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas

We were thrilled to welcome new faculty to theDivision: Stephanie Nguyen and KellyMazzarella joined the Newborn PediatricsSection of the Division. Rachel León, SaraMunoz-Blanco and Chris Lehmann joined theNeonatal Section of the Division.

Sadly, we said goodbye to Laura Rubinos whomoved to UCSF.

Lina Chalak was elected as the Co-Chair of theResearch and QI Committee of the NewbornBrain Society. She is now a member on theDepartmental Promotions and TenureCommittee and has been appointed asAssociate Division Chief (Academic Affairs andFaculty Development).

Becky Ennis was appointed as Co-Chair ofChildren’s Ethics Committee.

Mackenzie Frost was appointed ProgramDirector of the Neonatal-Perinatal MedicineFellowship Program and elected as Vice Chairof Assessment Learning Community at theAPPD.

Elizabeth Heyne was one of only six finalistsnationwide for the Schwartz Center Award forNational Compassionate Caregiver of the Year.

Vishal Kapadia and Imran Mir have earnedAssociate Membership to the PerinatalResearch Society.

Rachel León was accepted into the ClinicalScholars Program to get a Master of ClinicalScience at UT Southwestern.

Eric Ortigoza successfully obtained a GerberFoundation Award.

Julie Mirpuri was awarded a Children’sHospital Foundation Research Award and wasselected AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador, one of125 women in STEM nationwide and one ofthree from UTSW.

Jessica Morse was appointed as MedicalDirector of Newborn Nurseries in the Divisionand Shalini Ramachandran was appointed asAssociate Director of the NeonatalResuscitation.

Rashmin Savani gave invited talks in Greece,Wales, Japan, Brazil and Ireland.

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Rashmin Savani gave an invited talk to UTSystem Virtual Health Network Meeting inAustin.

Rashmin Savani was one of fourneonatologists elected to represent the TexasPerinatal Care Regions Alliance to spearheadstatewide organization in collaboration with theTexas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers andBabies.

The 44th Annual District VIII Conference onPerinatal Medicine will be held in Santa Fe, NMon June 4-7th, 2020. The Conference Chairs areVlad Ianus, Associate Professor of Pediatrics atthe University of New Mexico School ofMedicine, and Tara Dupont, AssociateProfessor of Pediatrics at the University of UtahHealth. Acclaimed perinatal researchers, KristiWatterberg and LuAnn Papile, are two of theprominent speakers who will undoubtedlyenlighten those interested in perinatal medicine.

ALASKA

Providence Alaska Medical Center, Anchorage

Jennifer Scoble, Medical Director atProvidence Alaska Medical Center, will bestepping down from that role and moving hometo Texas in January 2020.

Joe Livingston will be assuming the role ofMedical Director at Alaska Regional HospitalNICU.

Teresa Lam recently joined the neonatologypractice at the Alaska Neonatology Associatesupon graduation from the University ofWashington Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowshipprogram.

Denise Jones will be joining the AlaskaNeonatology Associates during summer of2020 after she finishes her fellowship at UNCChapel Hill.

COLORADO

Denver Health Medical Center

Mauricio Palau was recently awarded TopDoctors in Denver area by 5280 Magazine.

Megan Kirkle, was recently hired as aneonatologist. She is a graduate of theUniversity of Colorado Neonatal-PerinatalFellowship program.

University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado

The Lubchenco Chair in Neonatal-PerinatalMedicine, named in honor of Lula Lubchenco,member of the University of Colorado School ofMedicine faculty from 1943-1977, was recentlycreated. Although best known for her landmarkdescription of the risk profile of variations inintrauterine growth by gestational age, Dr.Lubchenco made contributions toregionalization of perinatal care, family-integrated care, inter-professional collaboration,and assessment of outcomes across thecontinuum from prenatal life to adulthood. TheLubchenco Chair will support programs and

District VIII:James Barry

research targeting improvement of clinicaloutcomes for newborns and infants and is thefirst endowed chair in the School of Medicinenamed for a female faculty member. Shoo Leewas the Lubchenco Chair lecturer for 2019. Dr.Lee is Paediatrician-in-Chief, Director of theMaternal-Infant Research Centre at Mount SinaiHospital, an Associate Member of theLunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute,Professor of Paediatrics, Obstetrics andGynaecology, and Head of the Division ofNeonatology at the University of Toronto. He isalso credited with establishing the CanadianNeonatal Network. His talks were informativeand inspirational as they focused on systems ofcare improving neonatal outcomes in a verylarge region.

John Kinsella, Professor of Pediatrics, hasbeen awarded the Career Teaching ScholarsAward by the Department of Pediatrics for hisoutstanding contributions to pediatric educationthroughout his career.

Elizabeth Thilo retired from the University ofColorado School of Medicine. Dr. Thilo hasbeen an outstanding clinician and educatorduring her career which began in 1990 whenshe joined the faculty. She will maintain her roleon the editorial board of NeoReviews Plus.

Four of the University of Colorado Neonatal-Perinatal Fellows were awarded Marshall KlausNeonatal-Perinatal Research Awards inNovember at the NCE for their basic and clinicalscience research. Brittany Butler’s research ison the role of perinatal acetaminophen in acutelung inflammation and abnormal pulmonarydevelopment. She is mentored by ClydeWright. Sarah Cilvik’s research is on the role ofexogenous glucagon in growth and metabolismin late gestation fetal lambs. Her mentor is PaulRozance. Cynthia Schreiner’s research is onplacental proteins and their interactions withprematurity. Her mentor is Theresa Powell.Kathleen Hannan received the award for healthservice research for her work oncharacterization, disparities, and prediction ofmedical complexity in VLBW infants dischargedfrom the NICU. Her mentor is Sunah Hwang.

