Inside Pediatrics Fall/Winter 2023-2024

PEDIATRICS

Fall/Winter 2023-24

PLUS: The Globalization of Fortification: Children’s neurosurgeon leads worldwide effort to prevent spina bifida GAME CHANGER New device improves esophageal endoscopy for EoE patients

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Inside Pediatrics | Children’s of Alabama

E very day at Children’s of Alabama, our state using the latest technology and leading edge ideas. But our impact is not limited to children here at home. The stories in this issue of Inside Pediatrics showcase the way we’re making a difference in the Southeast, across the country and around the world. It starts with new technology. In June 2023, we began using a new endoscope designed to improve transnasal endoscopy procedures for patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). The device makes the process easier for many patients and allows them to go home sooner. Few other pediatric medical centers in the region are offering it, and Children’s was among the first 10 in the nation to use it. Our research also puts us at the forefront of the medical world. Members of the Congenital and Perinatal Infections Consortium (CPIC) work on expanding research and improving treatment for children with rare diseases. It’s challenging work, but they accomplish it by bringing together the knowledge of experts around the world. CPIC, which is led by Children’s pediatric infectious disease physician David Kimberlin, M.D., is based at Children’s and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and staff serve the sickest patients in our Like Kimberlin, Smita Bhatia, M.D., is a leader in her field, serving as associate chair of the Children’s Oncology Group. She has coordinated cancer survivorship research across 200 pediatric oncology institutions in the United States in the past and has worked to develop guidelines for long-term follow-up care. Her work ensures that childhood cancer survivors have healthy, successful lives long after their treatment is over.

Tom Shufflebarger

Sometimes, it’s our big ideas that set us apart. In 2019, pediatric neurosurgeon Jeffrey Blount, M.D., had one of those when he co-founded an organization dedicated to promoting food fortification with folic acid for the prevention of spina bifida. This year, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution his organization helped create. As a result, countries across the globe are embracing the idea of fortification as a way to fight this challenging disease. We wouldn’t make any impact without great people. For example, Sandeep Gupta, M.D., the new chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. Like many other leaders here, he aims to make Children’s a destination of choice for patients and their families across the country. And his vision starts with supporting the people in his division. Children’s is a place with filled with great people who have big ideas and a deep passion for serving sick children. Together, we’re making our state, region and world a healthier place.

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

ADMINISTRATION Tom Shufflebarger, President and CEO Garland Stansell, Chief Communication Officer EDITORIAL Conan Gasque, Editor Amy Dabbs Leslie Edmondson

neurosurgeon leads worldwide effort 04 08

The Fight to Prevent Spina Bifida: Children’s

A Game Changer: New device makes esophageal endoscopy safer for EoE patients

DESIGN Dana Stuckey Scott LeBlanc Becca Hodges Trent Graves PHOTOGRAPHY Patrick Deavours Eric Gray Denise McGill CONTRIBUTORS Kathy Bowers

Cori Cross, M.D., FAAP Debra L. Gordon, MS Rhonda Lee Lother

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Savanah Kirchner Marti Webb Slay Heather Watts GLC DIGITAL CONTENT Andre Green MEDICAL LEADERSHIP Mitchell Cohen, M.D. Katharine Reynolds Ireland Chair of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham Physician-in-Chief, Children’s of Alabama Mike Chen, M.D. Joseph M. Farley Chair in Pediatric Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham Chief of Pediatric Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief, Children’s of Alabama James Cullinan, D.O. Associate Professor Director, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Chief of Service, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Children’s of Alabama

A Destination of Choice: New chief of gastroenterology hopes to raise division’s national profile

Life After Treatment: Long-term follow-up care for cancer survivors

Casting a Broad Net: How collaboration is making a difference in rare disease research

For questions or additional information or to share feedback, please contact us at insidepediatrics@childrensal.org. An online version of the magazine is available at childrensal.org/insidepediatrics.

