2006 Archive

Fiona S. Anderson, PhD, LP
Harsohena Kaur, MD, MPH
Kulwant Kaur, PhD
Glenn R. Gourley, MD
Angela R. Smith, MD
Arif Somani, MD, FRCPC

Read more about the grant recipients and their research projects.

Department of Pediatrics and University of Minnesota Children's Hospital Recipient of $550,000 Gift

The Department of Pediatrics and the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital have received a gift of $550,000 from Allan Schuman the Chairman Emeritus of Ecolab Inc. These funds will be used by the Division of Nephrology with  Dr. Cliff Kashtan as Principal Investigator for the study of new therapies for Alport's syndrome and to set up a national network for clinical research.

Dr. Warren Warwick recipient of the 2006 Charles Bolles Bolles-Rogers
Award of the Hennepin Medical Society

Congratulations to Dr. Warren Warwick, recipient of Hennepin Medical Society's 2006 Charles Bolles Bolles-Rogers Award. This is a most prestigous local honor given to a physician by his/her colleagues. It is given to a physician who, by reason of his/her professional contribution on the basis of medical research, achievement or leadership, has become the outstanding physician this and other years. The award will be presented to Dr. Warwick at a medical staff meeting at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview.

Dr. Harvey Sharp receives the Distinguished Service Award by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition

Dr. Harvey Sharp has been selected to receive the Distinguished Service Award by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. This is a most prestigious award, and a fitting recognition of Dr. Sharp's contributions to clinical care, research, and education in Pediatric Gastroenterology.

The Department of Pediatrics Welcomes New Faculty Members
We would like to extend a warm welcome to the following faculty members

Drs. James Moller and John C. O'Connell honored at the Outstanding Endeavors in Pediatrics: Annual Education, Research and Service Recognition Banquet

The banquet held on June 21, 2006, and hosted by the Department of Pediatrics, honors pediatricians involved in education, research and service through the University of Minnesota.

Dr. James H. Moller, Pediatric Cardiologist received the 2006 Gold-Headed Cane Award. This is the highest honor the department gives and reflects the recipient's life-long commitment to children and overall contributions to the practice of medicine. Dr. Moller has been a member of the faculty in the Medical School since 1965. He is the former Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and is a Professor of Pediatrics and Paul F. Dwan Professor in Pediatric Cardiology. He is the only Pediatric Cardiologist who was President of the American Heart Association, where one of his initiatives was the promotion of heart health in children. He was a Board Member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He started and continues to run the only multicenter collection of outcomes for Pediatric cardiovascular surgery and cardiac catheterization that is still actively involved in collecting information from throughout the US, the Pediatric Cardiac Care Consortium. He is a former Chairman of the Foundations Advisory Board of the World Heart Federation.

Dr. John C. O'Connell received the 2006 Homer and Maurine Venters Clinical Teaching Award. This award was established by an endowment gift from Homer and Maurine Venters and recognizes a community clinician who is an outstanding educator in primary care pediatrics. Since 1980, Dr. O'Connell has been actively involved in teaching medical students as part of the pediatric component of the Physician and Patient program, an active member of the Adjunct Faculty Committee, an advocate for medical students and residents and a stalwart supporter of the Department of Pediatrics.  Dr. O'Connell practices at Metropolitan Pediatrics Specialists in Burnsville, MN .

We also want to extend congratulations to these deserving award recipients.

Mark Snelling Outstanding Fellow Teaching Award - 2006
Kelly Kadlec, M.D.

 Susan Vincent Outstanding Resident Teaching Award - 2006
Emily Borman-Shoap, M.D.
Anna Zimmermann, M.D.

Outstanding Faculty Educator Award  from the University of Minnesota - 2006
Sharon Chen, M.D.
Sixto F. Guiang III, M.D.
Marie Steiner, M.D.

Outstanding Faculty Educator Award from Affiliated Sites - 2006
Richard Andersen, M.D.
Andrew Kiragu, M.D.
James McCord, M.D.

The Youngki Kim Excellence in Teaching Award - 2006
Richard Andersen, M.D.

George R. Noren HCMC Pediatric Faculty Teaching Award - 2006
Linda Thompson, M.D.

Fellow Research Awards - 2006
Andrea Lampland, M.D., First Place
Christopher Fraser, M.D., Second Place
Kay Ward, M.D., Third Place

The Margaret Kendrick Hostetter, M.D. Award for Research by a Fellow in Pediatric Subspecialty Training - 2006
Andrea Lampland, M.D.

