Father, Daughter Take Turns Being "The Other Dr. Allen"
|
|
|
|
Above, two generations of Allens—David B. Allen, MD (left), and Brittany J. Allen, MD—are on the Department of Pediatrics faculty. This photo and the accompanying article were shared with permission from "Quarterly."
|
|
|
A father and daughter pair of pediatricians are making an impact at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) and American Family Children’s Hospital, where they trained and practice. Their personal stories meld and diverge, and they honor each other’s differences—all for the love of their patients and their family.
Rewind to the growing-up years for Brittany J. Allen, MD, and the family was frequently discussing an “issue of the day” over dinner, says her dad, David B. Allen, MD. Now a professor and head of the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes in the SMPH Department of Pediatrics, David Allen’s early research focused on the effectiveness and ethics of treating children with human growth hormone (hGH). He often came home and described—de-identified, of course—a challenging patient he saw at work or read about in the literature. Or Brittany Allen’s mom, Sally Allen, might return from teaching students with learning disabilities and share a helpful approach she’d discovered. Today, the grown siblings remember those discussions as formative.
“Our parents see each of us as individuals who bring our own qualities to the table,” says Brittany Allen, who joined the Department of Pediatrics faculty in 2013. “About our personal and professional lives, they say ‘You are driving this bus, and we are excited to see where it’s going!’”
Brittany Allen’s passion and talent for teaching is apparent, says her father, who adds with a laugh, “The tables have turned from her to me being ‘The Other Dr. Allen.’”
Watching his daughter—a specialist in the care of transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse (TNG) youth—advise residents or develop innovative modules for medical students reminds him of his 15 years as the program director of the Pediatrics Residency Program.
“We both strive to help people develop ways of thinking rather than memorizing knowledge,” says David Allen.
Read more.
|
|
New Faculty Focus: A Q&A with Anne Marsh, MD
|
|
|
|
Above, a photo of Dr. Anne Marsh (Associate Professor, Division of Hematology, Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant), middle bottom, with her wife Nikole Neidlinger, MD, and children Aleks, Ryan, and Tobin. Photo credit: Dr. Anne Marsh.
|
|
“It’s a privilege to be back working at American Family Children’s Hospital, a facility that serves as a resource to the entire state of Wisconsin,” stated Anne Marsh, MD (Associate Professor, Division of Hematology, Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant) during a recent interview about her decision to join the University of Wisconsin Department of Pediatrics as a faculty member this past March. Dr. Marsh attended medical school at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health and completed her general pediatrics training with the Department of Pediatrics. Reflecting back on the education she received as an intern, Dr. Marsh remarked, “it’s nice to now be in a position to give back to the people and communities of Wisconsin by contributing to the education of students and providing care at American Family Children’s Hospital.”
Learn more about Dr. Marsh’s background, her commitment to whole-person pediatric care, and her hopes of hosting a Peds Pond Hockey game in this Q&A.
|
|
Honors & Awards
Christian Capitini, MD, to Serve on AAI Clinical Immunology Committee
Christian Capitini, MD (Associate Professor, Division of Hematology, Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant), was selected to serve on the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Clinical Immunology Committee for a three-year term. The AAI Clinical Immunology Committee is dedicated to promoting research in the field of clinical immunology and addressing issues important to AAI member physician-scientists.
Four Hospitalists Among First Certified PHM in the Nation
Congratulations to Division of Hospital Medicine members Ryan Coller, MD, MPH, Jon Fliegel, MD, Heather Peto, MD, MPH, and Sarah Webber, MD, who are among the first board-certified pediatric hospitalists in the nation. The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) approved Pediatric Hospital Medicine as a specialty in late 2016. All four hospitalists met practice requirements and passed the first-ever ABP Certification Exam in Hospital Medicine.