Fellow Brianna Liberio was recently elected asa regional fellow representative for TECaN.

Laura Brown, Associate Professor ofPediatrics, was recently elected as thePresident-Elect for the Perinatal ResearchSociety.

Jeanne Zenge was recently appointed as theMedical Director of the Yampa Valley MedicalCenter NICU in Steamboat Springs, CO and theCo-Medical Director of the Wyoming MedicalCenter NICU in Casper, WY.

HAWAI’I

Hawai’i Pacific Health, Honolulu

Megan Doty will become the Hawai‘iRepresentative on the District VIII PerinatalCouncil as Bala Venkataraman steps down.

MONTANA

Saint Vincent’s Hospital, Billings

Namrita Odackal recently joined SaintVincent’s Hospital Neonatology group inBillings, Montana.

OREGON

Oregon Health & Science University, Portland

Catherine Caruso, 2nd year NeonatologyFellow at Oregon Health & Science University,received a TECaN travel grant award to attendthe 2019 AAP NCE to serve on the TECaNEducation Subcommittee.

Cindy McEvoy, Professor of Pediatrics andDirector of Maternal Child Health Research andNeonatal Research, was elected to activemembership of the American Pediatric Society.

Cindy McEvoy received NHLBI funding tostudy the effects of extending CPAP therapy instable preterm infants on lung growth anddevelopment at six months of age.

Cindy McEvoy was an invited keynote speakerat the Fourth Annual United StatesDevelopmental Origins of Health and DiseaseMeeting.

Ladawna Gievers, Assistant Professor ofPediatrics, has been instrumental in initiating aMedical-Legal Partnership at DoernbecherChildren’s Hospital that includes thedevelopment of a NICU-specific program.

The 5th annual Northwest NeonatalImprovement Priority Alliance Meeting will beheld Friday, September 11, 2020 at ChemeketaEola in Salem, OR. The featured speaker will beSusan Hwang from University of Colorado andColorado Perinatal Collaborative.

OHSU Neonatology Group is holding a TraumaInformed Care Workshop for all staff on January23-24, 2020 at Doernbecher Children’sHospital. The workshop is organized andsupported by the NICU nursing staff andAssistant Nurse Manager Nikki Wiggins.

UTAH

University of Utah, Salt Lake City

Robert D. Christensen was honored withestablishment of the Robert D. Christensen MDEndowed Lectureship in Neonatology at theUniversity of Utah. Robin Ohls, Professor ofPediatrics at University of Utah, was the firstguest lecturer for the Lectureship.

Sabrina Malone-Jenkins, Assistant Professor,was awarded the Gary M. Chan MD EndowedChair in Neonatology

Mariana Baserga, Professor of Pediatrics, wasawarded the Jack L. Dolcourt Endowed Chair inNeonatology.

Jerry King will retire in 2020, after serving theDivision of Neonatology, Department ofPediatrics and University of Utah School ofMedicine for since 1984! We thank him for hisservice to our patients, families, and staff. Hehas positively impacted many lives.

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Candice Fike, Professor of Pediatrics, wasawarded Tenure.

Lisa Joss-Moore was promoted to Professorof Pediatrics with Tenure

Christian (Con) Yost, MD, was promoted toProfessor of Pediatrics with Tenure

Camille Fung was promoted to AssociateProfessor.

Kelli Lund and Nora Switchenko have joinedas Visiting Instructors. Kelli completedfellowship at University of Oregon HealthScience Center and Nora at University of Utah.

Luca Brunelli, Professor of Pediatrics, hasjoined our faculty from University of Nebraskaat Omaha.

WASHINGTON

University of Washington School of Medicine,Seattle

Rachel Umoren is PI on a $2.4M AHRQ grantto the University of Washington for “PatientSafety Learning Laboratory to Enhance theValue and Safety of Neonatal InterfacilityTransfers in a Regional Care Network.” Thisproject will define the current and ideal state forneonatal transfers to Seattle Children’s Hospitalfrom the Pacific Northwest region, and developprotocols and systems for real-timecommunication and safety data tracking toimprove newborn patient safety on transport.Co-investigators are Bob DiGeronimo, ZeeniaBillimoria, Megan Gray and Taylor Sawyer.

Ravi D’Cruz joined the faculty after finishingfellowship at Brown University, Women andInfants Hospital.

Angel Rios recently joined the faculty, movingall the way across the country from Bernard andMillie Duker Children’s Hospital, Albany MedicalCenter, where he served as Medical Director ofthe NICU.

Greg Valentine recently joined the faculty aftercompleting fellowship at the Baylor College ofMedicine in Houston.

Jose Perez will be joining the faculty in Marchof 2020. Dr. Perez will be coming from theWinnie Palmer Hospital, Orlando where heserved the role as Corporate Medical Director.

