News | Page 22 | Pediatrics

Message from the Chair's Office: Reflection - Where Do We Go from Here?

April 24, 2021

The past few weeks have been studded with painful evidence that speak to America’s congenital disease of racism. It is a seemingly constant force, whether seen or not, whether acknowledged or not, whether challenged or uncontested. Racialized violence has victimized many communities of color, past and present. We have seen disturbing increases in anti-Asian bias and attacks recently, escalating to the mass shooting in Atlanta. Although the motive behind the Indianapolis shooting last week remains under investigation, it is notable that four of the eight individuals killed were from Indianapolis’ Sikh community. The lynchings that marred America’s past have been replaced by the egregiously disproportionate numbers of Black and Brown people killed as a result of uncalibrated use of deadly force by police.

Many in our community breathed a collective sigh of relief last week over the fact that a small measure of accountability had finally been delivered to but one of hundreds of families whose loved ones were murdered by police. The Chauvin trial took place a few miles away from where Daunte Wright was killed last week, and the verdict announced within the hour of when Ma’Khia Bryant was killed. These events, the persistent disparities that impose excess morbidity and mortality on communities of color, and medical and scientific racism, should be more than sufficient to compel those committed to justice to act.

Guide to WCM Pediatrics at 2021 PAS Meeting

April 22, 2021

At this year's all-virtual Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Meeting, Weill Cornell Medicine and the Department of Pediatrics was well-represented, with faculty, residents, fellows and staff presenting posters, platforms, workshops, plenaries, SIGs and other sessions across sub-specialties.

Please see below for a guide to Weill Cornell Medicine abstracts. Note: All times are in Central Time.

Friday, April 30, 2021

Emergency Medicine

Presenter: Alexandra Licona-Freudenstein, M.D., PGY-2
Type: Poster
Abstract Title: An analysis of pediatric emergency visits during the COVID-19 pandemic using a multi-centered network database in NYC
Authors: Deborah Levine, Yurhee Lee, Alan Wu, Susan Fraymovich, Jin-Young Han, Elizabeth Feuille, Shravya Pant, Shari L. Platt, Erika Abramson, Zachary Grinspan
Session Number/Title: Emergency Medicine: e-Posters−COVID-19
Session Date and Time: Friday, April 30, 2021, 5:00 am - 6:00 am CT
Presentation Time: 5:00 am - 6:00 am CT
Poster Board No. 728
Publication No. EP-122.728
Presentation Format: e-Poster with Chat Q&A

Dr. Lisa Roth Named Director of Pediatric Oncology

March 24, 2021

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Lisa Giulino Roth, M.D. as the Director of Pediatric Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

An expert in pediatric oncology, Dr. Roth cares for children, adolescents and young adults with lymphoma and leukemia. In 2014, Dr. Roth launched Weill Cornell Medicine’s Adolescent and Young Adult Lymphoma Program to meet the needs of young persons, ages 15 to 39, who did not quite fit in at pediatric or adult treatment centers, after she herself was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. Dr. Roth recognized a gap in care and developed a program tailored to address the complex medical and psychosocial needs of young patients such as finishing their education, living independently, preserving their fertility, and maintaining quality of life.

As Director of Pediatric Oncology, Dr. Roth plans to expand clinical care and research in pediatric oncology. She will lead an effort to expand the clinical service through collaborations with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Queens and NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist. She will also work with the Meyer Cancer Center to apply for NCI Cancer Center designation. She will work with researchers within the department of pediatrics and beyond to increase clinical and laboratory research efforts focused on pediatric malignancies.

Dr. David Lyden Named as Director of Physician Scientist Training Program; Dr. Oleh Akchurin Named as Associate Director

March 17, 2021

Dr. David Lyden and Dr. Oleh Akchurin

We are pleased to announce the appointment of David C. Lyden, M.D, Ph.D. as Director and Oleh Akchurin, M.D., Ph.D. as Associate Director of the newly launched Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP) in the Department of Pediatrics. Physician-scientist development is a multi-faceted process that requires extensive mentoring and guidance throughout an individual’s career, but particularly during periods of intensive clinical training, such as fellowship and residency. Building a departmental Physician Scientist Training Program will aid trainees at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in successfully embarking on a career in pediatric research by fostering research training during their clinical training. In their new roles, Dr. Lyden and Dr. Akchurin will work to develop the program to identify and train the next generation of pediatric physician-scientist leaders engaged in research to improve the health of children.

