Inside Pediatrics Fall/Winter 2023-2024

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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