CALIFORNIA

California Association of Neonatologists (CAN)

The 26th Annual CAN/AAP District IX Sectionon Neonatal Perinatal Medicine Conference,Cool Topics in Neonatology, and the CaliforniaPerinatal Quality Care Collaborative (CPQCC)Pre-Conference will be held March 6-8, 2020 atthe Coronado Island Marriott Resort. Theconference begins Friday evening with akeynote address in a fireside chat format withRichard Pan, California State Senator andhealth care advocate, and Nadine BurkeHarris, California Surgeon General, speaking onthe “Changing Landscape of Healthcare in

District IX:Alexis Davis

California - Effects on Women, Infants andChildren.” The following day, a renowned groupof speakers will address several importanttopics including: Advances in fetal surgery; fetalhydrops; respiratory management in the NICUincluding use of HHHFNC vs. NCPAP;intermittent hypoxemia; cell-based therapy forBPD; surfactant administration modalities suchas InSurE, LISA, and aerosol; updates fromPDA-TOLERATE Trial; catheter-based closure ofPDA; neonatal anemia; neonatal transfusion;and neonatal thrombosis. Sunday sessions willfocus on MRSA outbreak in the NICU,enteroviral infections, osteopenia of prematurity,and thyroid function in the preterm. Theconference will conclude with currently relevanttopics that include the marijuana-exposedneonate and recognizing PTSD in parents afterNICU discharge and how to help them deal withthis important issue. Please visithttps://cme.ucla.edu/ for more details. Theposter session and QI Poster Symposium willcontinue as part of the Cool Topics meeting.The annual David Wirtschafter Award for QI willbe awarded to the author of the best QI projectsubmitted. All abstracts will be posted on theCAN Website(https://choccme.weebly.com/can-abstracts-2019.html).

The 16th annual Life after Fellowship Workshopwill be held on March 6th, 2020 as part of theannual Cool Topics in Neonatology meeting.This Workshop is jointly sponsored by CAN,District IX SoNPM, Harbor UCLA and TECaN.The full-day Workshop will focus on varioustypes of neonatology practice as well as topicslike interviewing skills for a job, financialconcerns, and learning about the businessaspects of neonatology. Physician wellness andburnout and global neonatal care will be addedto this year’s Workshop. The Bhatt-RamanathanScholarship awards will be presented after avetting process to two trainees who haveshown commitment and achieved success inclinical and basic science research. Theprogram includes an interactive paneldiscussion with neonatologists to speak tofellows about different practice models andtheir professional lives. The panel will use theTED talk format followed by a question andanswer session. The Program Committeeincludes Rangasamy Ramanathan, SoinaDargan, Virender Rehan, Meera Sankar,Christine Bixby and Adrian Lavery. Pre-registration is required.

The CAN Research and Education Committee(Chair: Meera Sankar) has been meetingregularly via monthly conference calls. Theongoing Transcutaneous Bilirubin (TcB) Studyhas made good progress with patientrecruitment from several centers. The objectiveis to develop guidelines for when to considertotal serum bilirubin levels based on TcB levelsand to monitor levels during and afterphototherapy in infants less than 30 weeksgestation in the NICU. Other discussion topicshave included: Involving fellows in prospectivestudies in CAN Research Network and use ofCAN research calls as a venue for sharing

clinical research experience and to identifycenters for various research proposals.

The CAN Electronic NICU Directory (Chairs:Ronald Ariagno, Henry Lee, Dilip Bhatt) isbeing refined and should be ready to launch inthe next few months. A demo was presented atthe CAN board meeting and neonatologistswere encouraged to try it and provide feedbackin the beta-testing phase. Nine training centershave so far been included in the Directory.

California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative

CPQCC has recently released a new reportavailable on the NICU Reports site(www.cpqccreport.org). The Baby-MONITORreport allows NICUs to look at a compositescore of overall quality of care at their NICU andbenchmark their performance against the entireCPQCC network. Baby-MONITOR combinesmeasures of positive performance on antenatalsteroids, timely ROP exams, absence ofnosocomial infection, temperature onadmission, pneumothorax, growth velocity,oxygen at 36 weeks, human milk nutrition, andsurvival to give teams a holistic picture of thequality of care they are providing. Visit theCPQCC website (www.cpqcc.org/nicu/nicu-reports) to watch a brief introductory video onBaby-MONITOR and to read more about howthe report was developed.

CPQCC held its annual data training sessionson October 17th, 18th, and 23rd in locationsacross Northern and Southern California.

CPQCC has launched a new pilot project tocollect data on maternal substance exposures,including but not limited to opioids. Data will beused to drive improvements in care forsubstance-exposed newborns by focusing ontreatment and length of stay in the hospital.Participation in the pilot project is optional andis open to both CPQCC member and non-member hospitals. Data collection will beNICU-focused, but will not be limited to theNICU and will be housed on CPQCC’s NICUData site. Visit the CPQCC website(www.cpqcc.org/nicu/nicu-data/maternal-substance-exposure-data-collection-pilot) formore information.

Our NICU and HRIF Summary Reports(www.ccshrif.org) are some of the most valuabletools available to you and your team! Use thesereports to track the surgeries andhospitalizations that your patients have receivedby the time of their first HRIF visit, identify areasfor improvement in your HRIF clinic, anddetermine a child’s need for specialty services.

The California Perinatal Transport System(CPeTS) is conducting a small pilot project todetermine whether mothers of high risk infantswho were admitted for greater than 24 hourscould have been transferred prior to delivery tohospitals with more appropriate levels of carefor their infant. A new data item has beenadded to the transport form to explore howoften this occurs and the reasons for nottransporting the mother. NICUs will be asked tosubmit this information starting in 2020.

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CPQCC launched the Mother & BabySubstance Exposure Initiative in June 2019 inpartnership with the California Maternal QualityCare Collaborative (CMQCC) and HealthManagement Associates to improve care formothers and newborns affected by opioid use.As of November, 32 hospitals across 10California counties were participating in theinitiative which includes a hospital-based QIcollaborative, community outreach, and thedevelopment of a toolkit of best practices. Thetoolkit, which is currently in draft form and willbe published in early 2020, aims to preserve themother-baby dyad, refer and keep mothers intreatment, optimize care for newborns withneonatal abstinence syndrome, and promoteintegration with community services.