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Inside Pediatrics | Children’s of Alabama

THE GLOBALIZATION OF FORTIFICATION CHILDREN’S NEUROSURGEON LEADS WORLDWIDE EFFORT TO PREVENT SPINA BIFIDA

J effrey Blount, M.D., MPH, knows the struggles of patients with spina bifida (SB). He and his colleagues in the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Children’s of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have seen them firsthand—hydrocephalus, lower extremity paralysis, sleep apnea, pressure sores, variable incontinence and the frequent need for multiple surgeries. Other doctors providing SB care see urologic, musculoskeletal, orthotic and

Jeffrey Blount, M.D.

neurosurgery; Adrian Caceres, M.D., a Costa Rican neurosurgeon who accomplished widespread fortification of FA in Costa Rica; and Colombian neurosurgeon Kemel A. Ghotme, M.D., Ph.D., who had just completed a Ph.D. in Global Health Policy with a focus on FA fortification. One of GAPSBiF’s

“This has real potential to favorably and fundamentally impact the global prevalence of SB and other micronutrient dependent diseases. It is an essential step toward overcoming the stalled progress on the prevention of spina bifida.”

ambulatory problems. A few years ago, the desire to address these issues led Blount to a big idea—one that would help not only his patients, but others around the world. In 2019, he co-founded the Global Alliance for the Prevention of Spina Bifida, or GAPSBiF, an organization dedicated to increasing awareness and advocating for the prevention of SB through large-scale food fortification with folic acid (FA). It’s already effecting change. Blount is the medical director of the Pediatric Spina Bifida Clinic at Children’s of Alabama—one of the largest clinics of its kind in North America, following about 450 children. The medical professionals in the clinic work with those at the Adult Spina Bifida Clinic at UAB, which follows about 250 adults. In founding GAPSBiF, Blount partnered with Gail Rosseau, M.D., an international leader in global

major strategies for preventing SB was working with other neurosurgical and nutrition directed organizations in putting together a resolution that called upon all World Health Assembly (WHA) member states to embrace micronutrient fortification, including FA, to prevent SB. Resolution 76.19 was introduced by the Colombian government and 37 other member states and went through a rigorous process of vetting. In May, the WHA adopted it. “This has real potential to favorably and fundamentally impact the global prevalence of SB and other micronutrient dependent diseases,” Blount said. “It is an essential step toward overcoming the stalled progress on the prevention of spina bifida.”

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SPINA BIFIDA AND FOLIC ACID SB is the most frequently occurring, permanently disabling birth defect to affect the nervous system. It results from the spine’s failure to close properly during the first month of pregnancy. The cause of SB is not fully understood, but it is thought to be associated with both genetic and environmental factors. The most important environmental factor is maternal intake of dietary FA, a B vitamin that is critically important in development and has long been known to reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs), such as SB. Nutritional shortage of FA in women of childbearing age is the most important contributor to SB prevalence worldwide. Many women supplement FA in their diet by taking 400 micrograms of FA while pregnant. But, in some cases, that’s not soon

NTDs affect up to

150 BIRTHS PER 10,000 in regions that don’t fortify

enough. “This problem of spina bifida occurs so early on in development that it has already occurred before most women even realize they’re pregnant,” Blount said. “So, it’s not like they can realize they’re pregnant, change their nutritional strategy and put up an effective barrier for this problem. Once they realize they’re pregnant, if they have the problem, it’s already occurred.” Fortifying widely consumed foods such as corn, grain or rice is more effective, which is why GAPSBiF works so hard to promote this strategy. EVIDENCE THAT FORTIFICATION HELPS In the United States, mandatory fortification of enriched cereal grain products with FA was authorized in 1996 and fully implemented in 1998. Here, NTDs, including SB, affect approximately seven out of every 10,000 births. The rates in other regions that fortify are similar. In regions that don’t fortify, NTDs affect up to 150 births per 10,000. But some countries—even advanced Western European nations—still are not practicing fortification, and, in many cases, are focused more on detection. But that approach can be problematic, Blount says. “Some places are very aggressive at terminating those pregnancies, which of course is a very difficult, very challenging, whole approach to problems. But it’s surprisingly widespread.”

GAPSBiF’s approach is centered around prevention. “Let’s keep these little children from getting this terribly difficult disease,” Blount said, “because it’s lifelong.”

