Francis Hickey, MD (Professor, Department of Pediatrics) has announced his intention to retire from the university and step down from his role as director of the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome at Children’s Hospital Colorado, effective on April 30, 2024.
It is with a mix of admiration and nostalgia that we announce the decision of Adam Rosenberg, MD, a distinguished figure in the realm of pediatrics, to step down from his role as Pediatric Residency Program director. Rosenberg has spearheaded this highly competitive program since 2003, leaving behind a remarkable legacy spanning 21 years characterized by outstanding leadership. Under his direction, our program has flourished, setting a benchmark for excellence, garnering national acclaim and nurturing hundreds of residents who are now contributing significantly to pediatrics on a global scale.
The Department of Pediatrics Section of Emergency Medicine has announced their Joan Bothner Award for Excellence and Tim Givens Award for Service in Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) winners for their accomplishments and contributions in 2023.
Stephen R. Daniels, MD, PhD, MPH, has been chosen as the president of the American Pediatric Society (APS), commencing his term in June of 2024. He currently holds the position of chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, along with being the pediatrician-in-chief and L. Joseph Butterfield Chair in Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Edwin Asturias, MD (professor of pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine and director of Latin American Projects, Center for Global Health, Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health), has received an invitation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to join the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). His appointment is scheduled to commence on July 1, 2024 and conclude on June 30, 2028.
Karen Leamer, MD `86, FAAP, is set to step down from her esteemed role as the chair of the Department of Pediatrics Clinical Faculty Affairs Committee after an impressive 23-year tenure. Since 1989, Dr. Leamer has been a key figure within the department clinical faculty, taking on the leadership of the Clinical Faculty Affairs Committee in 2000. Currently practicing at Every Child Pediatrics in Aurora, she has shown unwavering dedication, commitment and support to our volunteer clinical faculty. Her remarkable contributions have made a lasting impact on our department, and we are deeply grateful for her significant influence and the privilege of having her on our team. She has taught and mentored numerous medical students and residents over the years.
Alumni Announcements Accolades
The Department of Pediatrics Section of Neonatology has established the Giacomo Meschia Distinguished Professorship in the CU Foundation in the summer of 2023. Laura Brown, MD, professor of pediatrics in the Section of Neonatology is the first recipient of the Giacomo Meschia Distinguished Professorship for the Section of Neonatal Perinatal Medicine of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics. This is for her outstanding and trailblazing work in the field of fetal and neonatal nutrition and skeletal muscle metabolism and physiology.
Alumni Announcements Accolades
Lalit Bajaj, MD, MPH, will be assuming the role of Chief Quality Officer for Children’s Hospital Colorado starting in January 2024.
Dr. Bajaj will oversee the Department of Patient Safety, while continuing his oversight of the Department of Clinical Effectiveness and Department of Diversity, Health Equity & Inclusion. These departments will now constitute the Division of Quality, and Dr. Bajaj will be working to complete the medical and administrative dyads in each of those departments over the coming months.
On behalf of the University of Colorado School of Medicine Pediatric Residency Program, please join us in congratulating the 2025–26 Pediatric Chief Residents!
We are excited to announce that Anne Adema, MD, (assistant professor, Section of Emergency Medicine), has been selected as an Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Scholar for 2024-2025.
It is with mixed emotions that the Department of Pediatrics announces that Randy Wilkening, MD, (professor and head, Section of Neonatology; vice chair for clinical practice; chairman, Clinical Practice Committee; associate vice-chairman for Research Affairs, Perinatal Research; Department of Pediatrics) plans to step down from his role as section head pending the completion of the search for his replacement. Dr. Wilkening has served as the section head of Neonatology since 1992 – a remarkable 32-year leadership term.
The new members of the Finance Committee with CU Medicine were announced beginning this month with Nanette Santoro, MD (Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology) as the new chair, joined by Neill Epperson, MD (Professor, Chair of Psychiatry), Glenn Furuta, MD (Professor and Section Head, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition) and Katie Dean (DFA for Orthopedics). Mike Jonen (Vice Chair for Finance and Administration) was selected for a second term.
The Department of Pediatrics is extremely pleased to announce Shelley D. Miyamoto, MD, (professor, Section of Cardiology) as our new Section Head of Pediatric Cardiology and Co-Director of the Heart Institute, effective December 1, 2023. Dr. Miyamoto brings a wealth of experience to our team, having completed her Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship at the University of Colorado in 2005 and holding key positions since then. Prior to joining us, she obtained her medical degree from the University of Iowa and completed her pediatric residency training at Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, where she served as a chief resident.