Are you wondering how to start animprovement project in your unit? Curiousabout how the culture of your NICU influencesthe quality of care? Join us for us CPQCC’s firstannual Improvement Palooza on Friday, March6th, 2020, in Coronado, CA (in conjunction withthe annual Cool Topics conference).Improvement Palooza is designed to help NICUteams supercharge their QI journeys. The daywill feature success stories from fellow CPQCCNICUs as well as sessions on integratingfamilies into the improvement process, startinga QI project, context as a critical component ofsuccess, and advanced data presentationtechniques. Improvement Palooza is packedwith exciting content for everyone, whether youare new to improvement or an old pro lookingto learn some new tricks. Register forImprovement Palooza atwww.cpqcc.org/improvement-palooza-2020.

Loma Linda University

Elba Fayard, Carlos Fayard, Brad Cacho, andDouglas Deming recently returned from fiveweeks of teaching (and occasional sightseeing)at the Zhejiang University Children’s’ Hospital inHangzhou, China. These two institutionsexchange teams yearly. Over the 12 years thatthe LLU team has visited, there have beenprogressive advancements in the care of sicknewborns. Some of this has been in medicalcare, but they have also improved in thepsychosocial care of the mother/infant couple.They have developed more frequent visitinghours, the use of maternal breast milk, androoming-in prior to discharge.

Mednax Group of San Jose

After 14 years with our group, Dick Powersretired in December 2019. We wish him all thebest!

Rupal Patel joined our group in January 2020.

Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital, LongBeach

We are delighted to welcome faculty memberTing-Yi Lin as the Director of Neonatal Quality.She brings years of experience with asuccessful academic career in Boston andmore recently, Children’s Hospital Los AngelesDivision of Neonatal Medicine. Her success inleading quality performance improvement

teams is well-recognized, and we are excited tosee where she will take us!

We congratulate Rosemarie Tan on herpromotion to Captain in the US Navy(Reserves). In addition to her distinguishedmilitary record and clinical work, Rose has beena dedicated member of the AAP Women inNeonatology (WiN) group and an activemember of the California Association ofNeonatology Research Committee.

We celebrate the 3rd Anniversary of the openingof the Small Baby Program. This program, thelargest of its kind in the region, has beenextremely successful in improving respiratory,nutritional and short term neurodevelopmentaloutcomes for VLBW infants. With excitingprojects like Less Invasive SurfactantAdministration (LISA), the experience of thisgroup has led to many regional and nationalpresentations. Continued support for thisprogram by families, staff, and grateful donorswas recognized at a celebratory event inDecember 2019.

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose

After 14 years of leading the Neonatal Divisionat VMC regional NICU, Balaji Govindaswamimoved to Huntington, WV as the EndowedChair of Addiction Medicine and Chief ofNeonatology at Marshall University.

Priya Jegatheesan is appointed as the Chief ofNeonatology and Director of VMC NICU.

Sudha Rani Narasimhan is appointed as theDirector of Level 3 NICU at O’Connor Hospital.

Christina Anderson is leading amultidisciplinary team to establish a musictherapy program at VMC NICU.

Dongli Song was invited to present on “NICUFamily Centered Care” at the 2nd ChineseNational Mother-Infant Mental HealthConference, held in Zhang Zhou, China.

Stanford University, Palo Alto

Earlier this year, the American Pediatric Society(APS) awarded David Stevenson with theprestigious John Howland Award. The APSrecently established the John Howland VisitingProfessor Program as an extension of theAward, and David will be the inaugural visitingprofessor. In September 2019, the APSannounced its selection of the first hostinstitutions: University of Texas Health ScienceCenter and the University of North Carolina atChapel Hill with Duke University. Dr. Stevensonwill visit these institutions in 2020 to share hisexperience and knowledge, exchange ideas,and engage in discussions about critical issuesaffecting academic pediatrics.

David Stevenson gave a keynote presentationentitled, “Understanding Disparities in PretermBirth,” at the 50th Annual Perinatal ResearchSociety meeting in Minneapolis, MN.

Our Class of 2019 Neonatal-Perinatal MedicineFellows graduated in July. Neha Kumbhataccepted a position as an Assistant Professorof Pediatrics at University of Southern CaliforniaKeck School of Medicine. Vidya Pai has joined

the neonatology faculty at Stanford as a ClinicalInstructor. She has a joint appointment as apostdoctoral fellow for her F32 grant.

In summer 2019, it was announced that more ofour fellows will receive support from StanfordMaternal & Child Health Research Institute:Eman Haidari (class of 2021) was awardedClinical Trainee Support for her project entitled,“An Exploration of NICU Admission Rates.”Caroline Yeon-Kyeong Noh (class of 2021)received Master’s Tuition Support to pursue aMaster’s degree in Epidemiology and ClinicalResearch.

Fellow Megan Ringle presented preliminaryresearch findings at the NeonatalCardiopulmonary Biology Young InvestigatorsForum in September in Chicago, IL, andreceived a research grant award of $1500 forher work. Her presentation was on the use offunctional echo and NIRS to characterizeneonatal hemodynamics.

Many Division faculty were involved in thePediatric Hospital Medicine Conference inSeattle, WA in July. Arun Gupta, Neha Joshi,Adam Frymoyer, William Benitz, ElizabethBlecharczyk, and Jadene Wong helped leadand facilitate a variety of mini-plenary sessions,workshops, and subcommittee meetings.Members of our Neonatal Hospitalist Team alsoplanned and led a Newborn Medicine Pre-Conference focused on neonatal resuscitationskills. Our working group to reduce antibioticexposure in chorioamnionitis-exposed infantswas awarded the Jennifer Daru MemorialAward. Members include Neha Joshi, ArunGupta, Ronald Cohen, William Benitz, andAdam Frymoyer. The Daru Award is intendedto honor the manuscript the editorial boardfeels has the most potential to impact clinicalcare.

