A Texas neonatologist, John Sparks, M.D., has been named chairman of the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Pediatrics. The appointment, which was effective at the beginning of the new year, was announced today by John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the UNMC College of Medicine.
As chairman of the department of pediatrics, Dr. Sparks will lead the effort to implement the affiliation agreement signed with Children’s Hospital four months ago. Dr. Gollan said the agreement will allow UNMC and Children’s to provide comprehensive pediatric clinical care, education and research in an integrated fashion, similar to that provided by the top pediatric programs in the country.
“Dr. Sparks will be a great addition to the UNMC team,” Dr. Gollan said. “With our new affiliation agreement with Children’s Hospital now in place, the stage is set for John to have an immediate impact. I have total confidence that he will use the affiliation agreement to take pediatric medicine to a whole new level here in Omaha and throughout the Midwest.”
A New Jersey native, Dr. Sparks earned his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He completed his internship, residency and fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences. Following his training, he began his academic career at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1979 as assistant professor in pediatrics. He was elevated to associate professor in 1984.
In 1991, after 12 years on the Colorado faculty, Dr. Sparks moved to the University of Texas Medical School at Houston as professor of neonatal-perinatal medicine. He was appointed professor and chairman of the department of pediatrics in 1995 and held this post for 10 years before stepping down as chairman to once again serve as professor of neonatal-perinatal medicine.
“I view this as an exciting new challenge,” Dr. Sparks said. “Combining an academic medical center with a children’s hospital provides a unique opportunity to do something special. The outstanding clinical programs will strengthen the research we can do, and a strong research program – coupled with our excellent faculty – will only benefit the education we can provide to our students and residents. I think it’s a win for each of our core missions of service, education and research.”
Dr. Sparks succeeds Bruce Buehler, M.D., who recently stepped down from his dual role as chairman of the Munroe-Meyer Institute and chairman of the department of pediatrics. Dr. Buehler was MMI chairman for more than 25 years and pediatrics chairman for more than 16 years.
“John brings a vast amount of administrative experience and leadership to UNMC,” Dr. Gollan said. “His past experience in Colorado and Texas will serve him well, as these are prominent pediatric programs that are highly respected. He’s a perfect fit to move our program forward.”
Among his administrative posts, Dr. Sparks was the founding member of the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s University Hospital Ethics Committee, and he served as compliance officer during his tenure at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
During his past 16 years in Texas, Dr. Sparks worked at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. The hospital was originally a pediatric service as part of an adult hospital. With Dr. Sparks playing a key role, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital has grown tremendously. During his 10 years as chairman of pediatrics, Dr. Sparks saw departmental annual research funding soar from $3.5 million to $25 million.
The addition of Dr. Sparks was greeted with excitement at Children’s Hospital. “Dr. Sparks brings extensive experience and solid leadership,” said Gary A. Perkins, CHE, president and CEO of Children’s Hospital. “We are extremely pleased to have this opportunity to work with him, together with UNMC, to elevate pediatric health care, education and research.”
During his career, Dr. Sparks has been a principal investigator or co-investigator on more than a dozen research grants and has been involved in producing many articles and chapters in scientific journals. His research has primarily centered on nutrition and metabolism issues in the neonatal setting. In addition to his administrative duties, Dr. Sparks will continue to practice as a clinical neonatologist.
With the affiliation agreement, the UNMC Department of Pediatrics will be based primarily at Children’s Hospital. Certain specialty pediatric services already located at The Nebraska Medical Center will remain there, such as neonatal intensive care and solid organ and bone marrow transplantation.
The affiliation builds on what has been a long-standing relationship between Children’s and UNMC that began in 1948. Dr. C.W.M. Poynter, then dean of the UNMC College of Medicine, along with Omaha World-Herald publisher Henry Doorly founded the original Children’s Memorial Hospital.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $80 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.