Department: Pediatrics
Chair: John W. Sparks, M.D.
Administrator: Marlene Haskell
People in department (faculty/staff):
Faculty: 120
Staff: 78
Volunteer Faculty: 191
House Officers: 37
Fellows: 13 – in six programs
New faculty in 2016:
Sarika Rohatgi Aggarwal, M.D., gastroenterology
Luca Brunelli, M.D., division chief, neonatology
Jason Burrows, M.D., hospitalist
Josh Euteneuer, M.D., neonatology
Nathanial Goodrich, M.D., hospitalist
Andrew Huang, M.D., pediatric GI
Alison Miller, M.D., critical care
Sachit Patel, M.D., hematology/oncology/bone marrow transplant
Zeljka Korade, Ph.D., inherited metabolic diseases
Eric Peeples, M.D., neonatology
Swetha Pinninti, M.D., general pediatrics/ infectious diseases
Emille Reyes-Santiago, M.D., hepatology
Mary Rickard, M.D., neurology
Meaghann Weaver, M.D., palliative care
Also, seven faculty have been recruited so far to start in 2017.
New programs:
Nebraska Pediatric Clinical Trial Unit, funded by National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Jessica Snowden, M.D., PI, will conduct national collaborative clinical research studies in children.
Education:
Kari Simonsen, M.D., serves as clerkship director for our required third-year clerkship, succeeding Adam Reinhardt, M.D., who stepped down as clerkship director in June. We also have faculty who teach many fourth-year pediatric electives. Paul Larsen, M.D., directs an innovative Pediatric Honors Program with both educational and research components.
Our pediatric residency program expanded from 12 residents per year to 13 residents per year this year. We will be matching 14 residents to our program in 2017.
We currently have 13 fellows. We recently graduated our first fellows in pediatric cardiology and pediatric pulmonary medicine.
The Department of Pediatrics currently has approved fellowships in pediatric infectious diseases, pediatric gastroenterology, pediatric pulmonary medicine, pediatric cardiology and pediatric hematology/oncology. There also are approved fellowships in medical genetics (jointly with Munroe-Meyer Institute), pediatric anesthesia (Department of Ansesthesiology), pediatric radiology (Department of Radiology) and pediatric surgery (Department of Surgery).
Research administration:
The Pediatric Research Office supported 213 clinical research projects in calendar year 2015. These included 64 investigator-initiated and 60 Children’s Oncology Group projects as well as 20 NIH/CDC multicenter trials. Protocols are reviewed by a joint Pediatric Institutional Review Board with UNMC and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center.
The Pediatric Research Committee competitively funds Cheryl Ann Lozier Memorial Grants to faculty, fellows and residents. Over the past five years, this program has funded 37 grants totaling $722,000. Recent grant recipients include:
- Ann Anderson-Berry, M.D., Ph.D. (neonatology)
- Shelley Smith, Ph.D. (genetics, Munroe-Meyer Institute)
- Gwenn Skar, M.D.* (infectious diseases)
- Shaija Shelby, M.D. (gastroenterology)
- Kortany McCauley, M.D.* (ambulatory pediatrics)
- Kari Simonsen, M.D. (infectious diseases)
- Jill Skrabal, R.D. (inherited metabolic diseases)
- Matthew Douglas, M.D.* (neonatology/infectious diseases)
* — Resident/fellow working with mentorship of a faculty member
The Gary A. Perkins Pediatric Research Institute was announced in fall 2015.
Significant external research grants:
During fiscal year 2015-2016, the Department of Pediatrics had 65 research awards totaling $9.5 million, including:
- Jessica Snowden, M.D.: "Attenuated Inflammation in S. Epidermidis CNS Infection is Protective in Infants," DHHS/NIH/ NINDS; and "Nebraska Pediatric Clinical Trial Unit," DHHS/NIH/NICHD
- William Rizzo, M.D.: "Sterol and Isoprenoid Research Consortium" DHHS/NIH/NICHD
- John Sparks, M.D.: "Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology: Urban-focused National Membership Organization National and State Coalition Capacity Building to Improve Outcomes," DHHS/CDC; and "Implementing a National Framework to Eliminate Mother-to-Child Transmission (#2)," DHHS/CDC
- Zeljka Korade, Ph.D.: "Sterols, Neurogenesis and Environmental Agents," DHHS/NIEHS
- Shelby Kutty, M.D., Ph.D.: "Fibrin Targeted Microbubbles and Ultrasound for Treatment of Endocarditis," DHHS/NIH/NICHD
- Stephen Obaro, M.D., Ph.D.: "Community-Acquired Pneumonia and Invasive Bacterial Diseases in Young Nigerian Children (CAPIBD) – A Platform Preparatory Study," Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and "Global Genomic and Proteomic Profiling of African Children with Typhoid Fever," DHHS/NIH/NIAID
- Donald Coulter, M.D.: "Pediatric Cancer Research Group," Nebraska State Legislature award, Hyundai Hope on Wheels Foundation, Sammy’s Superheroes
Other highlights:
Children’s Specialty Physicians, the clinical practice plan supporting UNMC physicians caring for children, has grown to 188 physicians.