Barry H. Rumack, MD, (Professor Emeritus), has been awarded the 2023 Prince Mahidol Award in the field of Public Health.
Dr. Rumack is recognized for his groundbreaking work in clinical toxicology, specifically in the study of paracetamol overdose.
He created the Rumack-Matthews nomogram, which has allowed doctors worldwide to appropriately diagnose paracetamol toxicity and formed a treatment protocol that became the global standard for managing paracetamol toxicity.
The Department of Pediatrics announces the appointment of Mandy A. Allison MA, MD, MSPH (Associate Professor, Section of General of Pediatrics) as the next Director of the Prevention Research Center for Family and Child Health (PRC). The PRC is a joint program of the Department of Pediatrics and the Adult and Child Center for Outcomes Research and Delivery Science (ACCORDS).
The Department of Pediatrics has announced several leadership updates, including the appointment of a new Vice Chair.
The Strauss Health Sciences Library is proud to present a new exhibit honoring the memory of Dr. Nancy Nelson, MD. The Nancy Nelson memorial display case, donated by the Office of Advancement, will have a permanent home on the third floor of the library outside the Tower Room. This case will frequently feature important women in healthcare and medicine. The inaugural exhibit will showcase the life and achievements of Dr. Nelson herself.
We are pleased to announce that Thomas Parker, MD, Professor, Section of Neonatology, has been appointed as Vice Chair for Education for the Department of Pediatrics effective November 1. Dr. Parker has been serving as Interim Vice Chair since August 2021 and his appointment follows an extensive search led by Dr. Shale Wong (Chair), Dr. Jennifer Barker, Dr. Robin Deterding, Dr. Brandi Freeman, Dr. Mary Kohn, Dr. Adam Rosenberg, Dr. Jennifer Soep, Mike Jonen, Gene Liffick and LeAnn Olonia.
Dr. Kevin Ess has been an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Neurology, Cell and Developmental Biology, the Gerald M. Fenichel Chair in Neurology, and Director of the Division of Pediatric Neurology at Vanderbilt University. As Division Director, he also served as the Neurologist-in-Chief at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Dr. Ess has been at Vanderbilt since joining their faculty as Assistant Professor in 2006. Kevin received his PhD in developmental biology (1996) and his medical degree (1998) from the University of Cincinnati. He completed a one-year pediatric internship at the University of Colorado and Children’s Hospital Colorado in 1999.
Research Education Alumni Announcements
Stephanie Bourque MD, MSCS, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Section of Neonatology and Associate Medical Director, Children’s Hospital Colorado Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, has been appointed the first recipient of the Niermeyer Family Distinguished Professorship in Neonatology.
A research team at University of Colorado School of Medicine, JFK Partners, led by Judy Reaven, Ph.D., has been approved for a $2,780,297 million funding award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study A Comparison of Two School-Based Interventions to Manage Anxiety in Autistic Students.
Ihuoma Eneli, MD, MS, will begin her tenure as the new Section Head of Nutrition on October 1. Dr. Eneli is currently a Professor of Pediatrics at the Ohio State University and Director of the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine makes recommendations for improving access to pediatric subspecialty care. The Department of Pediatrics very own, Chris Stille, MD, MPH/PSPH, sat on the committee that authored the report.
The CU Office of Advancement is pleased to announce gifts totaling $2 million from Steve Berman and Elaine Gantz Berman, and friends and family of Dr. Berman to establish the Stephen Berman, MD, Endowed Chair for Global Health.
The International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice has released a special issue entitled “Special Issue on the Kempe Center: Celebrating 50 Years of Research”
Maya Bunik MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics in School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and Associate Chief Medical Officer, Ambulatory at Children’s Hospital Colorado has been appointed the Bonnie W. Camp, MD, PhD Distinguished Professor in Pediatrics.
The University of Colorado’s Department of Pediatrics is thrilled to announce that two of its faculty, Allison Silverstein, MD, MS, and Adam B. Hill, MD, have both been invited to serve on the Inaugural Pediatric Council of AAHPRM (American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine).
The Department of Pediatrics announces the appointment of Brandi Freeman, MD (Associate Professor, Section of General Pediatrics) and Jenny Reese, MD, (Professor of Clinical Practice and Head, Section of Hospital Medicine) to Vice Chair leadership roles. Both have been serving in Associate Vice Chair roles under the direction of the Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs, Dr. Andy Sirotnak.
Condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of K. Michael Hambidge, MD, ScD, professor emeritus of pediatrics, who died May 2.
Tai Lockspeiser, MD, MHPE, associate professor of pediatrics, assistant dean of medical education and director of assessment, evaluations, and outcomes, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Jones Family Professorship in Medical Education.
