Inside Pediatrics Summer 2022

P E D I A T R I C S

Summer 2022

LIFE AFTER LEUKEMIA

New treatment makes life easier on kids with specific type of leukemia

A nother challenging year is nearly halfway complete, and as I look back at the way Children’s of Alabama has handled everything thrown at us, I can’t help but recall the famous quote from legendary New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra: “It’s déjà vu all over again.” The last two years have been full of obvious, significant obstacles, but they haven’t stopped us from excelling. Children’s and our academic partner, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, have pushed through the difficulties of an uncertain environment to continue achieving marked advancements in medicine and patient care. Some of our recent success stories are highlighted in this issue of our magazine. One of those stories showcases the impact of community philanthropy. This year, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Smith made a significant donation to help establish a cleft lip and palate therapy called nasoalveolar molding or NAM—a type of therapy that can reduce the number of surgeries needed to repair the lip

and palate. At less than a year old, Crew Mitchell was among the first patients at Children’s of Alabama to receive it. Meanwhile, many diabetes patients now have better access to care thanks to the efforts of some of our doctors. Concerned about Medicaid coverage requirements for continuous glucose monitors, a group of Children’s endocrinologists conducted a quality improvement project to show how the requirements could affect patients. It led to expanded coverage and better quality of life for these patients. Our research also is making a difference. A study led by Children’s of Alabama pediatric hematologist and oncologist Matthew Kutny, M.D., showed that patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) don’t necessarily need chemotherapy to overcome the disease. In the case of five-year-old Asher Walker, who was one of 154 patients in Dr. Kutny’s clinical trials, it led to remission. The treatment is now the standard of care for pediatric patients with APL.

The last few months have brought us accolades and recognition, including a big honor from the American Pediatric Society (APS). This spring, the organization presented

clinical virology expert Richard J. Whitley, M.D., with its highest honor—the John Howland Award. Yes, the past couple of years have been anything but normal, but Children’s of Alabama has still been here providing the highest quality of medical care, leading- edge research, and compassionate advocacy, as we have since 1911. I invite you to read these stories and others in this issue of Inside Pediatrics.

On the Cover: Asher was diagnosed with APL at 5 years old. At the time of his diagnosis in 2016, Dr. Matthew Kutny, a hematologists and oncologist at Children’s of Alabama, was in the early stages of a clinical trial for treating children diagnosed with APL.

Children’s of Alabama 1600 7th Avenue South Birmingham, Alabama 35233

(205) 638-9100 childrensal.org

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Access for All: Type 1 diabetes

ADMINISTRATION Tom Shufflebarger, President and CEO Coke Matthews, Executive Vice President Garland Stansell, Chief Communications Officer EDITORIAL Jody Seal, Editor Trent Graves, Design Patrick Deavours, Photography CONTRIBUTORS Andre Green Rhonda Lee Lother Conan Gasque John Tracy PHYSICIAN MARKETING Leslie Edmondson 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 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. Amy Dabbs, Digital Content Denise McGill, Photography Eric Gray, Photography

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Life after leukemia

One little device has major results for cleft babies

News, Honors and Awards

CONT E N T

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Jessica Schmitt M.D. (left) and Mary Lauren Scott, M.D. (right)

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ACCESS FOR ALL ADDRESSING BARRIERS TO HEALTH CARE DELIVERY THROUGH ADVOCACY

T he old saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” But sometimes it’s all about having access to the right tools. That was the driving force behind advocacy efforts that led to a change in Alabama Medicaid coverage requirements for continuous glucose monitors (CGM) for children with type 1 diabetes. “Our team caters to the majority of children with diabetes in Alabama,” said Ambika P. Ashraf, M.D., medical director of the Children’s of Alabama Pediatric Endocrinology Clinics and director, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The clinic treats about 2,500 children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Multiple studies in children with type 1 diabetes show that intensive glucose control reduces the rate of diabetes complications. Traditionally, patients with diabetes check blood sugars at least four times per day, with younger children often being checked up to eight times a day. Traditional glucometers require frequent, painful finger pricks to get a drop of blood for testing. In addition,

middle-of-the-night checks are often needed to catch dangerously low or high sugar levels.