Diagnosed with severe spina bifida in utero, Logan McCool was transferred to Children’s of Alabama the day after her birth for treatment and surgery. After being monitored in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for 30 days, she was transferred to a step-down unit and later discharged home, where she has thrived. Logan continues to visit the Children’s Pediatric Spina Bifida Clinic twice a year and looks forward to learning to walk in custom orthotics. “I very much appreciate how the doctors at Children’s stay on top of everything,” Logan’s mom, Candice, said. “Every time we go, they are checking everything so that if something is wrong, it’s caught quickly. Logan now serves as one of the 2023-24 Children’s Miracle Network Hospital National Champions.

Logan McCool

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Inside Pediatrics | Children’s of Alabama

THE ROLE OF GAPSBiF When Blount and his colleagues were forming GAPSBiF, they spoke with neurosurgeons from around the world. Even in North America, where fortification is already commonplace, SB takes an exhausting toll on patients, families, the health care system and the neurosurgical infrastructure. In many other countries, it’s much worse— due not only to the lack of fortification, but also because there are far fewer neurosurgeons per person. “A big part of their life and their world is taken up caring for these children,” Blount said. “And it prevents them from being able to do other things, such as taking care of people with strokes, taking care of people with trauma, things like that. So, it overloads an already challenged workforce. “We saw this, we came together as a group, and we said, ‘Neurosurgery sees this. Neurosurgery knows this disease. We have a front-row seat to all these problems. So, why don’t we try to organize in such a way that we work with other agencies to try and attain this goal of universal fortification?’ ” Blount said. “We know that if we can get folic acid into population food supplies, that up to 90% [of the SB cases worldwide] can be profoundly reduced,” Blount said. “Right now, the best studies suggest that we are collectively preventing less than one quarter of the global burden of SB.”

Fortification is not perfect, though. Blount emphasizes that while it can markedly reduce the prevalence rate of SB, it cannot completely eliminate the disease. That’s why he says that women and families who live in regions that fortify should not blame themselves for their child’s SB due to insufficient FA intake. “No woman should ever say to herself, ‘If only I had taken more folic acid, my child would not be affected,’ ” he said. Regulations for mandatory fortification of wheat flour with FA are currently in place in 60 countries, although in many cases, these regulations have not been implemented. Moving forward, Blount and his colleagues with GAPSBiF will remain active and invested in monitoring the resolution’s progress and working one-on-one with countries, guiding them in their national and regional implementation plans.

Hear more from Dr. Blount about the fight to prevent spina bifida on the Children’s of Alabama PEDSCAST

“Let’s keep these little children from getting this terribly difficult disease, because it’s lifelong.” —Jeffrey Blount, M.D., MPH

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INSIDE PEDIATRICS Podcast

THE ROLE OF CONSORTIA IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER, WITH GIRISH DHALL, M.D.

Since arriving at Children’s of Alabama in 2019, Girish Dhall, M.D., has worked to get the hospital involved in more research consortia. In this episode, Dhall explains the role of consortia, how they’re helping Children’s patients and how they’re enabling the hospital to make a global impact.

To tune in, visit ChildrensAL.org/podcast or subscribe through your favorite podcast app.

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Inside Pediatrics | Children’s of Alabama

Virtual reality goggles provide distraction for the patients during the endoscopy procedure.

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A GAME CHANGER NEW DEVICE MAKES ESOPHAGEAL ENDOSCOPY SAFER FOR EOE PATIENTS

C hildren’s of Alabama is among the first 10 pediatric medical centers in the nation to use a new endoscope that can make transnasal endoscopy (TNE) faster and easier for some patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). The device, manufactured by EvoEndo, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year. Children’s began using it in June 2023. EoE is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease of the esophagus resulting in symptoms and signs of esophageal dysfunction. Physicians use endoscopy every two to three months to biopsy tissue to evaluate treatment success. The new endoscope,

which is inserted through the nose into the esophagus, requires no general anesthesia, just an anesthetic spray to numb the nasal passages. Patients remain awake during the procedure and need to fast for only two hours prior. Virtual reality goggles keep the patient’s focus off the procedure, while a family member can be in the room observing and getting updates in real time. Children’s pediatric gastroenterologist Diana Montoya Melo, M.D., says it’s a potential game changer for patients and their families. Montoya Melo and Nicholas CaJacob, M.D., also a pediatric gastroenterologist at Children’s, each perform about 10 EoE endoscopic procedures a week. Previously, the standard endoscopic procedure involved inserting the endoscope through the mouth into the esophagus. That method requires general anesthesia and intubation, fasting for at least six hours, a very early arrival at the hospital, IV insertion and about an hour in