University Pediatrics Foundation Scholar Award - 2006
Ashish Kumar, M.D., Ph.D.

Irvine McQuarrie Research Scholar Award - 2006
Marla Eisenberg, Sc.D., M.P.H.
Arif Somani, M.D.

Alexander Charles Jundt Research Award - 2006
Glenn Gourley, M.D.

Dr. Mark Roback to join new Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Dr. Mark Roback will be joining the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota as Professor in the new Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Mark received his BS and MD at the University of Minnesota and was a Pediatric Resident here. He went on to complete his Fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School . Mark has been at Denver Children's Hospital since 1994 and is an attending physician in their world class Pediatric Emergency Room, as well as an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado . He also has been active in the sedation and invasive procedures program at Denver Children's with a specific research interest in outcomes of children who receive sedation and analgesia.

Mark is nationally recognized for his work with adverse events associated with sedation, and also literally wrote the book on pediatric resuscitation (Pediatric Resuscitation: A Practical Approach, 2005). He has also been on numerous national committees including the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Collaborative Research Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Our Pediatric Emergency Room at the University of Minnesota Children 's Hospital, Fairview will open this summer. With Mark Roback now joining our new ER Director Dr. Ron Furnival, we will have Pediatric Emergency talent second to none. We welcome Mark to the Department and to the University of Minnesota Children 's Hospital.

Warren Warwick, M.D. receives the 2006 Harold S. Diehl Award

Warren Warwick, M.D. has been awarded a Diehl Award. The Harold S. Diehl Award is a prestigious lifetime award granted by the University of Minnesota Medical Alumni Society to individuals who have made outstanding professional contributions to the Medical School, the University, and the community.

Theodore R. Thompson, MD, Neonatologist receives the 2006 President's Award for Outstanding Service

The President's Award for Outstanding Service is presented each year in the spring and recognizes exceptional service to the University, its schools, colleges, departments, and service units by any active or retired faculty or staff member.  Recipients of this award have gone well beyond their regular duties and have demonstrated an unusual commitment to the University community.

The recipients of the 2006 President's Award for Outstanding Service:

• Theodore R. Thompson, M.D., Professor, Pediatrics, Medical School
• Carol Chomsky, Professor, Law School
• Betty Jo Johnson, Executive Administrative Specialist, College of Education and Human Development
• Dennis Jones, Teaching Specialist, Department of American Indian Studies, College of Liberal Arts
• Mary Jo Kane, Professor, School of Kinesiology , College of Education and Human Development
• Jenny M. Meslow, Director, Center for Health Interprofessional Programs, Academic Health Center
• Debbie Nelson, Special Assistant to the Associate Dean & Curriculum Director, Law School
• Charles Patterson, Senior Laborer, Landcare, Facilities Management
• Louis Pignolet, Professor, Institute of Technology
• Sharyn Schelske, Program Director, McNair Scholars Program, General College
• Thomas K. Soulen, Associate Professor Emeritus, Department of Plant Biology, College of Biological Sciences
• Gary Wilson, Head Coach, Women's Cross Country and Track and Field, Intercollegiate Athletics

Dr. Sameer Gupta to join the Division of Pediatric Pulmonology and Critical Care

We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Sameer Gupta will be joining the Department of Pediatrics and the University of Minnesota Children 's Hospital, Fairview as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Sameer attended Case Western Reserve University (Magna Cum Laude) and then the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed his Pediatric Residency at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, and will be completing his Critical Care Fellowship at Rainbow and the Department of Pediatrics at Case Western in June. Sameer has been engaged in several research areas including the role of innate immunity and cytokines in critically ill children as well as outcomes of Pediatric Intensive Care, and he received the Outstanding Science Day Award for best research by a trainee at Rainbow. He also has extensive clinical experience in trauma, ECMO, sedation and post-op card iac intensive care. He will be a fabulous addition to our already talented PICU faculty.

Welcome to our 2006 - 2007 Interns!

We are proud to welcome our  2006 - 2007 interns. This is a remarkable group with great diversity and represents 19 medical schools crossing the nation from Washington to Vermont, Oregon to Texas, and the Midwest.

Dr. Ron Furnival to join as Director of Pediatric Emergency Room and Division Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Ron Furnival has agreed to join the Department of Pediatrics and the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, Fairview as the Director of the Pediatric Emergency Room and Division Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

Ron grew up in Wayzata and attended the University of Minnesota Medical School where he also completed his Pediatric Residency. He then moved on to complete a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship at the University of Utah School of Medicine and Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City where he stayed on as faculty in the Department of Pediatrics for 13 years.