William Benitz continued traveling during hissabbatical. He was an invited speaker at theIPOKRaTES Seminar entitled, “BacterialInfections in the Newborn Infant,” sponsored bythe Azienda Ospedaliero UniversitariaPoliclinico, in Modena, Italy. He was also avisiting professor at Carmel Medical Center inHaifa, Israel in May 2019.

Krisa Van Meurs andWilliam Benitz wereinvited speakers at the 5th InternationalNeonatology Association Conference in Tijuana,Mexico, July 2019. Dr. Van Meurs presented onthe use of NIRS to provide neuroprotection inextremely low birthweight infants and the use oferythropoietin and other new drugs for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Dr. Benitz spoke onnew approaches for sepsis and management ofthe patent ductus arteriosus.

Krisa Van Meurs, Sonia Bonifacio, KathiSalley Randall, and Courtney Wusthoff wereinvited speakers at the Neo Brain Brazil 2019conference held in São Paolo, November 2019.All spoke at a pre-conference workshop as wellas the main conference attended by 900medical professionals from all 26 states inBrazil. The topic of the conference was HIE andtherapeutic hypothermia, with a focus on

31


improving identification of HIE and decreasingvariation in practice.

Sonia Bonifacio was recently awarded fundingby the Thrasher Foundation as the PI for theTIME Trial (Therapeutic Hypothermia for Infantswith Mild Encephalopathy). This will be arandomized, controlled trial of cooling in terminfants with mild HIE conducted at multiplesites in California.

Susan Hintz was honored to be the inauguralJames D. Thullen Lecturer and visitingprofessor at University of North Carolina inSeptember 2019.

At the West Coast Pediatric Palliative CareSummit in Oakland, CA in October 2019,Susan Hintz and Diana Kobayashi wereinvited speakers. They spoke on the topic ofperinatal counseling and palliative care.

Anoop Rao, Fatima Eskandar-Afshari, BillRhine, and fellow Caroline Yeon-Kyeong Nohhave been working on a wearable continuousnon-invasive blood pressure (BP) monitor alongwith Stanford spin-off PyrAmes Health. Theirwork was recognized with the Dr. MoskowitzScholar Award at the Current Applications forArtificial Intelligence in Cardiology conferencein San Francisco, CA, where Dr. Rao gave apresentation about the device. Dr. Rao alsoparticipated in the 7th Annual Pediatric DeviceInnovation Symposium in Boston, MA inSeptember 2019. The wearable continuousnon-invasive BP monitor was selected as awinner in the Make Your Medical Device Pitchfor Kids! competition during the Symposium.The competition focused on NICU innovationsand was organized by the Children’s NationalHospital and the National Capital Consortiumfor Pediatric Device Innovation. Lookingforward, the non-invasive BP monitor will bepart of the Pediatric Device InnovatorAccelerator Program and also a finalist in theIgnite Fire Accelerator Program.

The British Medical Association Medical BookAwards for 2019 recognized a book co-editedby William Benitz and P. Brian Smith of DukeUniversity. Neonataology Questions andControversies: Infectious Diseases andPharmacology (Philadelphia: Elsevier, 2018)was named Highly Commended. The awardwas presented at the BMA House in London,England on September 3rd. Contributingauthors included Adam Frymoyer, SoniaBonifacio, and Krisa Van Meurs.

Adam Frymoyer was promoted on July 1st toClinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics,Neonatal and Developmental Medicine.

Ritu Chitkara was promoted on August 1st toClinical Associate Professor, Neonatal andDevelopmental Medicine.

Nicole Yamada was promoted on October 1stto Clinical Associate Professor.

Alexis Davis was elected as the District IXrepresentative to the SoNPM ExecutiveCouncil.

Meera Sankar was elected as the Secretary forthe California Association of Neonatologists.

William Benitz will be a featured speaker at theHot Topics in Neonatology conference inNational Harbor, MD, December 9-11. Thisyear’s conference spotlights sepsis, and Dr.Benitz will speak about options in implementingstrategies for early-onset sepsis screening. Thepreconference on December 8th is focused onneonatal quality, and Jochen Profit will be thekeynote speaker talking about culture and howit drives quality.

University of California, Davis

UC Davis Children’s Hospital is hosting aNeonatal and Pediatric Transport conference.This one-day conference is accredited by theACCME for 7.75 AMA PRA Category 1 creditsand will be held on May 21st, 2020 on the UCDavis medical school campus in Sacramento.The keynote speaker will beWilliam Benitzfrom Stanford. The content is designed forphysicians, transport RNs, advanced practiceproviders and respiratory therapists. The focuswill be on both stabilization for transport andthe actual transport process.

The third NEC Symposium will be held at theWestin Cincinnati on April 13-16, 2021 and willbe co-sponsored by the NEC Society andCincinnati Children’s Hospital. The first NECsymposium was held in UC Davis in 2017 andthe second at the University of Michigan in2019. This is the only conference in NorthAmerica dedicated entirely to NEC. It is aunique conference in that it includes not onlycutting-edge research but also the voice offamilies (they share posters, participate in smallgroup discussions, ask questions and introducespeakers). The three symposia have beensupported with funding from PCORI (PatientCentered Outcomes Research Institute) andfrom NIH. You can follow the NEC Society onTwitter (@NECsociety), Facebook(https://www.facebook.com/necsociety/) andonline (https://necsociety.org).

University of California, Irvine

Cherry Uy, Fayez Bany-Mohammed,Rebecca Coleman, Muhammad Aslam andYona Nicolau were recognized as OrangeCounty Physicians of Excellence.