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Inside Pediatrics | Children’s of Alabama

the recovery room after the 10-minute procedure—all of which puts a tremendous burden on the family and increases costs and the risk of potentially serious side effects. With the new device, transnasal endoscopies take about 15 minutes, and Montoya Melo expects the endoscopy team to be able to complete them even faster as they gain more experience. Patients also are able to leave right after the procedure. “We don’t have to monitor anything,” she said. “We’re getting the same results but in a safer, more convenient way for families and patients.” An added bonus, Montoya Melo says, is that the endoscope is disposable. “Families like to know that it hasn’t been used on anybody before.” This also expedites the procedure because doctors don’t have to process or reprocess the equipment. “We just take it out of the box and use it,” she said. The device is approved for children 5 and older, although most centers limit its use to those 10 and older, she says.

Diana Montoya Melo, M.D.

TNE isn’t for everyone. “There are some children who are more anxious, or they will not tolerate the endoscope going through the nose,” Montoya Melo said. “This is mostly for patients and families who are interested in a different approach.” One way to know if a child is a good candidate? “We ask how they tolerated their COVID test,” she said. “And we tell them it won’t feel any worse than that.”

“The ability to perform unsedated transnasal endoscopy in our patients with EoE is transformational. Among my favorite benefits is the parents’ ability to be in the room during the procedure to see what I am seeing in real time and support their child. Sharing this journey toward healing is one of the greatest joys in medicine.” —Nick CaJacob, M.D.

Nick CaJacob, M.D.

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NEW CHIEF OF GASTROENTEROLOGY HOPES TO RAISE DIVISION’S NATIONAL PROFILE

A sk Sandeep Gupta, M.D., Children’s of Alabama’s new chief of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, about his goals, and he answers immediately: “To drive positive change and empower people to rise. At the end of the day, their success is our collective success.” To that end, he said, he wants to bring “positive energy and collaborative change so as to make everyone a winner.” Without that, he said, the department can’t do its most important job: serving patients. Gupta came to Children’s of Alabama in April after nearly 30 years at Indiana University School of Medicine and Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. He brings leadership experience to Children’s, including roles as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition and the vice chair of the Pediatric Growth and Development Biology Section of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute. He’s also the co-director of the training core and chair of the publications committee of the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Diseases Researchers (CEGIR). Since his arrival, he’s been impressed by the team at Children’s. “The beauty of GI at Children’s of Alabama/the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is the fantastic people in the division,” he said. “People are our most valuable resource. Our people are here for the right reason, they have their heart in the right place, and they want to do the right thing.”

Sandeep Gupta, M.D.

He wants to make their jobs easier and more efficient with stronger infrastructure and support systems, so, as he said, “We are working at the top of our license and being effective, rather than just busy.” That means ensuring goals and synergies are aligned. He also wants to drive the academic mission in addition to patient care. “We want to take care of all patients—from simple to complex—and serve the missions of Children’s and of UAB,” he said. Gupta wants to make Children’s a destination of choice, not just of need, by patients and their families. He envisions Children’s as a preeminent center of excellence, not only in Alabama, but also in surrounding areas regionally and nationally. His vision encompasses four As: access for patients, ambitions and aspirations for GI personnel and academic work. Gupta’s special areas of focus are in eosinophilic GI diseases, nutrition, pediatric obesity and pediatric endoscopy. “What I love about this field is there is so much innovation happening, plus a strong national and international community,” he said. “Yes, we do procedures, but we also use our analytical skills because we are seeing patients in clinic and in the hospital and delivering exemplary care. GI provides an enviable mix of critical thinking and procedural skills.”