The Department of Pediatrics and the pediatric residency program would like to welcome Claudia Kunrath, MD as the new Associate Program Director at Denver Health.
Maya Bunik, MD, has been selected as the inaugural Associate Chief Medical Officer-Ambulatory for our System of Care.
The University of Colorado Department of Pediatrics announces the appointment of Ann M. Reynolds, MD as the next Head of the Section of Developmental Pediatrics. Dr. Reynolds was selected following a comprehensive national search conducted over the past several months.
Charles G. Sagerstrom, PhD (Professor, Section of Developmental Biology) has been selected as Vice Chair for Basic Science Research. Dr. Sagerstrom will officially start in this role on March 1, 2023 and will be connecting with basic science research leaders within the Department, the School of Medicine, and the Child Health Research Enterprise.
Glenn T. Furuta, MD, Professor and La Cache Endowed Chair for Gastrointestinal Allergic and Immunologic Diseases, has been named as the next Head of the Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. Dr. Furuta was selected following a comprehensive internal search conducted over the past several months.
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Maya Haasz, MD (Assistant Professor, Section of Emergency Medicine) as Director of the Resident Advocacy Rotation. Dr. Haasz graduated from McGill University with her medical degree in 2006. She did her pediatric residency at Montreal Children’s Hospital/McGill University, followed by a pediatric emergency medicine fellowship in Toronto at Hospital for sick Children. She spent seven years at Albert Einstein School of Medicine before coming to the University of Colorado in 2018.
Stephen Berman, MD (Professor, Section of General Academic Pediatrics) passed away on January 17, 2023, surrounded by family, after a brief illness. Born in 1947 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Dr. Berman graduated from Temple University Medical School and was a pediatric resident and chief resident at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He was a member of the Department’s faculty since 1978. He became the youngest Section Head of General Academic Pediatrics at the age of 34, leading the section twice during his career (1981–1989 and 1998–2007).
Frederick C. Battaglia, MD, passed away on December 30, 2022. Born in 1932 in Weehawken, New Jersey, Fred was a constant over-achiever. He attended Cornell University and earned his BS in Chemistry in only three years in 1953. Afterwards, he attended the Yale University School of Medicine, where he met the love of his life, Jane Donahue.
The Section of Endocrinology is saddened to report the passing of Dr. Michael S. Kappy MD, PhD after a brief illness. Dr. Kappy was a committed teacher of generations of students, residents, and endocrinology fellows, as well as a passionate advocate for children and their families. His loss is acutely felt by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife Peggy (nee Markson), two sons, and his adored grandchildren.
Ronald J. Sokol, MD has been named a University of Colorado Distinguished Professor. Dr. Sokol is one of 136 CU faculty members among the four campuses to have earned this distinction since its inception in 1977.
The University of Colorado's Pediatric Residency program was ranked sixth in the nation by Doximity. The results are a reputation ranking, which was compiled via feedback from over 35,000 physicians across 28 specialties.
Children’s Hospital Colorado has been recognized as the No. 7 pediatric hospital in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice.
Children’s Hospital Colorado made the 2022-23 Best Children’s Hospitals Honor Roll, ranked No. 1 in both the region and state of Colorado, and ranked in all 10 specialties with five in the top 10.
CPR
May 02, 2024
“I think so often our birthing individuals with substance use disorders were often treated disrespectfully and noncentral to the care of their own infants after birth,” said Sunah Hwang, who founded CHoSEN and is a neonatologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado [and associate professor of pediatrics at CU School of Medicine]. “I think what ‘eat, sleep, console’ and CHoSEN QIC [the group’s quality improvement collaborative] really did was change the paradigm in terms of what is the role of the birthing individual in that birth hospital care of the baby.”
Westword
April 26, 2024
According to [Bill] Anderson, who's also a[n associate] professor of pediatric allergy and immunology at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, climate change has slowly extended allergy season over time. “What we're seeing is that because of these warmer temperatures, the allergy season is starting earlier each year and lasting a little bit longer,” he says.
Teen Vogue
April 25, 2024
Providers recognize it can be easier said than done for teenagers to get all of the necessary nutrients they need through diet alone. Rochelle Cason-Wilkerson, MD, nutritionist, provides important information on how teens' needs change as they develop and how to incorporate vitamins into their diet.
Fox 31 | Channel 2
April 23, 2024
Aline Maddux, associate professor of pediatrics [Section of Critical Care Medicine] in the pediatrics intensive care unit, is a part of Cartier’s medical team. “His heart stopped beating. We tried to revive it, and there was fear that he might not survive this,” Maddux said.
Department of Pediatrics