Continuous glucose monitors provide real-time, numerical and graphical information every one to five minutes, allowing for blood glucose monitoring with reduced patient burden. CGM use can improve glucose control while reducing the frequency of hypoglycemia, lowering hemoglobin A1C, improving time in the range of goal blood glucose and ultimately helping to prevent acute and chronic complications related to diabetes. These devices can be especially helpful to patients with social determinants of health that prevent them from adequately self-monitoring their blood glucose. The monitors can also reduce patient and caregiver fear of low blood sugars, improving quality of life for patients and caregivers. Prior to 2021, Alabama Medicaid required patients to have “severe hypoglycemia” for coverage of CGM, which led to significant inequity between patients with private insurance and those with Medicaid.

Before CGMs were approved by AL Medicaid

Clinic’s baseline CGM access rate in 2019 for all patients with diabetes was

Approximately

CGM access among clinic patients: Commercial Insurance

45

%

48 %

of clinic’s type 1 diabetes population have Medicaid insurance

50 %

was the national average based on the Type 1 Diabetes Exchange Quality Collaborative

Medicaid

22 %

17 %

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Jessica Schmitt, M.D., and Mary Lauren Scott, M.D., initiated a quality improvement project to address disparities in CGM access based on patient insurance. They used plan-do-study-act cycles, aiming to reduce the baseline disparity by 10 percent. The interventions targeted: • improving provider understanding of requirements for CGM coverage • weekly emails to providers detailing the percentage of their patients using CGMs • assisting patients with meeting documentation requirements • providing CGM samples in clinic “Even though the percentage of patients who had CGM samples inserted in the clinic went up, we realized we could not get continued CGM supplies without meeting the Medicaid criteria,” Ashraf said. “In 2020, we petitioned Alabama Medicaid to change the CGM coverage policy, specifically to reverse the demonstrated hypoglycemia requirement to provide CGM technology for our patients with type 1 diabetes.”

In addition to Drs. Jessica Schmitt and Mary Lauren Scott, Drs. Margaret Marks, Joycelyn Atchison and Michael Stalvey joined the effort to petition Alabama Medicaid.

“We explained that the cost of the CGM will be offset by decreased emergency room visits and admissions for diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. While the yearly cost of CGM per patient may appear high, preventing one patient from having an admission for diabetic ketoacidosis can cover the complete out-of-pocket cost for two to five patients to use a CGM for a year,” Ashraf said. The work was successful. Expanded coverage became a reality on Jan. 1, 2021, when Medicaid eliminated the severe hypoglycemia requirement and approved CGM use for children with type 1 diabetes who had proof of four blood sugar checks per day.

Continuous glucose monitors (CGM) provide real- time, numerical and graphical information every one to five minutes, allowing for blood glucose monitoring with reduced patient burden, plus these devices can be especially helpful to patients with social determinants of health that prevent them from adequately self-monitoring their blood glucose as well as reducing patient and caregiver fear of low blood sugars.

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By the end of 2021, sustained CGM access in clinic for all patients was 83%. For patients with Medicaid insurance, sustained weekly CGM use jumped to 76%, up from 17% in 2019. The disparity between Medicaid versus private insurance among clinic patients decreased from 33 to 14%.

By the end of 2021, sustained CGM access in clinic for all patients was 83 % CGM BY THE NUMBERS: 2022

And something just as valuable that the numbers may not show: a better quality of life for patients with type 1 diabetes.

For more information, visit childrensal.org/endocrinology.

Medicaid insured patients approved for CGM jumped from 17 % to 76 %

The disparity between patients with Medicaid versus private insurance dropped from 33 % to 14 %

Shaylasia Sanford, a patient of Dr. Scott, has benefitted from the CGM and has provided ease of mind for her family. Thanks to the hard work of Drs. Jessica Schmitt, Mary Lauren Scott, Margaret Marks, Joycelyn Atchison and Michael Stalvey, many other type 1 diabetes patients will have access to the CGM.