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Inside Pediatrics | Children’s of Alabama

LIFE AFTER TREATMENT AT CHILDREN’S, CARING FOR CANCER PATIENTS IS A LONG-TERM COMMITMENT A cancer diagnosis is difficult in any case, but it can be particularly scary for children. Survival rates for children with cancer, however, now exceed 85%, so a cure is the expected outcome. Yet that cure comes at a price, as children live for decades with several complications directly related to the treatment used to treat the cancer. Now, a move toward a more individualized approach tailored to patients’ specific circumstances is helping mitigate side effects. Children’s of Alabama pediatric oncologist Smita Bhatia, M.D., MPH, is a leading expert in this field, tackling the health challenges cancer survivors face during and after treatment. She is the director of the Institute of Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Heersink School of Medicine. She’s also the vice chair for outcomes in the UAB Department of Pediatrics. Her work has focused on life after treatment of childhood cancer, researching how patients’ genes play a role in interacting with their medications in increasing the risk of long-term complications.

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“If you give the same dose of a particular kind of chemotherapy or radiation to 100 people, about 10 to 20 will develop the complication, and the rest won’t,” she said. “Then the question arises, why not? That’s why we have started exploring the genetic makeup of childhood cancer patients to understand which particular genes interact with chemotherapeutic agents—anthracyclines, for example—and increase the risk of cardiotoxicity or heart failure in a subgroup of patients.” The goal is to develop a blood test that will indicate in advance that a patient is at high risk for complications, so the physician can use a different dose or a different drug. Genetic information is also important to developing personalized long-term follow-up care for patients. “Everybody would want to continue to be followed in specialized clinics after they’re diagnosed with cancer because they develop this really unique and strong relationship with their treating oncologists,” Bhatia said. “However, a treating oncologist does not, nor does the hospital or cancer center, have the bandwidth to keep following all patients forever. We need a triaged system, so those who are at the lowest risk of developing any long-term morbidity are taken care of in the community by the primary care providers. Those that have the other extreme of being highly complex—for example, allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients or brain tumor survivors—need to be in the specialized long term follow-up centers, such as cancer centers or academic institutions.” One step is to develop policies and guidelines as to who can safely be cared for in the community by primary care providers. Such a plan would require long-term communication between the specialized center and the physician because of the complexity of the treatment and possible long-term complications. Bhatia, as associate chair of the Children’s Oncology Group, has coordinated survivorship research across 200 pediatric oncology institutions in the United States

SURVIVAL RATES

for children with cancer now EXCEED 85% so a cure is expected

in the past and has worked to develop such long term follow-up guidelines. “We have a detailed road map or algorithm that we summarize in survivorship care plans, which we ask the patients to take to their primary care physicians,” she said. Children’s is a specialized facility with a multipronged, multidisciplinary approach needed to provide long-term follow-up care. One part of that approach is the Taking on Life After Cancer, or TLC, clinic, which follows cancer survivors who have finished treatment and have been off therapy for at least two years. TLC is one of several multidisciplinary survivorship programs at UAB and is led by Bhatia. Wendy Landier, Ph.D., RN, serves as the clinical coordinator of survivorship clinical activities, and Kimberly Whelan, M.D., serves as the medical director. The clinic provides detailed information for survivors and their families, including the patient’s risks for late effects. Patients are screened for possible treatment related complications and also receive psychosocial evaluation and support, along with referrals to other specialists, as needed. “The big thing is that we don’t stop when they turn 18,” Bhatia said. “Our oldest patient is in their 50s. So, that’s the beauty of this clinic. We keep them close to our hearts.

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Inside Pediatrics | Children’s of Alabama

“Eventually, we become health coordinators,” she continued. “For example, if a patient has an emerging cardiac problem, we make sure that they see a cardiologist. And then, we educate the cardiologist, if needed, and bring them up to speed on what might have caused this cardiac problem. If they need an endocrinologist, we follow up on that, and then we bring back all this information to the patient, so they understand and are able to assimilate it properly.”

Hear more from Dr. Bhatia on the Children’s of Alabama PEDSCAST

Clearly, the future lies in specialized, risk-based, lifelong care for childhood cancer survivors, and Children’s is at the forefront of developing this approach. “The most important thing is to do it in partnership with the pediatricians in the community, and as the children grow older, with their primary care providers,” Bhatia said. “Because no one person can take care of all the patients. It’s the village that does it all.”

Smita Bhatia, M.D., MPH

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“When you look at 3.6 million births a year, it can seem like a small number, but a few thousand babies impacted by these really quite devastating infections is a real impact. To have the opportunity to make their lives better has been very rewarding for all of us.” —David Kimberlin, M.D.