Cherry Uy was an invited speaker at the 64thJapan International Conference for NeonatalHealth and Development held in November2019. Topics included were, “Non-InvasiveVentilation in Premature Infants” and“Respiratory Monitoring in the NICU.”

UC Irvine will be hosting the annual SoCal SmallBaby Consortium conference on April 16th,2020. The conference will discuss managementprotocols for ELGANs.

University of California, San Diego/RadyChildren’s Hospital

Carlos Ramos, Erika Fernandez, and JoseHonold were visiting faculty at the NeonatalInternational Meeting and ECMO training inChengdu, China in October.

Jose Honold was recently named President-Elect for the International Neonatal Association.Jose will be the Chairperson for the INACconference in Budapest, Hungary in July 2020.

Our team will be participating in the upcomingTIME trial (A Randomized Controlled Trial ofTherapeutic Hypothermia for MildEncephalopathy in the State of California),recently funded by the Thrasher Foundation.Enrollment will start on February 2020.

Anna-Kaisa Niemi received a 2019 YoungFaculty Endowed Chair Award from theDepartment of Pediatrics to support her work inestablishing a new Metabolic NICU Program.

Nathaly Sweeney presented a webinardetailing her work within the newly createdVermont Oxford-Rady Children’s GenomicNetwork entitled, “Parent Perspectives onGenomic Testing.”

Erika Fernandez has been elected Treasurerfor the California Association of Neonatologists.

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland

The NICU at UCSF Benioff Children’s HospitalOakland received the 2019 UCSF Health AnnualPatient Safety Award for reducing unplannedextubations to less than 1/4 of their previousrate.

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland hasbeen participating in Project Baby Bear with theRady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine,along with four other children’s hospitals inCalifornia. In this QI project, rapid wholegenome sequencing is made available to NICUand PICU patients in order to reach more timelygenetic diagnoses, which has had a majorimpact upon patient management. So far,significant genetic diagnoses have been madein more than half of the 20 patients who weretested from Oakland.

Priscilla Joe provided a three-day specializedtraining course in newborn care for doctors andnurses from eight government hospitals inPokhara, Nepal in November 2019. The trainingwas supported by the Day One global healthprogram and Amici Della Neonatologia Trentina,Trento, Italy. The program focused on use ofnasal CPAP, phototherapy, radiant warming,developmental care, and nursing assessment ofsick infants.

Sandra Wai and Leslie Lusk started a severeBPD team program in the NICU, which focuseson the ongoing needs of these difficult patientsand coordinates the care among the variousspecialists.

The Fetal Medicine Program at Children’sHospital Oakland has been in place for manyyears serving the East Bay. The program is nowintegrated with the Fetal Treatment Program atUCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Franciscoand offering expanded Maternal Fetal Medicineand Prenatal Genetics services. The MedicalDirector of the Oakland-based program isLeslie Lusk.

ALABAMA

University of Alabama, Birmingham

Trent E. Tipple will leave the University ofAlabama as he has been named Chief of theSection of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine for theUniversity of Oklahoma College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics. He completed hisneonatal training at Nationwide Children’s inColumbus, OH.

FLORIDA

Halifax Health Medical System, Daytona Beach

Jose Perez is leaving Halifax to join theUniversity of Washington/Seattle Children’sDivision of Neonatology in spring 2020.

Orlando Health System

Michael Gomez joined the Winnie PalmerHospital (WPH) neonatal team as NICUCorporate Medical Director. He completed hisneonatal training at Baylor University inHouston, TX.

Kathryn Winn joined the WPH neonatal teamas NICU attending. Dr. Winn completed herneonatal training at Wake Forest, NC.

Gregor Alexander is no longer working with theWPH neonatal team. He was Medical Directorfor many years and helped lead and developthe Orlando Health NICU into a level IV unit overthe last four decades. His contributions toOrlando Health and the community aresignificant and truly appreciated!

University of Florida, Gainesville

A multidisciplinary team of UF faculty from theColleges of Medicine, Public Health and HealthProfessions, Law, and Education, along withnumerous state partners, have received an 18-month, $514,688 grant from the NIH to helpplan a large, long-term national study on the

District X:Jose Perez


32

Abbott NutritionNeoReviews/NeoReviews PlusSection NewsletterVirginia Apgar AwardThomas Cone Jr History LectureshipL Joseph Butterfield LectureshipPerinatal Spring WorkshopNeonatal/Perinatal FellowsConferences

TECaN NCE & Workshop Travel GrantsGerald Merenstein LectureSection Faculty DinnerNICHD Young Inventigator ConferenceNCE Poster Session & ReceptionONTPD Networking Session & Reception

NeoPREP Apgar Award DinnerWomen in NeonatologyTECaN NCE & PAS Receptions

Johnson & JohnsonKlaus Grants

Brodsky & Martin’s NeonatologyReview

Education Research Award

Beth Israel DeaconessNeonatology

Health Research Services Award

Mead Johnson NutritionNeonatal Landmark AwardAv Fanaroff Neonatal Education AwardYoung Investigator AwardsTrainee NCE & Workshop Travel GrantsMidCan ReceptionTECaN Spring DinnerAbstract Travel GrantsWECaN ReceptionNeoPrepWomen in NeonatologyMid-Career Neonatologists (MidCaN)Klaus GrantsPerinatal Spring Workshop4 Fellows Conferences on PerinatalResearch

Perinatal & Developmental MedicineSymposia (2)

ONTPD Lunch at NCE

ProlactaWomen in Neonatology

The Section would like to thank the following sponsors:

effects of prenatal exposure to opioids andother substances on brain development andbehavioral health in young children. The team isled by Matt Gurga (PI) from the College ofHealth Professions and Meredith Mowitz fromthe Division of Neonatology.