About Dr. David Lyden

Dr. Robbyn Sockolow Named Vice Chair for Ambulatory Care Services - Access and Strategy

February 24, 2021

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Robbyn Sockolow, M.D. as Vice Chair for Ambulatory Care Services – Access and Strategy (ACSAS) in the Department of Pediatrics. In this new position, Dr. Sockolow will oversee the Department’s ambulatory clinical care operations and access improvement efforts.

Dr. Sockolow brings demonstrated experience and leadership in clinical care and administration. As Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Director of the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, and Medical Director of the Pediatric Unit for Procedural Sedation, Dr. Sockolow has built and expanded essential services and programs. She will continue to serve the Department of Pediatrics in these positions as well as ongoing leadership of the Department’s compliance program.

In her new role as Vice Chair, Dr. Sockolow will work collaboratively with the Chair, Division Chiefs, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), and the Department’s clinical administration team to oversee and direct the Department’s ambulatory care operations and strategy. Her priorities for 2021 are to increase access, efficiency and patient satisfaction, including leading the Department’s efforts to consolidate the Helmsley Medical Tower’s sub-specialty practice (HT-3) and clinic (HT-5), addressing health disparities and patient safety through equitable care.

New Publications

January 6, 2021

New publications from Department of Pediatrics faculty and staff

Books/Chapters

Cuda S and Censani M. Diabetes and Obesity in the Child and Adolescent: Guidelines and Challenges (pp. 553-566). In: Faintuch J and Faintuch S (eds): Obesity and Diabetes, 2nd ed. Switzerland AG, Springer Nature. December 2020.

Articles

Chang, J, co-author. Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine. Preventing Nutritional Disorders in Adolescents by Encouraging a Healthy Relationship With Food. Journal of Adolescent Health 67 (2020) 875-879.

Meza K, Biswas S, Zhu Y, Gajjar A, Perelstein EM, Kumar J, Akchurin O. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha is associated with mineral bone disorder and growth impairment in children with chronic kidney disease. Pediatric Nephrology. Springer Nature. Published online 2 Jan 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-020-04846-3

COVID-19 Vaccine Information

January 6, 2021

We are committed to keeping you safe and protecting you and your loved ones from COVID-19 during this unprecedented pandemic.

Please visit Weill Cornell Medicine's COVID-19 information page for the latest information and answers to frequently asked questions about the vaccine.

Webinar on Vaccines

View a recent webinar on COVID-19 vaccines by faculty in the Divisions of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

Pediatrics Department Faculty and Fellows Step Up to Bring Vaccines to Underserved Communities

January 1, 2021

In April 2021, Pediatrics Department faculty and fellows at Weill Cornell Medicine volunteered their time expertise to bring COVID-19 vaccines to underserved communities in Jamaica, Queens. An initiative of the Weill Cornell CTSC, in partnership with Community Healthcare Network (CHN) and FEMA, volunteers helped operate three vaccination sites at faith based-institutions in underserved communities in an effort to overcome vaccine hesitancy and other barriers in communities heavily impacted by COVID-19 and disproportionately under-vaccinated. These events have been operated by Community Healthcare Network, staffed by volunteers from WCM, NYP, Hunter College School of Nursing and the local community, and funded by FEMA through the NYC-DOH. Thank you to all for their time and service! (2021)

WCM Faculty and Fellows provide vaccines Dr. Brooke Spector prepares vaccine

Young Artist Showcase: 2020 Holiday Card Art

December 24, 2020

Thank you to all the young artists who contributed their work for this year's Department of Pediatrics holiday card!

Each year, the Department, in collaboration with our affiliate, NewYork-Presbyterian Phyllis and David Komansky Children's Hospital, invites pediatric patients to submit work for consideration to be featured on our annual holiday greeting. This card was created with help from the Tracy's Kids art therapy program, which provides board certified art therapists to help patients and their family members express feelings and reflect on their treatment experiences through art-making and creative play. Creative Arts Therapy is an essential component of Child Life Services, a program helping children, adolescents and their families navigate healthcare experiences through play, creativity, expression and support.

We are pleased to share a selection of the entries, including this year's card. We are grateful to be able to highlight this wonderful artwork in honor of all children and families.

Thank you to all of the artists who shared their work!

Dr. Virginia Pascual Leads Grant to Study Immune Responses in Children with COVID-19 and Receives Prestigious ACR Award

November 12, 2020

Dr. Virginia Pascual

Dr. Virginia Pascual, the Drukier Director of the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Children’s Health at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been awarded a grant supplement from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to lead a multi-institutional effort studying differences in immune responses in children infected with SARS-CoV-2. The research may reveal why some children with COVID-19 develop major complications while the majority of children only display mild symptoms. A leader in pediatric immunology, Dr. Pascual has also received the 2020 Distinguished Basic/Translational Investigator Award from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).