Department of Pediatrics Celebrates 50 Years

Medical News MEDICAL UPDATE FOR REFERRING PROVIDERS January 2018 & the Department of Pediatrics of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine Current and former chairs of the Department of Pediatrics and current department heads gathered for a photo at the celebration of the department’s 50th anniversary. Department of Pediatrics Celebrates 50 Years The University of Connecticut School those honoring Milton Markowitz, MD, and of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics Michael D. Bailie, MD, PhD, were awarded celebrated its 50th anniversary with a posthumously. festive event on Nov. 10 at Hartford’s Speakers at the event included emeritus Downtown Marriott. Connecticut Children’s faculty member Leon Chameides, MD, Medical Center is home to the school’s founding chair of Pediatric Cardiology Department of Pediatrics. at Connecticut Children’s and Hartford More than 200 people gathered for the Hospital, who was on the staff of the celebration, which focused on how the medical center for 30 years. Chameides’ department has impacted children’s health remarks were titled A Look Back on worldwide. All living department chairs the Global Impact of the Department of attended the event, including the first Pediatrics. Other speakers discussed how acting chair, Martha Lepow, MD, who is the department is affecting child health Adam Silverman, MD, director of Connecticut Children’s Center for Global Health, presents a plaque to Martha Lepow, MD, first 94 years old. Lepow and former Chairs now and prospects for continuing to do so acting director of the Department of Pediatrics. Robert Greenstein, MD; John Raye, MD; in the future. The event concluded with a and Paul H. Dworkin, MD, as well as slide presentation and remarks by Salazar; Shmerling, DHA, FACHE, president and current chair, Juan Salazar, MD, MPH, Bruce T. Liang, MD, FAAC, dean of the chief executive officer of Connecticut were honored with plaques. Two plaques, UConn School of Medicine; and James Children’s Medical Center. Connecticut Children’s and Western Connecticut Health Network Launch Partnership A new partnership between Connecticut Connecticut Children’s will provide WCHN chose Connecticut Children’s from Children’s Medical Center and Western hospitalists, neonatologists and pediatric among several prestigious institutions that Connecticut Health Network—which physician assistants for pediatric inpatient responded to its request for proposals. comprises Danbury, Norwalk and New units, nurseries and neonatal intensive While the pediatric hospitalist component Milford hospitals—officially got underway care units at Danbury Hospital and began Jan. 1, neonatology coverage is on Jan. 1. Under the arrangement, Norwalk Hospital. Continued on page 2. STAY CONNECTED - Register your email address today at CONNECTICUTCHILDRENS.ORG. Choose For Medical Professionals, then, under Stay Informed, choose Register for Email Updates. Connecticut Children’s and Western Connecticut Health Network Launch From the Surgeon-in-Chief Partnership, continued from page 1. By Christine Finck, MD slated to begin July 1. Hospitalists and Connecticut Children’s also will bring I hope you enjoyed a neonatologists at both hospitals are family-centered care to the hospitals, peaceful and joyous employed by Connecticut Children’s notably through the practice of family- holiday season with Specialty Group and are members of centered rounding, where the entire family and friends. As the faculty of Connecticut Children’s care team rounds at the bedside with we kick off this new Divisions of Hospital Medicine and the patient’s family. year, I am excited Neonatology. Standardized best practices will to share the latest Anand Sekaran, MD, division head be brought to the bedside through updates related to of Hospital Medicine at Connecticut the more than 30 clinical pathways our continued growth Children’s, notes that the partnership Connecticut Children’s has developed. and our strategic Christine Finck, MD goes far beyond staffing; it will bring the development across Education and quality improvement will medical center’s distinguishing attributes the region. be emphasized, just as it is in Hartford. to Fairfield County. And a Connecticut Children’s Emergency We have officially launched Connecticut “We will bring all of our expertise, Medicine specialist, John Brancato, MD, Children’s new five-year (2018-2023) systems improvements and connectivity will provide support and advice at the strategic plan. A major focus of this plan is to highly specialized pediatric care in the two hospitals’ Emergency Departments. the establishment of new partnerships and region,” Sekaran says. Nursing leaders from Connecticut expanded ambulatory networks. We have James Moore, MD, PhD, division Children’s will provide