The Florida Neonatal Neurologic Network (FN3),founded by Michael Weiss, held their statemeeting in July at Nemours Children’s Hospitalin Orlando. Guest speakers included Terrie

Inder from Brigham and Women’s Hospital andSara Bates from Massachusetts GeneralHospital.

Josef Neu received a University of Florida TermProfessorship, a university-wide academichonor based on academic accomplishment.

David Burchfield was named to the State ofFlorida Prevention of Prematurity Task Force bythe Florida Surgeon General.

2020 Workshop on Neonatal-Perinatal Practice StrategiesMarch 27-29, 2020Paradise Valley DoubleTree HotelScottsdale, ArizonaFor more information or to request a brochure, access www.pedialink.org/cmefinder or call 866/843-2271.


33

2019 AAP NCE SoNPM ScientificSession in NOLAClara H Song MDThe 2019 Scientific Session at the Section on NeonatalPerinatal Medicine (SoNPM) Program at the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics National Convention and Exhibition(NCE) in New Orleans this past October kicked off with theMerenstein Lecture on “Updates and Knowledge Gaps inHypothermia for HIE” given by Dr. Seetha Shankaran. Thekeynote address was followed by a vibrant posterreception. The following morning started off with the OralAbstracts and Award Presentation Session. This year, atotal of ninety abstracts were accepted, eighty posters andten oral presentations, giving an acceptance rate of 39%.With the generosity of unrestricted educational grants fromseveral notable sponsors, SoNPM awarded travel grants tothe following abstract presenters:

1. Dr. Pulak Agrawal2. Dr. Andreas Damianos3. Dr. Morcos Hanna4. Dr. Bethany Kaemingk5. Dr. Jenny Koo6. Dr. Jonathan Levin7. Dr. Leeann Pavlek8. Dr. Amit Sharma9. Dr. Mayank Sharma10. Dr. Daniela Villacis Calderon

2019 Young Investigator AwardeesFrom the ten oral abstract presentations of the ScientificSession, two presentations in particular notably stood outand were presented with the 2019 Young InvestigatorAwards. These were awarded to: Dr. Jenny Koo and Dr.Mayank Sharma.

Jenny Koo MD - University of California, San Diego

Erythrocyte coated biomimeticnanoparticles reduce toxiceffects of Group-BStreptococcus �-Hemolysin/Cytolysinpore-forming toxin

Jenny Koo received herBachelor in Science fromUCLA in the major ofMolecular Cell andDevelopmental Biology, andcompleted her medical trainingat UC San Diego School ofMedicine. She proceeded topediatric residency andneonatal fellowship training at

UC San Diego, where she worked on a number of researchprojects ranging from translational work on human milkthickeners to retrospective clinical research studiescharacterizing infectious thrombophlebitis. Her mostrecent research and publication has been on novelbiomimetic nanotherapeutic approaches to counteractbacterial toxins and deleterious inflammatory cytokinecascades in the context of neonatal sepsis. This work isconducted in collaboration with the laboratory of LiangfangZhang in UCSD Nanoengineering and under the co-supervision of Victor Nizet and Shelley Lawrence. Jennyhas also been active with the AAP Section on NeonatalPerinatal Medicine TECaN (Trainees and Early CareerNeonatologists) group. She started as the District IX fellowrepresentative and has since been elected as the Chair ofQI/Research. She is the creator of the “Roadmap forResearch,” and continues to develop similar tools forfellows and early career neonatologists to enhance theirresearch and QI experiences.

Mayank Sharma MD - University of Miami, MillerSchool of Medicine

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)derived exosomes alleviatepulmonary hypertension in anexperimental model ofbronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD) through the vascularendothelial growth factorsignaling pathway

I grew up in the city of Kolkataon the east coast of India.After high school, I joinedCalcutta National MedicalCollege for medical school.Pediatrics always attracted meand I fell in love with thespecialty while on my third year clerkship, however myinterest in neonatal and perinatal medicine, and particularlydevelopmental lung biology, stems from my experience ofresuscitating a preterm newborn during obstetrics rotation.After working as a resident doctor in pediatrics in my homecountry I decided to train in pediatric residency in the USin the pursuit of gaining academic and research experiencealong with strong clinical training. I was fortunate tocombine my interests while working with my mentor KarenYoung at the University of Miami Miller School ofMedicine’s Batchelor Children’s Research Institute. I am afirst year pediatrics resident at the University ofMiami/Jackson Memorial Hospital program and myresearch interests include diseases of prematurity ingeneral and the use of stem cells to improve outcomes inthese infants.

34


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District VI Association of Neonatologists

Section on Neonatal Perinatal Medicine

13th Annual District VI Neonatology Meeting

2020 CONTROVERSIES IN NEONATAL AND PERINATAL CLINICAL CARE

Friday, September 11, 2020 and Saturday, September 12, 2020

Hilton Suites Chicago/Magnificent MileChicago, Illinois

http://www.d6an.org/

Hot Topicsin Neonatology

December 7-9, 2020National Harbor, MD

For over 30 years, Hot Topics hasbeen THE premiere neonatalconference, with more than1,000 neonatologists and

perinatologists attending each year. Join us for the Pre-Conference

Neonatal Quality at Hot TopicsDecember 6, 2020

For details on theconference, submitting

an abstract, or exhibiting, visit

www.hottopics.org

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) Steering Committee is pleased to announce theavailability of the 2020 Neonatal Resuscitation Program Research Grant, NRP Young Investigator Award and NRP HumanFactors/Education Grant. The awards are designed to support basic science, clinical, educational, or epidemiological research per-taining to the broad area of neonatal resuscitation.