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Nationally recognized in all 10 specialties!

Nationally-Ranked Specialties: • Cancer

We are excited to be recognized once again as one of the best children’s hospitals in the country by U.S. News and World Report . We are also thrilled to be tied for #1 in the Southeast and the #1 children’s hospital in Alabama. The true accolades and congratulations goes to our amazing people who strive every day to be the best. Without them, none of this would be possible. We are honored to be recognized once again!

• Cardiology & Heart Surgery • Diabetes & Endocrinology • Gastroenterology & Gastrointestinal Surgery • Neonatology • Nephrology • Neurology & Neurosurgery

ChildrensAL • org

• Orthopedics • Pulmonology • Urology

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LIFE AFTER LEUKEMIA NEW TREATMENT MAKES LIFE EASIER ON KIDS WITH SPECIFIC TYPE OF LEUKEMIA

C ancer diagnoses are nothing to celebrate. As Daniel Walker puts it, “no cancer is good.” But when Walker found out the specific type of cancer his son had, he considered it good news. Daniel’s son Asher was diagnosed with leukemia in January 2016. Asher had turned 5 years old just two weeks prior, and according to Daniel, he had been a “normal, regularly active child” up to that point.

physicians determined that Asher had leukemia. Initial results suggested he had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a type of cancer that requires intensive chemotherapy treatments followed by months in the hospital recovering from each treatment cycle. He might even need a stem cell transplant— one of the most intensive types of leukemia treatments. When Daniel found out, he went numb. “(My body and mind) almost went into like auto-pilot mode,” he said. “It’s like it compartmentalized any emotion that I was feeling because I knew I was the only one that he had to be able to deal with this.”

That changed in one weekend. The weather was freezing in central Alabama, and Asher was pale and seemed to have a

Oh, my God, I nearly lost my son.

cold. By Monday morning, his symptoms had worsened, so Daniel decided to keep him out of school. On the way to the bathroom that morning, Asher stumbled, fell on the floor and began vomiting. Daniel knew something was wrong, so he set up an appointment with Asher’s pediatrician. That doctor sent him to Children’s of Alabama, where after a series of tests,

It wasn’t until later where I had that break of: Oh, my God, I nearly lost my son.”

As Daniel was still processing the diagnosis, doctors at Children’s were doing more genetic tests on Asher’s leukemia cells. Two days later, they had more details. Asher had a specific subtype of AML called acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Historically, it has been extremely difficult to treat.

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Daniel Walker plays football with son, Asher, five years after Asher’s diagnosis and treatment for APL.

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Patients with APL need aggressive treatments, such as cytotoxic chemotherapy. They typically become very sick from both the disease and its treatments, and less than half are cured. In the 1980s, only 25% of APL patients might be alive and free of leukemia five years later, according to Dr. Malcolm Smith of the National Cancer Institute. But in January 2016, when Asher was diagnosed, Dr. Matthew Kutny, a pediatric hematologist and oncologist at Children’s of Alabama, was in the early stages of a clinical trial using a new APL treatment. It involved a regimen of arsenic trioxide and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). If Asher joined the clinical trial, he could be treated for APL without needing chemotherapy. Asher would be exposed to far fewer toxins and spend less time in the hospital. One doctor told Daniel a diagnosis of APL was best news he could have hoped for.

“That’s what was the scariest—the first two weeks in the hospital, the first two weeks of treatment,” Daniel said. “Because he wasn’t eating well. We were trying to figure out medication.” But Kutny had warned Daniel to expect this, and eventually, Asher’s symptoms improved with the supportive care given by his medical team. Soon, Asher was able to leave the hospital and receive treatments in the outpatient clinic. He was even able to go to the grocery store with his dad on the way home from treatments and tag along while Daniel went to work, if needed. “That was really a very positive aspect of this treatment: Asher could still be a kid, and he didn’t have to worry about the struggles and the additional illnesses that come along with the more traditional chemotherapy treatment,” Daniel said. Asher’s treatment lasted almost nine months. Aside from trips to Children’s to be treated, his life was mostly normal, Daniel said. Eventually, he went into full remission. Now, he returns to the hospital only once a year just to get bloodwork.