CASTING A BROAD NET HOW COLLABORATION IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN RARE DISEASE RESEARCH

therapeutics are, quite literally, few and far between. Fortunately, members of the Congenital and Perinatal Infections Consortium (CPIC) are working to create opportunities for research collaboration in an international effort to improve treatment options for rare infectious diseases in newborns, infants and young children. Stagno Endowed Chair in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where he is vice chair for clinical and translational research. He’s also the co-director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Children’s of Alabama. Kimberlin is the 2022 recipient of the Walter T. Hughes Distinguished Physician Award from the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society. CPIC is based at UAB and Children’s of Alabama. It is one of 20 different consortia with a specific focus that comprise the NIH-funded Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN). Through the collaboration of its pediatric infectious disease partners within the RDCRN, CPIC is able to “cast a broad net” to identify and locate patients affected by specific rare infectious diseases. Those patients can then participate in research that would be difficult or impossible for any single location working independently to conduct. David Kimberlin, M.D., serves as the principal investigator of CPIC. Kimberlin holds the Sergio

S ickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and hemophilia are all diseases that are familiar to most. However, they and several thousand more are considered rare diseases by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) because, individually, they affect a very small percentage of the population. Yet as unique as they are, all share a common element: limited treatment options. The rare disease classification is given to any disease that affects fewer than 200,000 people. According to the NIH, there are approximately 7,000 rare diseases affecting between 25 and 30 million Americans. This equates to 1 in 10 Americans. Because of the low incidence of a rare disease, those patients are geographically scattered, and the possibilities of conducting the research needed to develop effective

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“You need many, many sites that access a lot of different patients and provide care for a lot of different patients to be able to enroll on a systematic single research protocol and gather information from across the country or even across the world,” Kimberlin explained. “You have to be able to learn enough about the disease, its diagnostics and its treatment to really advance the field and reach the ultimate goal of impacting patients’ lives.” This approach of a formalized collaboration to address rare diseases in children had its start with the Collaborative Antiviral Study Group (CASG) created at UAB in the 1970s by Kimberlin’s longtime colleague Richard Whitley, M.D., who currently serves as co-director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and vice chair for basic research at UAB.

CPIC is 1 of 20 different consortia that comprise the RDCRN

Rare diseases affect 1 in 10 Americans

One example of the value of such collaboration is a 1980s CASG study on intravenous administration of acyclovir to treat neonatal herpes, which affects about 2,000 babies born every year in the United States. The study showed that IV acyclovir increased survival rates and improved developmental outcomes. In the 2000s, the CASG conducted a subsequent study that showed the substantial impact on developmental outcomes for babies who received oral acyclovir for six months following IV acyclovir treatment. That collaboration, as well as numerous others, changed the standard of care. “When you look at 3.6 million births a year, it can seem like a small number, but a few thousand babies impacted by these really quite devastating infections is a real impact,” Kimberlin said. “To have the opportunity to make their lives better has been very rewarding for all of us.” Modeling CPIC on the CASG offers a proven framework for expanding research and improving treatment for rare diseases by bringing together the knowledge and expertise of each participating member and allowing them to ask new questions about existing diagnostics and treatment. Basing CPIC at UAB and Children’s provides the benefits of a well-established program and its assembled experts. “It’s just an absolutely phenomenally talented group of colleagues that I have the privilege of working with,” Kimberlin said. “They know all about regulatory oversight of studies, how to manage sites that are enrolling on studies, and how to

handle the sub-awards and sub-contracts that are necessary to provide the funding for those studies so that the NIH dollars that come to UAB can then be passed along to the sites that are doing the work.” Kimberlin is quick to note the crucial contributions of the children and families who face the challenges of a rare disease. “None of this is possible without the patients and the families of those patients who put their trust in us,” he said. “When we’re meeting for the first time, it is often a tremendously difficult situation for them because they’ve just been told of a diagnosis they didn’t anticipate in their baby, which is about the worst thing you could think of that a parent would go through. And yet, they still put their trust in us and say, ‘Yes, I want to work with you all.’ ”

Hear more from Dr. Kimberlin on the Children’s of Alabama PEDSCAST

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Inside Pediatrics | Children’s of Alabama

NEWS, HONORS AND AWARDS

Coyne-Beasley selected for APS PAS DEI Committee Tamera Coyne-Beasley, M.D., MPH has been selected as the new American Pediatric Society (APS) appointee to serve on the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. She began her three-year term July 1, 2023.