• NRP Human Factors or Education Grant: Any health care professional with an interest in human factors impact ondelivery room resuscitation or optimization of NRP education is eligible to apply for up to $15,000.

• NRP Young Investigator Award: Physicians-in-training or individuals within four years of completing fellowship train-ing are eligible to apply for up to $15,000.

• NRP Research Grant Program: Any health care professional with an interest in Neonatal Resuscitation is eligible toapply for up to $50,000.

Researchers from Canadian and US institutions are invited to apply.

Potential applicants should submit an intent for application to the NRP Steering Committee by Friday, April 10, 2020. All intents willbe reviewed and the committee will ask a select group to submit full proposals. Those selected to submit a full proposal will receivethe formal application by Friday, June 5, 2020.

To obtain the NRP Research Grant, NRP Young Investigator Award and NRP Human Factors/Education Grant Guidelines andview the electronic Intent for Application, apply at: https://form.jotform.com/200074562763150

For questions regarding NRP Grants, please contact:

American Academy of Pediatrics, Division of Life Support initiatives800-433-9016, ext. [email protected]

2020 Neonatal Resuscitation Program®Research Grant, Young Investigator Award and NRP Human

Factors/Education Grant Call for Applications


36

PROGRAM PURPOSEExamine current, practical approaches to neonatalconsiderations using didactic lectures, panel and casepresentations provided by neonatal specialists andmultidisciplinary care teams.

TARGET AUDIENCE

PRE-CONFERENCE DEVELOPMENTALCARE TOPICS INCLUDE:• Keynote: Touch a Life, Impact a Lifetime –

Trauma-Informed Care for Hospitalized Infants & Families

• Family Centered Care/Palliative Care Parent Panel

• Medical Management of Seizures and Developmental Outcomes

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, RNC-Ey Coughlin, MS, NNP P, RNC-EMarPresident and FounderCaring Essentials Collaborative

Boston

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• Keynote: Make Way for Compassion – The Courage to Care Begins with You

• Care Transitions for the Chronic or Complex Infant

• Neonatal Genetics and Testing Pathways

• Chronic Care Rounds

• Nutrition Needs of the Chronic Patient

• Test of Infant Motor Performance Screening (TIMPS), Child Interaction-Infant Play, Parent

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SOUTHEASTERN ASSOCIATION OF NEONATOLOGISTS

34th Annual Conference

May 21 - 24, 2020 JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort

Marco Island, Florida

www.southeastneo.com

Supported in part by grants from: Mead Johnson Nutrition

American Academy of Pediatrics ~ Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine (District X) Envision Healthcare

Guest Faculty

C. Michael Cotten Jonathan Davis David Stevenson Sarah Taylor Fernando Moya Kelly Wade David Adamkin Shay Phillips

SAN Contact person: Barry D. Chandler, M.D., Executive Director

Phone: (954) 646-8943 E-mail: [email protected]

Registration is for physicians only.

Register online at: www.southeastneo.com

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41

Mark your calen neonatal-pe

ndars for these upco rinatal CME course

oming es!

NeoPREP®: An Inten Review and Update

Neonatal-Perinatal MeFebruary 7-11, 202

Long Beach, CARenaissance Long Beach

For updates visit

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edicine 20

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StrategiesMarch 27-29, 2020

Scottsdale, AZalley ResortDoubletree Paradise V Valley Resort

t shop.aap.org/live-activities

For updates, visit


42


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2020 Spring MeetingScottsdale, AZMarch 29-30

• Keynote Speaker [to come] • “Meet the Professor” networking breakfast • Skills workshops, open discussion, speed

dating and more

CAN/AAP District IX Sectionon Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine

26th Annual ConferenceCool Topics in Neonatology

March 6 – 8, 2020Coronado Island Marriott Resort

Coronado, CaliforniaFor more meeting information:

www.cme.ucla.edu or www.canneo.org

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CHNC Annual Symposium: Opening of

Registration & Symposium Highlights

Announcing the Opening of Registration for the:

CHNC 12th Annual Quality, Research & Educational Symposium

Symposium Highlights

Neonatal Fellow Sessions

• Breakfast for Neonatal Trainees and Division Leaders• Navigating the Transition from Fellowship through the Early Faculty Years

Neonatal Fellow Travel Awards

• Multiple travel awards will be available for neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowswho submit abstracts, based on the quality and impact of the submission.

Workshops

• Nursing Leadership• Critical and Difficult Airway Management• Designing Effective Surveys• CIQI Education

Our collegial consortium provides an ideal opportunity for all team members—including faculty and trainees of neonatology, surgery, anesthesia and otherpediatric subspecialties, as well as NICU staff including nurses, nursepractitioners, physician assistants, respiratory therapists, and developmental careproviders—to both present their work and attend our symposium.

We look forward to seeing you this October in Indianapolis.

The CHNC Symposium Planning Committee

www.theCHNC.org

345 Park BoulevardItasca, IL 60143

www.aap.org/perinatal

The SONPM would like to thank Abbott Nutrition for sponsoring the followingsection activities!

NeoReviews/NeoReviews PlusSection NewsletterVirginia Apgar AwardThomas Cone Jr History LectureshipL. Joseph Butterfield LectureshipPerinatal Spring WorkshopNeonatal/Perinatal Fellows ConferencesTECaN NCE & Workshop Travel Grants Gerald Merenstein LectureSection Faculty DinnerNICHD Young Investigator ConferenceNCE Poster Session & ReceptionONTPD Networking SessionNeoPREP APGAR Award DinnerTECaN NCE ReceptionWomen in Neonatology

SECTION ON NEONATAL-PERINATAL MEDICINE

Documents