simulation training begun to execute our growth strategies within head of Neonatology, says that the and advice on nursing best practices. Neonatology and Hospital Medicine, and are partnership will give the region access Sekaran says the partnership is proud to be closely aligned with the Western to all the expertise and consultants consistent with Connecticut Children’s Connecticut Health Network. This alignment available through Connecticut Children’s. stated mission of making Connecticut’s has enabled us to hire seven neonatologists, Moore adds: “This helps provide regional children the healthiest in the country. four full-time pediatric hospitalists, five care, so that when a baby needs a per diem hospitalists and 11 physician “This represents an expansion of our higher level of care, they can come to assistants between Danbury and Norwalk commitment to children in other parts of Hartford to obtain it and then return to hospitals. These opportunities, combined with the state in a very formal way,” their home hospital to recover close to innovative healthcare delivery models such as Sekaran says. home, which is the best form of family- telehealth, will strengthen our presence in the centered care.” “We look forward to partnering with region and ensure optimal delivery of quality community practitioners to provide the health care. Initiatives such as our brand of Connecticut Children’s will enhance most evidence-based, state-of-the- family-centered care; evidence-based clinical continuity of care through its service art care to patients in that area and pathways; and an emphasis on education and model, in which the same hospitalist or becoming embedded in the community quality improvement will be shared with our neonatologist guides evidence-based care as a partner with the practices that are partners. for the patient Monday through Friday. there,” says Moore. To effectively support this five-year plan, we are very thoughtfully reallocating our internal resources and adding key personnel Connecticut Children’s Specialty Group needed to ensure execution of our strategy. We are pleased to welcome Ryan Calhoun, Welcomes New President MHA, MBA, as our new director of network Glenn Focht, years’ experience as a physician and development. Ryan came to us this past fall MD, is the new healthcare clinician and administrator. from Colorado Children’s and brings his president of Most recently, he worked at Boston expertise in strategic planning, healthcare Connecticut Children’s Hospital, where he was the services and technology. In his few short Children’s chief medical officer for the Pediatric months with us, he has had the opportunity to Specialty Physicians’ Organization at Children’s. meet with many referring providers. He will be Group. He was While in Boston, he was instrumental in working alongside Glenn Focht, MD, our new named to the creating an integrated behavioral health president of Connecticut Children’s Specialty position this program and expanding the hospital’s Group, enthusiastically traversing the state past fall after primary care network. Glenn Focht, MD identifying opportunities for new partnerships an extensive and growth strategies. national search and officially joined A graduate of the University of the practice group on Dec. 4. Focht Pennsylvania Medical School, Focht I wish you the very best of health and serves as a member of the executive completed his residency at the happiness in this new year, and as always, management team and reports directly University of Massachusetts Medical I thank you for your continued dedication to CEO Jim Shmerling. Center. He holds a bachelor’s degree in to our shared mission of taking care of chemistry and liberal arts from Messiah Connecticut’s children. Focht brings to his position nearly 20 College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. 2 Obesity-Reduction Initiative Launched Connecticut Children’s has launched Connecticut are obese—the 12th highest an initiative aimed at creating a rate in the country. In Hartford, 32 percent comprehensive system to reduce of 3- to 5-year-olds are overweight or childhood obesity in Hartford. The obese. program, Kohl’s Start Childhood Off Right, or SCOR, is supported by a $350,000 The SCOR initiative emphasizes engaging grant from Kohl’s. families in preventive efforts in the form of healthy nutrition and adequate physical SCOR focuses on children ages birth activity. It includes a public-awareness to 2. This is an age group where few campaign; education for pediatric interventions have been targeted providers on screening for risk factors previously, even though research shows and linking at-risk children to community- prevention efforts among infants and based resources; training home visitors to toddlers can have the most

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