Kimberlin elected to Association of American Physicians David Kimberlin, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, has been inducted into the Association of American Physicians (AAP). The AAP is an honorary medical society that recognizes physicians who make outstanding contributions to basic and translational biomedical research.

Shukla receives AHA Career Development Award for machine-learning research Vivek Shukla, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Neonatology, has been awarded the American Heart Association (AHA) Career Development Award for his innovative project, titled: “Machine Learning Modeling for Early Identification of Perinatal Depression Risk Using Cardiotocography.”

Ashraf co-edits textbook on pediatric dyslipidemia A book co-edited by Ambika Ashraf, M.D., director of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, was published earlier this year. Ashraf edited the book, “Pediatric Dyslipidemia,” alongside colleague Bhuvana Sunil, M.D., an assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital.

Tofil receives the 2023 Wallace Alexander Clyde Distinguished Service Award Nancy Tofil, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, received the 2023 Wallace Alexander Clyde Distinguished Service Award from the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The Wallace Clyde award was initiated in 1984 by the UAB Department of Pediatrics and Children’s to recognize outstanding physicians who have devoted a lifetime of service to children and their families. Recipients are chosen by a select committee of leaders in the field of pediatrics. Gupta elected vice chair of AGA Pediatric Gastroenterology & Developmental Biology Sandeep Gupta, M.D., chief of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, has been elected to serve as the vice chair of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Developmental Biology for the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). Gupta began his role in May 2023 and will serve for two years until May 2025.

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Wilson receives NIH Loan Repayment Program award Hope Wilson, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, received a Loan Repayment Program (LRP) award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These awards are part of a program established by Congress to help recruit and retain health professionals in the field of biomedical research. The cost of medical education and training may discourage physicians from pursuing careers in research for higher paying private practice careers. The LRP provides physicians with financial assistance in exchange for a commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research. The program will repay up to $50,000 a year for an initial two-year period. UAB site of the Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research is continued through new funding and partnerships The funding for UAB’s site of the ongoing program, Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research, has been competitively renewed for a seven-year term by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institutes of Health. The project is led by Wally Carlo, M.D., professor in the Division of Neonatology, and Elwyn Chomba, M.D., professor in the Division of Neonatology. The network conducts multi-center research in countries with limited resources by pairing researchers from other countries with those from the United States. The main aim is to test affordable and lasting solutions to enhance the health of mothers and children.

Five named Dixon Fellows The Dixon Foundation supports the Dixon Pediatric Fellowship training program for fellows who intend to pursue an academic career with a research emphasis in approved pediatric subspecialties. As part of this prestigious award, recipients benefit from salary support and an additional $5,000 per year discretionary fund to support research and continuing education activities. The following have been named Dixon

Fellows for the 2023-24 academic year. Aphton Lane, M.D.—Pediatric Critical Care Kylee Miller, M.D.—Neonatology Hugh Quach, M.D.—Pediatric Critical Care

Binh Vu, M.D.—Neonatology Ting Wei, M.D.—Neonatology

Multidisciplinary critical care team’s manuscript selected for JECT award The article titled, “Nitric Oxide on Extracorporeal Life Support-Circuit Modifications for a Safe Therapy,” was selected for the Journal of ExtraCorporeal Technology (JECT) Technique Article Award. The award was presented at the American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology (AmSECT) 61st International Conference in Orlando, Florida, in March. Carlisle O’Meara, CCP, FPP; Joseph Timpa, CCP, FPP; Giles Peek, M.D.; Melissa Sindelar, CCP, FPP; Jenny Ross, RN; Justin Raper, RRT; and Jonathan W. Byrnes, M.D., are authors on this paper.

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Inside Pediatrics | Children’s of Alabama

1600 7th Avenue South Birmingham, Alabama 35233

It is an honor to be recognized once again!

Being nationally ranked is a reflection of the effort, commitment and expertise demonstrated by everyone at Children’s. We take great pride in our ability to consistently deliver outstanding care, service and comfort to the patients and families who trust us with their medical needs.

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