“It was a no-brainer,” Daniel said. He enrolled his son in the trial.

Initially, it wasn’t easy. Daniel remembers nights during the first two weeks when Asher’s oxygen levels would fall, and doctors would come into Asher’s room with a portable X-ray machine to check him out.

Matthew Kutny M.D., although in the early stages of his clinical trials, used the new APL treatment to heal Asher.

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Asher was five years old at the time of his diagnosis with APL. This diagnosis leads to a lot of absences from school for patients like Asher, who according to Daniel, missed about half of kindergarten while being treated.

Below , doctors use a catheter to insert the valve into a vein in the patient’s right leg. From there, doctors are able to place it in the patient’s heart. With an open-heart surgery, Kelley could have been in the hospital for more than a week. After the Harmony valve procedure, she left the next day.

“You can say, ‘OK it’s bad, no matter which (type of leukemia) we had.’ But I’m going to be grateful that it’s this and not something else,” Daniel said. “Because with this, it’s much more manageable.”

Asher was one of 154 pediatric APL patients who participated in Kutny’s study, which was coordinated by the National Cancer Institute. Between 2015 and 2019, More than 80 institutions across the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) enrolled patients in the study. It found that the treatment of arsenic trioxide and ATRA without cytotoxic chemotherapy were just as effective as the traditional chemotherapy treatment while being far less challenging to the patient. It’s now the new standard of care for these patients. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association–Oncology in November.

“We’re excited as a COG investigator to be in an era where we can offer patients a far more effective and less toxic approach to treating cancer,” Kutny said.

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“This is what we hope represents the future for many childhood cancers, that we can move away from the more toxic and intense treatments toward a more targeted approach that really attacks specifically the genetic changes that occurred in the cell that turned it into a cancer cell,” Kutny said. Kutny hopes doctors will find ways to refine the treatment process even further in the future. Because the arsenic trioxide has to be administered intravenously, patients have to visit clinics to receive it. This happens daily during the induction phase of the treatment and five days a week during consolidation. This often leads to a lot of absences from school for patients like Asher, who according to Daniel, missed about half of kindergarten while being treated. Kutny says there are some encouraging early studies on converting the arsenic trioxide treatment to an oral form, which would prevent patients from missing school. That means the treatment that already has set a new standard of care still has room to get better.

For more information, visit childrensal.org/cancer.

Five years after participating in Dr. Kutny’s study, Asher is your typical 10 year old. He has remained APL free for five years and enjoys playing Frisbee, football and video games with his dad, Daniel.

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ONE LITTLE DEVICE WITH MAJOR RESULTS N ot even a year old, Crew Mitchell is already full of personality and smiles, his mom Jessica says. His smile is extra sweet because Crew was among Children’s of Alabama’s first patients to complete a pre-surgical cleft lip and palate therapy called nasoalveolar molding, or NAM.

babies are referred to Children’s of Alabama annually for cleft lip surgery, and those with large or wide cleft lips are typically good candidates for NAM therapy. During Crew’s initial appointment, the family met with orthodontist Dr. Chung Kau and plastic surgeon Dr. John Grant along with speech therapists,

Jessica found out during her 20-week ultrasound that Crew had cleft lip—a condition caused when the upper lip and the roof of the mouth, called the palate, fail to form completely during early fetal development. This causes a gap, called a cleft, in the palate and on one or both sides of the upper lip. In some cases, a child may have cleft lip or cleft palate; in other cases, the child may have both. When Crew was born in August 2021, he had a bilateral cleft lip—a cleft on both sides of his upper lip—and a cleft palate. A week after Crew’s birth, doctors referred the family to the Cleft & Craniofacial Center at Children’s of Alabama, one of the first hospitals in the state to offer NAM. The goal of NAM is to reduce the size of the cleft by molding and repositioning the nose and mouth tissues before surgery. Babies wear a custom-fitted appliance similar to a retainer up to 23 hours a day for about 12 weeks. The therapy can help improve the shape and position of the lip and nose, create a smaller cleft to make surgery easier and quicker, and reduce the number of surgeries needed to repair the lip and palate. It also makes it easier for the child to feed and breathe. Approximately 50