Ron is nationally recognized for his work on enhancing patient safety, pediatric trauma and analysis of emergency medical services data at statewide levels. He has received a number of awards including the Distinguished Service Citation from the American Academy of Pediatrics. We are most fortunate that he has chosen to return with his family to the Twin Cities and take on the challenge of developing state of the art Pediatric Emergency Medical Services at the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital and in the Department of Pediatrics.


University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, Fairview Launches New and Improved Website

It's our pleasure to share with you the new-and-improved University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, Fairview web site, www.uofmchildrenshospital.org.  

Launched February 28, 2006, this online children's hospital health resource now more accurately and comprehensively showcases services/specialties, conditions/treatments, physicians/providers, news and announcements, patient stories and much, much more.  In the coming weeks and months other features, including clinical trials information, a virtual tour, an online information request form and other items will be added as well.

Please take a few minutes to visit the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital site and review its many new features.  The site will be regularly updated with new information, so please be sure to check back often!

Seeking Doctors' Advice in Adoptions From Afar

Dr. Dana Johnson and the University of Minnesota's International Adoption Clinic were featured on the front page of  The New York Times (January 3, 2006). The article discusses the challenges faced by families adopting internationally, quoting Dr. Cindy Howard, and the services provided by the clinic, a leading pioneer in the field.

Pediatrics Faculty elected to the American Pediatric Society/Society for Pediatric Research

Ten faculty members of the Department of Pediatrics have been elected to the American Pediatric Society/Society for Pediatric Research. This represents the largest single annual number of departmental faculty ever to be elected to the Society.

U of M Pediatric Transplant Pioneer William Krivit Dies

A  Memorial Celebration of his life and career will be held at 1 PM Saturday, January 21, 2006 at the Uof M Mpls. Campus, Coffman Union.

Dr. Daniel Gruenstein to join as Director of Pediatric Interventional Cardiology

Dr. Daniel Gruenstein will be arriving in July 2006 to be Director of Pediatric Interventional Cardiology for the Department of Pediatrics and the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, Fairview.

Dan is currently an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University and a member of the Division of Cardiology at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland. He attended Washington University for his undergraduate degree, received his M.D. from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and was a Pediatric Resident and Cardiology Fellow at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

Dan has particular interest in expansion of our interventional cardiology services, clinical research and cardiac device use in children.

Dr. Mark Schleiss keynote speaker at 1st Congress of the Asian Society for Pediatric Research

Dr. Mark Schleiss, American Legion Chair of Pediatrics and Director, Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, was the keynote speaker at the Asian Society for Pediatric Research Annual Meeting on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, in Tokyo, Japan.  Dr. Schleiss lectured on the epidemiology and pathogenesis of congenital cytomegalovirus infection to an audience of academic pediatric physicians from throughout Asia.  Dr. Schleiss practices at the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, Fairview and is the Secretary-Treasurer of the Society for Pediatric Research, USA. Read more on the 1st Congress of the Asian Society for Pediatric Research.

Dr. Brandon Nathan to join the Division of Endocrinology

Brandon Nathan, M.D. will be joining the Division of Endocrinology in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Nathan attended Dartmouth Medical School and then did his Pediatric Residency at the University of Wisconsin where he was also Chief Resident. He will be completing his Endocrinology and Metabolism Fellowship at Case Western Reserve University and Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland in June of 2006. Dr. Nathan will specialize in clinical care, clinical trials and education for Pediatric Diabetes. He will spend much of his clinical time at our southern site (University of Minnesota Children's Hospital South at Fairview Ridges) where he will also organize Fairview system wide standards of care and education for Pediatric Diabetes. Given the alarming increase in diabetes in our pediatric populations, this will provide the Department and Hospital with outstanding opportunities to have a positive impact on the prevention and treatment of this disease. It will also provide new patient populations for cutting edge clinical trials.

Dr. Glenn Gourley recruited as Director of Research for the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Dr. Glenn Gourley, M.D. will be joining the department as Director of Research for the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, Fairview. Dr. Gourley is currently Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of Gastroenterology at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. He trained originally at the University of Wisconsin and is one of the few Pediatric Gastroenterologists in the US with long term NIH funding. Dr. Gourley's interests lie in neonatal jaundice, hepatitis C and proteomics, and his laboratory will be moving with him to the U. He also is considered a superb clinician and "master" of the endoscope.