Four NIH-funded Abstracts from PROKids Team Accepted to 2020 International Society for Quality of Life Research
Four members of the Program of Research on Outcomes for Kids (PROKids) have received acceptances for abstracts submitted for the ISOQOL 2020 Annual Conference. Elizabeth Cox, MD, PhD, Director of PROKids, will be presenting, “Influences of Health on Family Relationships Among Children with Chronic Disease.” Harald Kliems, MA, Associate Researcher, will be presenting, “Perceived Value and Utility of the PROMIS Family Relationships Measure Among Providers Caring for Chronically Ill Children: A Qualitative Interview Study.” Alex Binder, MS, Research Specialist, will be presenting, “Longitudinal Trends in Family Relationships Among Children with Chronic Disease.” Thuy Dan Tran, PMP, Research Specialist, will be presenting, “Guidance for the Use of PROMIS Pediatric Measures in Ambulatory Clinics” which was also selected as an ISOQOL 2020 Outstanding Poster Award finalist.
Lisa Fisher, Manda Ratcliff Receive Friends of the Waisman Center 2020 University Staff Award
Congratulations to Lisa Fisher and Manda Ratcliff who were nominated and selected for the Friends of the Waisman Center 2020 University Staff Award, presented by the Friends of the Waisman Center. Both Lisa and Manda were nominated in recognition of their exceptional job performance, skills, and accomplishments. The award underscores the importance of Waisman Center staff in furthering the mission of the Waisman Center, and it will be presented to Lisa and Manda at the Friends Annual Meeting and Reception on Tuesday, August 18.
Peter Ferrazzano, MD, Elected Chair of PNCRG
Peter Ferrazzano, MD (Division Chief and Professor, Division of Critical Care) has been elected Chair of the Pediatric Neurocritical Care Research Group (PNCRG)’s Executive Committee. The PNCRG is an international research consortium comprised of over 250 investigators from 60 institutions around the world, working together to perform clinical and preclinical studies aimed at optimizing functional outcomes for critically ill children with neurological conditions. Dr. Ferrazzano will serve a two-year term as Chair.
|
|
New Grants
COVID-19 Supplement Awarded to Team
A second supplement to the ongoing U19 grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases (NIH/NIAID) was recently awarded to Principal Investigator James Gern, MD, and an inter-departmental team including co-investigators Christine Seroogy, MD, Ann Palmenberg, PhD, Irene Ong, PhD (OB/GYN), Kristen Bernard, DVM, PhD (Veterinary Medicine), and Sean McIlwain, PhD (Biostatistics and Medical Informatics). In this COVID-19-related supplement entitled, “Identifying coronavirus B-cell epitopes associated with COVID-19 illness severity,” researchers will test the hypothesis that the pattern and quantity of antibody specific for epitopes of common coronaviruses will be associated with the risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 and severity of illness. In addition, the team proposes that children who have more diverse antibody responses (recognize more epitopes) to common respiratory viruses at baseline may be less likely to become infected and ill with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study population will consist of children enrolled in multiple NIAID-funded U19 cohorts, including WISC, COAST, URECA, MUPPITS, INSPIRE and others. The award is for $1,142,165 over 2.5 years.
Inga Hofmann, MD, and Jane Churpek, MD, MS, Awarded Seed Grant
Congratulations to Principal Investigator Inga Hofmann, MD, and Co-PI Jane Churpek, MD, MS (Medicine), who were recently awarded a one-year, $50,000 Clinical Implementation Grant from the UW Center for Human Genomics and Precision Medicine. Their project, entitled “Development of Cross-Departmental Precision Medicine Program for Hematologic Malignancies and Bone Marrow Failure in Adult and Pediatric Patients,” will develop the first comprehensive cross-departmental precision medicine program for pediatric and adult patients at UW. This program will be led by experts who offer comprehensive and standardized clinical care across pediatrics to adulthood, and will provide genomic testing and syndrome-specific comprehensive treatment plans that adjust for patient-specific risk factors.
|
|
|
|
|
"I wanted to take time out of our very busy schedules to say a big, 'Thank you,' to you. You are amazingly skilled at bringing our entire team together in the NICU and we see and appreciate your presence in the unit, in the patient rooms, and seeking each of us out to discuss our patients in the most collaborative and respectful manner. I wanted you to know that all of your support teams have been saying very complimentary things about the great work you do and how valued you make us all feel. So again...sincerely, 'Thank you!'"