audiologists and geneticists. Dr. Kau had dental impressions made of Crew’s mouth that day for his custom appliance. The family returned to Children’s weekly from their Elmore County home so Dr. Kau could adjust the appliance to better position the gums, nose and lips as Crew grew. “Dr. Kau was so good to Crew,” Jessica said. “He was very

Chung Kau, M.D.

kind and quick to respond to my questions. The follow-up appointments were never long—they took just enough time to make adjustments as needed. We are fortunate to live so close to a hospital that offers NAM. Some families (in a Facebook group for parents of babies with a cleft lip) said they would have to drive five hours or more to get to the nearest facility for their child to have NAM.”

mold to make PNAM device

NAM device

NAM week 1

NAM week 3

Birth

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Lip repair surgery is done when the molding is complete, often when the child is around 3 to 6 months old. It’s the same time frame for a child who didn’t use NAM therapy. “NAM doesn’t alter the time frame for lip repair,” said Dr. Kau. “The therapy coincides with the time when you are waiting for the baby to grow before surgery.” Crew had lip repair surgery in February 2022 with Dr. Grant at 5 months old. Jessica said she was full of mixed emotions the day of the two-hour surgery. “You wonder if you are doing the right thing for your child, but we were ready for the next step,” she said. Crew is scheduled for cleft palate repair surgery in July 2022 when he is 10 months old—an important milestone in speech development. Crew will have an additional surgery (an alveolar bone graft) around age 6 or 7 to close any remaining gap. And depending on the alignment and shaping of his nose as he grows, there may be an additional surgery—what surgeons call a “kindergarten rhinoplasty”— but time will tell. “His results are unbelievable. I’m glad we pursued it for Crew. For families considering NAM, I would recommend researching it, knowing that it really depends on what’s best for the family. Go with what works for you and your baby,” Jessica said. “Keep an open mind, because it is a lot of work. But it’s such a small window of time. If it helps at all, it’s worth a shot.” Dr. Kau said NAM works well for patients like Crew who have a bilateral cleft lip. “It requires perseverance, but the results are good. The Mitchell family was wonderful. They really stuck with the process,” said Dr. Kau.

professionals. If insufficiently treated, cleft lip or palate can cause lasting dental, nutrition, hearing and speech problems. “We see this frequently in international adoption cases. The proper surgery often didn’t happen when the child was younger, and it’s much harder to repair a badly repaired cleft,” said Dr. Grant. He recommends that parents seek out surgeons who routinely do this surgery and are affiliated with the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (ACPA). The Cleft & Craniofacial Center at Children’s of Alabama is home to the state’s only ACPA- Approved Team for both cleft lip and palate and craniofacial procedures. In 2021, a generous donation from Mr. and Mrs. Bill Smith of Birmingham brought NAM therapy to Children’s of Alabama. NAM is not typically covered by private insurance, nor is it ever covered by Medicaid. The Smiths sought NAM therapy for their own daughter outside Alabama and were inspired to make this treatment possible for families to receive care in their home state. “The Smith gift makes NAM available to all without having to decide who can or can’t qualify for coverage,” said Dr. John Grant, who serves as the director of the Cleft & Craniofacial Center and Chief, Pediatric Plastic Surgery.

Since 2021, 30 patients have completed NAM and lip taping therapy at Children’s of Alabama.

