2023 Department of Pediatrics Academic Annual Report

CELIAC DISEASE CLINIC The division has a dedicated clinic with physician (John Sands, M.D.), registered dietitian and social work support to treat pediatric patients with celiac disease. The team is embarking on collaborative translational research studies with Washington University in St. Louis to better understand immune and microbiome changes that lead to loss of gluten tolerance and subsequent tissue injury. COLORECTAL PROGRAM The Colorectal Program is a multidisciplinary clinic for the evaluation and treatment of complex constipation disorders and follow-up of congenital anorectal malformation. The clinic is staffed by pediatric gastroenterologist (Jose R. Mestre, M.D.), nurse practitioner (Michelle Hindman, CRNP), and nurse clinicians (Tracy Howell, R.N., Karen Twilly, R.N) with multiple years of experience in the management of these disorders. Surgical consultation is provided by one of our pediatric surgeons (Vince Morterallo, M.D.). CYSTIC FIBROSIS GI PROGRAM This multidisciplinary clinic collaborates with the robust cystic fibrosis program at UAB/Children’s of Alabama to improve outcomes of children with cystic fibrosis who suffer from gastrointestinal and hepatic complications of their primary disease. Adam Cohen, M.D., received the Developing Innovative Gastroenterology Specialty Training (DIGEST) grant from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to increase exposure of gastroenterologists to patients with cystic fibrosis. It offers focused mentorship and didactics to develop a stronger knowledge and clinical network to allow for better and more standardized care for these patients. MULTIDISCIPLINARY FEEDING CLINIC Children seen in the Multidisciplinary Feeding Clinic receive comprehensive evaluation and treatment plans of pediatric feeding disorder from a gastroenterologist, speech and language pathologist, occupational therapist and dietitian. The program collaborates with social work, psychology and outpatient feeding therapists as well as intensive feeding programs. LIVER TRANSPLANT The Pediatric Transplant Center at Children’s of Alabama was opened in March 2013 at the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children. Our patients are cared for by a skilled, multidisciplinary team, including UAB surgeons, pediatric hepatologist, liver transplant coordinators, a pediatric transplant infectious diseases physician and other specialists in our transplant program. Our team coordinates all aspects of care during the evaluation phase, transplantation and post-procedure care to ensure positive outcomes. The Pediatric Liver Transplant team has collaborated with UAB transplant services since 1993 and has performed 150 liver transplants to date, with excellent outcomes that exceed the national average for both one-year and three-year graft and patient survival rates. HEPATOLOGY PROGRAM The Hepatoloty Program provides high-quality care using an evidence-based approach to providing specialized care for children with liver diseases. Children’s of Alabama’s multidisciplinary team caring for liver disorders includes a hepatologist (Helena Gutierrez, M.D.), gastroenterologists, a nurse practitioner (Bailey Nix, N.P.), dedicated nurses and dietitians, among others. INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE PROGRAM The UAB Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology has a strong multidisciplinary team committed to care of our patients with pediatric inflammatory bowel disease. The program currently cares for more than 370 patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) (e.g., Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, indeterminate colitis) and participates in the ImproveCareNow Network, a national multicenter quality-improvement initiative to improve outcomes in children with inflammatory bowel disease. The gastroenterologists involved in this program include Traci Jester, M.D., R.D., Jeanine Maclin, M.D., MPH and Dr. Mestre. Dr. Jester is the co-PI of a five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation in partnership with UAB titled “Improving Health Outcomes for Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.” The project is aimed at identifying and addressing barriers to medical diagnosis and care of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, emphasizing the experience and impact on African American adults and adolescents and implementing community engagement programs with Birmingham-based organizations to raise awareness of IBD and provide education on effective management among local healthcare professionals, potential patients and caregivers. METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION-ASSOCIATED STEATOTIC LIVER DISEASE (MASLD) MASLD is the most common chronic liver disease among children, often linked to obesity and diabetes. As part of our MASLD clinic, we have a hepatologist (Dr. Gutierrez), gastroenterologist (Claire Keith, M.D.) and a Liver Nurse Practitioner (Bailey Nix, N.P.) knowledgeable in the diagnosis and treatment of MASLD as well as weight management. PANCREATIC DISORDERS CENTER OF EXCELLENCE AT CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA (PACE) PROGRAM The UAB Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology PACE clinic is a multidisciplinary clinic that cares of children with all types of pancreatic disorders, including disorders with pancreatic insufficiency. This clinic recently received the National Pancreas Foundation (NPF) center of excellence designation for its multidisciplinary care of children with pancreatitis. Further, the clinic recently received a Pediatric HSF committee grant for expansion and growth.

2023 Academic Annual Report

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