UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have created a vast interactive atlas that may eventually help doctors use #precisionmedicine to target treatments for traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. Why this is important ➡ With 40-50 million new cases each year, the global incidence of TBI outstrips common neurological diseases, including stroke and Alzheimer's disease. Effective treatments have remained elusive because each TBI is different, but treatments are not. University of Pittsburgh experts ⤵ - Patrick Kochanek, MD, distinguished professor, vice chair of critical care medicine, and director of the Safar Center for Resuscitation Research - Gary Kohanbash, Ph.D., assistant professor of the department of neurological surgery - Dhivyaa Rajasundaram, Ph.D., director of the bioinformatics core at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Learn more 🔗https://lnkd.in/eN-DX_TT

It is our pleasure to announce that Ozgur Dede, MD has been appointed Chief, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, effective September 1, 2024. Dr. Dede is a double fellowship-trained, board-certified pediatric orthopaedic and spine surgeon at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and an associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. W. Timothy Ward, MD, will step down as chief following decades of exemplary service to the division to continue with some clinical services. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Dede on his appointment as Chief of the Division of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery at UPMC Children’s and thanking Dr. Ward for his incredible leadership to the department. https://lnkd.in/ew772RVy

We have an experienced and talented diagnostic team at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh! Meet Samantha Hook, one of our amazing CT Technologists! Samantha wanted to work with children as a CT technologist to help ease the anxiety that they experience when having scans. She likes to help make them feel as comfortable as possible. “I like the friendly environment at UPMC Children's. Specifically, the teamwork among everyone in the CT department,” says Samantha. She feels everyone in the department works well together and helps each other. This, in turn, helps each patient receive the best care possible. “It's very rewarding to help kids through their scans,” adds Samantha. “It's great to see their smiles and happiness after they've completed the scan. Especially if they were previously afraid and didn't think they could do it.” Outside of work, Samantha enjoys hiking, running, cooking, and traveling to new places with family and friends.

Congrats to Franziska Rosser, MD, MPH, for recently being awarded the Robert B. Mellins Award from the American Thoracic Society! This award is a prestigious recognition from the ATS, that is annually given to a candidate at the Instructor, Assistant Professor, or early Associate Professor level, who has made remarkable achievements in scholarship or research over the course of their career to date. https://lnkd.in/eS3VzzaT

Radiologic Technologists are an important part of our team at UPMC Children’s! Meet Christian Downey, a valued team member! Christian’s goal was to always work at UPMC Children's Hospital ever since he was sick as a child. At age 6 he was diagnosed with Leukemia and spent a fair share of time in Children's himself. “I had many X-rays and loved it, including the staff completing the imaging,” says Christian. “I was always interested in photography, and X-ray is just another form of that!” Christian loves working with children as a Radiologic Technologist. He is able to see the kids' medical journey while at UPMC Children’s and follow their path to recovery. “Working with the children and their families is amazing,” adds Christian. "Their smiles and jokes are perfect and create a happy environment for us all. It helps us get through the day. We help them and they help us!" "I have made so many friends working at UPMC Children's," he says. "Everyone in the imaging department, including all modalities, are helpful, hardworking, and friendly." Outside of work, Christian likes to spend time at home with his husband Hunter, and their two cats. He also enjoys playing video games, taking small road trips, going to concerts, and spending time with his parents and little brother.

Raymond Maguire, DO, is a pediatric otolaryngologist at UPMC Children’s. This is a comment one of his patients' families shared about their experience seeing him. UPMC Children’s is proud to share feedback from our families, and we’re always looking for ways to improve our service. “Dr. Maguire was caring and compassionate. He made me and my son feel at ease. He addressed my son specifically and engaged with him to build a relationship. He explained things clearly to both of us. I was delighted to have him!” –Comments from a recent patient survey

In this the study, the Dermody Lab and affiliated authors aimed to address the unclear mechanism by which mammalian orthoreovirus (reovirus) disseminates systematically and targets neurons once it has established its primary infection in the intestine. The group soon identified that murine neuropilin 1 (mNRP1) as a receptor for reovirus through a complicated binding mechanism coordinated by multiple interactions between distinct reovirus capsid subunits and multiple NRP1 extracellular domains. https://lnkd.in/ec7ccavu

Faculty from the Pediatric Hepatology Program at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, including Vikram K. Raghu, MD, MS, and Simon Horslen, MD, director of Pediatric Hepatology, recently authored a review in Pediatric Transplantation titled "From intestinal failure to transplantation: Review on the current need for transplant indications under multidisciplinary transplant programs worldwide." They discuss the complex management of pediatric intestinal failure and cover a range of topics pertinent to the clinical management of children with severe gastrointestinal disorders who may require transplantation. Read more here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eTtAjVqY

Congratulations to one of our Kids First Award winners for June: Weston Enterline, Audiologist at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Weston’s nomination reads: “Weston is always a very compassionate provider. He never gets excited, regardless of how stressful the clinic day may be. Recently there was a family who had an infant with a hearing loss that he was identifying through an ABR test. He helped this family understand their child's hearing loss and set them up for a follow-up sedated appointment. He also completed a hearing aid evaluation the same day, which is typically done at a second visit. He is kind and willing to go above and beyond for all his patients. Weston also stayed late to help our 4th-year extern with a complex, difficult case. He was not assigned to be her supervisor that day, but he recognized the need and took it upon himself to help. This shows a fantastic dedication. He made sure that the patient received the right care and offered our student the support she needed to deliver care confidently. Weston is the kindest, most respectful person you could ever meet. He always approaches each child and parent with a kind and gentle tone. He reminds me of Mr. Rogers in the way he is so kind and open to all he meets. He deserves this award because he works hard and shows dedication to all the patients he meets." Thank you Weston for all you bring to your work at UPMC Children's! #KIDSFirstAward

On Saturday, June 8, we celebrated our ninth annual Walk for Children’s, bringing together families, staff, community members, and our patient champions to raise more than $1 million for UPMC Children's Hospital Foundation. Don't miss the recap in this week's episode of UPMC NOW.