Top Achievements

JMSCH: Adolescent Medicine with Dr. Northridge as co-course director had it's inaugural Pediatric Adolescent Gynecology Conference in collaboration with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Department of Pediatrics at the K Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in March 2022. The conference included speakers from both Children’s Hospitals as well as outside speakers whose training ranged from pediatric surgery, OB/GYN and pediatrics. We were excited at our initial virtual conference to have participants from the tristate area and looking forward to our second annual conference which will be held virtually on April 20, 2023.

JMSCH: Using state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic interventions along with genetic testing the division of pediatric cardiology treats the whole family of children who have had sudden death or near sudden death events. This program reduces the risk of future bad events for family members and even remote relatives.

JMSCH: The team at the Audrey Hepburn Children’s House were awarded a $757,000 grant to implement the No Hit Zone program at JMSCH and KHCH, to create an environment of comfort and safety for parents, families and team members in every location and facility.

JMSCH: Our academic pediatric dermatologists are teaching and mentoring at all levels of training starting from Bergen Academies senior interns, pre-med students, HMH SOM students, dermatology and pediatric residents and pediatric dermatology fellows. Providing core pediatric dermatology training to all dermatology residents in the HMH Palisades and Rutgers/RWJ programs through our clinics and didactic sessions throughout the year.

JMSCH: Launched the Autism Initiative 2022, a multi-disciplinary collaboration with Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and a multitude of other specialties from throughout the Children’s Hospital. In addition, Dr. Oana DeVinck-Baroody was awarded a $25k grant from the New Jersey Health Foundation for the, “Role of Developmental Coping tool in Improving care for Children with Autism Spectrum disorder in the Hospital Setting”.

KHCH: Our Division of Developmental Pediatrics has been involved in research with the Autism Program investigating the connection between low language scores on the Bayley Infant and Toddler Scale of Development and subsequent autism diagnosis. Under the Autism Medical Home Grant, IRB approved research was completed examining primary pediatrician knowledge.

JMSCH: Within our gastroenterology department we experienced growth of multidisciplinary clinics, which included our: feeding, healthy weight, and aerodigestive clinics. The division of pediatric gastroenterology welcomed two new faculty members in 2022, Eliana Shaul, M.D. brings expertise in Very Early Onset-Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Transnasal endoscopy and Shamila Zawahir, M.D. with expertise in aerodigestive disorders and impedance and anorectal manometry

JMSCH: In addition to recruiting new physician and genetic counselor staff, we began outpatient clinical services at the JFK Multi-Specialty Practice, and continue to support the combined clinic with Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, the only in New Jersey.

KHCH: Robust participation in Solutions for Patient Safety (SPS). Increase in faculty participating in SPS, workshops, webinars, conferences, and now instituting SSER meetings.

JMSCH: The division welcomed three new board certified Pediatric Hospital Medicine faculty who bring expertise in quality, safety and improvement science and participated in 4 national initiatives to improve care to hospitalized children.

The combined JMSCH and KHCH Pediatric Nephrology program was ranked in the top 50 in the nation by U.S. New & World Report, reflecting the clinical and academic strengths and national reputation of the division faculty and high quality care delivered to patients with complex renal disease, including dialysis and renal transplantation.

KHCH: This year, Guillermo Hidalgo, M.D. was the lead doctor for the first hands-on workshop on Acute Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter placement in Bogotá, Colombia. This workshop was a part of the Saving Young Lives initiative with the International Society of Nephrology. This workshop's goal aims for the prevention and management of acute kidney injury program implementation in low resources countries.

JMSCH: As one of the leading centers for pediatric kidney disease in the nation, our team is proud to be among a small number of centers in the world that are offering four international, multicenter trials researching the treatment of rare kidney diseases.

• VALIANT trial. Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital is currently the only site in New Jersey offering this study which aims to determine the effectiveness of a subcutaneously infused medication, pegcetacoplan, in inducing a remission in C3 glomerulopathy and immune-complex membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. These diseases currently have no effective treatment.
• COMMUTE-p trial. This trial aims to study the effectiveness of crovalimab in the home treatment of pediatric patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome.
• INShore trial. The goal of this trial is to study the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of the intravenous medication obinutuzumab in inducing a long term remission in children and young adults aged 2-25 with frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome (FRNS) or steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS).
• VX-147 trial. This study will evaluate the safety, efficacy, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of oral medication VX-147 with apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1)-associated proteinuric kidney disease. Pathogenic variants in the APOL1 gene are a major cause of the excess incidence of serious kidney disease in the African-American population.

JMSCH: We saw significant programmatic and faculty growth with diverse child neurology expertise including: Antenatal Neurology, Neonatal Neurology, Epilepsy, Neurophysiology, Concussion care, Headaches, Neuroimmunology, Neuro-oncology, Neurogenetics, Neurocutaneous syndromes, Pediatric Movement Disorders and Pediatric Neurocritical care. Consequently, there has been tremendous growth in the number of patients we now serve who suffer from rare, unusual and complex pediatric neurological disorders, including gene therapy for the devastating neurological disorder, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).

KHCH: We continued to grow and develop the Bereavement Committee with inter-divisional and full Children’s Hospital Participation.

JMSCH: The Joint Commission redesignated the joint Adult and Pediatric Advanced Palliative Care DSC. The Pain and Palliative care program now offers acupuncture as part of its integrative medicine program.

KHCH and JMSCH: We had two lifetime awards celebrating our specialists, Dr. Suzanne Li (CARRA Lifetime Service Award), and Dr. Yukiko Kimura (Arthritis Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award). And a Fellowship Training Award for Workforce Expansion (Rheumatology Research Foundation).

KHCH: With the support of the COG-affiliated pediatric oncology program, we were able to perform sentinel node procedures and collaborative sarcoma cases.

KHCH: We were able to initiate a quarterly Pediatric Urology Journal Club for attending staff, physician assistants and nursing staff. This provides them with 1 hour of CME credit. In addition, our annual Pediatric Urology CME Symposium was again met with high #s and engaged participation.

The Pediatric Urology team hosted the Second Annual Pediatric Urology Symposium In 2022. It was extremely successful, with over 150 virtual attendees. The symposium had faculty speakers from both of our hospitals.

The Pediatric Urology and Nephrology Clinic continued to grow this year as well.

JMSCH: With the addition of two pediatric urologists through our partnership with PUA, we have seen unprecedented growth in pediatric urology volume and procedures, Dr. Richard Schlussel served as the Trip Chief for a surgical mission in Guayacil, Ecuador at Hospital de Roberto Gilbert with Healing The Children. This thirty person team operated on approximately 40 patients with complex congenital pediatric urology conditions performing many involved reconstructions.