For more information, visit childrensal.org/cleft-and- craniofacial-center

If a child has cleft lip or palate, it is extremely important that parents consult a team of experienced medical

NAM week 6

NAM week 11

Post Lip Surgery

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How does NAM work? The Children’s of Alabama NAM team consists of an orthodontist, plastic surgeon and nurse practitioner who are specially trained in NAM therapy and the surgeries that follow. During and after the therapy, patients will also see other members of the craniofacial team at regular clinic visits as often as needed. • Initially, patients will be referred by their pediatrician or cleft care provider to the Cleft & Craniofacial Center, where the medical team will evaluate and offer NAM to patients who would benefit. NAM works to gently direct the growth of the baby’s gums and the shape of the nose during the first few months after birth, when these tissues are soft and easy to mold. • If possible, a prenatal consultation with the team before the baby is born is preferred to provide the opportunity for the best possible outcome. It allows an opportunity for the child’s condition and treatment options to be discussed and for the parent(s) to ask extensive questions and get to know the medical team before the baby is born. • Following the consultation and custom medical plan, the medical team will perform an initial scan of the newborn baby with digital or traditional equipment, depending on the child’s specific needs, ideally before one week of age. The NAM appliance is ready about one week later after the scan.

• Parents work directly with a Children’s orthodontist during NAM therapy. The orthodontist fits the baby with a custom molding plate that looks like a retainer someone would receive after braces.

• The baby wears the molding plate 22 to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including when they are feeding. The plate is held in place using small rubber bands that are taped to the baby’s cheeks. The NAM team will teach parents how to change the rubber bands and the tape and clean the molding plate at home as needed (usually each day).

• Every one to two weeks for an estimated 12 weeks, the

orthodontist makes small changes to the shape of the molding plate to guide the baby’s gums as they grow. Each visit takes 40 to 60 minutes. Families will have regular visits over an estimated 12 weeks

• Once the gap in the gums is small enough, the orthodontist adds a post called a nasal stent with smooth, rounded plastic to the front of the molding plate. The nasal stent slides easily into the baby’s nostril. It slowly lifts up the nose and shapes the nostril on the side of the cleft. • Once the NAM process has been completed, the baby will have surgery to reconstruct the lip and further shape their nose. The NAM appliance is no longer needed after surgery.

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News, Honors and Awards

Paper Authored by Dr. Saadoon Alishlash Among NIEHS Papers of 2021 Ammar Saadoon Alishlash, M.D. , assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, is the first author of a paper selected by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) as the Papers of the Year for 2021. The article titled, “Chlorine inhalation induces acute chest syndrome in humanized sickle cell mouse model and ameliorated by postexposure hemopexin” was published in Redox Biology and was selected out of 3,942 publications from NIEHS researchers and grantees. Paper Authored by Dr. Bhargava Among SMCI Best Improvement Publications Vidit Bhargava, M.D. , assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, is the first author on the paper selected for the Best Publication focused on a Pediatric Population Award by the Stanford Medicine Center for Improvement. The article titled, “Ultrasound education improves safety for peripheral intravenous catheter insertion in critically ill children,” published in Pediatric Research, was selected out of 40 publications submitted for consideration. The SCMI also awarded the Best Publication focused on Healthcare Workers and the Best Publication focused on an Adult Population. Dr. Cron Named James T. Cassidy Award Recipient Randy Cron, M.D. , professor in the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, received the 2021 James T. Cassidy Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Rheumatology. This award was established in 2000 and is given out annually to a member of the AAP Section of Rheumatology for outstanding achievement in pediatric rheumatology and significant contributions to the field of pediatric rheumatology through research, publications and/or legislation. Dr. Foster Named to PREP Endocrinology Editorial Board Christy Foster, M.D. , assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, has been appointed to the American Academy of Pediatrics Review and Education Program (PREP) Endocrinology Editorial Board. As a member of the PREP Endocrinology Editorial Board, Dr. Foster will play an important role in the development and success of the PREP Endocrinology Self-Assessment. She will serve a three-year term through July 2024. AL-AAP Chapter and District Awards Ladinsky, McCain Two department faculty were honored with Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Awards. Morissa Ladinsky, M.D. , associate professor in the Division of Academic General Pediatrics, received the Chapter President’s Award. Jennifer McCain, M.D. , assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, received the 2021 District Award.

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Dr. Gentle Selected for AAP/VON Scholar Program Sam Gentle, M.D. , assistant professor in the Division of Neonatology, was selected as one of the five AAP/VON Scholars for 2021 in recognition of his work in data- driven quality improvement in the care of infants. The AAP/VON Scholar Awards are awarded every year to five fellows and early career neonatologists by the Vermont Oxford Network (VON) the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Neonatal Perinatal Medicine (SoNPM). Dr. Gentle’s quality improvement work focuses on systematic patient assessment and communication within the NICU with local initiatives involving oxygen saturation histogram analysis to reduce retinopathy of prematurity, oral feeding optimization to reduce length of stay in preterm infants, and standardizing ventilator weaning in extremely preterm infants. Dr. Kimberlin Receives Wallace Alexander Clyde Award David Kimberlin, M.D. , professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, was awarded the 2021 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. Dr. Lebensburger Selected as a Coach for National Research Mentoring Network Research Study Jeffrey Lebensburger, D.O. , professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/ Oncology, has been selected to participate as a coach for the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) Strategic Empowerment Tailored for Health Equity Investigators (SETH) grant writing research study. He will work with four to six participants in the SETH grant writing study and provide guidance and expertise during the grant writing process. Dr. Xavier Selected as Vice Chair for National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines Panel Ana Xavier, M.D. , associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/ Oncology, has been selected as the vice chair for the Pediatric Aggressive Mature B-Cell Lymphomas Panel for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines.

Dr. Stalvey Among Those Honored by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Alabama Michael Stalvey, M.D. , associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes, was named among Birmingham’s Researchers Finest by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Alabama.

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Dr. Kong Named to Jefferson County Board of Health Michele Kong, M.D. , professor in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, has been elected to the Jefferson County Board of Health. The board has six members, five physicians and the president of the Jefferson County Commission. One physician is elected each year by the members of the Jefferson County Medical Society for a five-year term. Dr. Kong will serve as the board secretary as the newest member. The American Pediatric Society Selects Dr. Whitley for the 2022 APS John Howland Award The American Pediatric Society named Richard J. Whitley, M.D. , distinguished professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, as the 2022 APS John Howland Award recipient, the highest honor bestowed by APS. The APS John Howland Award was created in honor of clinician-scientist John Howland, M.D. Since 1952, the annual award has recognized individuals for their distinguished service to pediatrics. Dr. Whitley is a Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, Vice Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and Co-Division Director of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. He also holds the titles of Loeb Eminent Scholar Chair in Pediatrics; Professor of Microbiology, Medicine and Neurosurgery; Senior Scientist, Department of Gene Therapy; and Co-Founder and Co-Director, Alabama Drug Discovery Alliance. Dr. Whitley is a leader in the field of clinical virology and an expert on how antiviral therapies fight infections in children and adults. Dr. Whitley’s research spans four decades. He is best known for his pioneering work in herpes antivirals and the development of guidelines for the emergency use of influenza antiviral therapy in infants. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Whitley is the Project Director on a National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases grant that studied the efficacy of remdesivir. He also has had a critical role in evaluating the safety and effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines. Dr. Willis Named 2022 SSPR Young Faculty Award Kent Willis, M.D. , assistant professor in the Division of Neonatology, received the SSPR Young Faculty Award at the Southern Society for Pediatric Research (SSPR) Annual Meeting.

Dr. Shukla Receives Early Career Investigator Award Vivek Shukla, M.D. , assistant professor in the Division of Neonatology, received the Mead Johnson Nutrition Early Career Speaker Award at the Perinatal Research Society Annual Meeting.

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1600 7th Avenue South Birmingham, Alabama 35233

•

When physicians, scientists and researchers with extraordinary talent and passion are given the technology, the facilities, and the support, they achieve great things. The discoveries, innovations and clinical trials happening today will help shape the future of treatments and lead to cures. And it benefits not only the patients and families who come to Children’s of Alabama, but people across the country and around the world for years to come.

To learn about the more than 75 current clinical trials for childhood cancer and blood disorders, visit ChildrensAL.org/cancer-clinical-trials.