Tag Archives: Pediatrics

Dana Suskind, M.D., ’92, improving child outcomes

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UMKC School of Medicine Alumni Reflections Throughout 50 Years

Since 1971, nearly 4,000 physicians and health care professionals across the United States have received their degrees from the UMKC School of Medicine. As a leadup to our Gold Jubilee 50th anniversary event on June 4, we will spotlight some of our alumni who embody the school’s spirit and excellence in medical education and patient care.

Today, we catch up with Dana Suskind, M.D., ’92, author, early language development expert and founder of TMW (Thirty Million Words) Center for Early Learning + Public Health.

Where are you now and what is your current role?

I now live in Chicago, Illinois, where I am a professor of surgery and pediatrics at the University of Chicago Medical Center. I serve as director of the pediatric cochlear implantation program and co-director of the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health.

TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health provides evidence-based interventions to optimize brain development in children from birth to five years of age, particularly those born into poverty. It combines education, technology and behavioral strategies for parents and caregivers to enhance the verbal interactions with their children.

What is your primary focus in medicine?

I work with pediatric cochlear implants and supporting parents to build a more family focused society through my upcoming book and initiative, Parent Nation.

What is your fondest memory of your time at the School of Medicine?

I have many, such as my junior-senior partners, DoRo, our post board and Beta parties, and the best friends that I made at UMKC School of Medicine.

Can you share the greatest lesson you learned in medical school?

The best lesson I learned is that the Hippocratic oath doesn’t end when the clinic visit is over, but when your patients thrive.

Tell us something about you that people may not know?

I have the joy of being the mother (and bonus mother!) to eight wonderful children.

UMKC School of Medicine Welcomes New Chair of Pediatrics

-PRN, Faculty, Faculty Affairs, ,

The UMKC School of Medicine has announced that Jeanne M. James, M.D., FAAP, MBA, has been named the school’s new chair of the Department of Pediatrics. James will also serve as pediatrician-in-chief at Children’s Mercy and pediatrics department chair at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

“Dr. James has incredible expertise and experience that will further enhance the academic excellence of Children’s Mercy and I look forward to working with her on behalf of our students” said Mary Anne Jackson, M.D., dean of UMKC School of Medicine.

Most recently, James served as chief of cardiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) and held the Leigh Gabrielle Herma Endowed chair for cardiology and served as the medical director of cardiology for the hospital.

Before joining MCW in 2017, James spent more than two decades at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the University of Cincinnati advancing through the academic ranks, ultimately achieving the rank of professor and earning progressive leadership roles. She began at the academic rank of instructor in the Department of Pediatrics, a faculty position accompanying her appointment as a Proctor Scholar in the department and a post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Jeffrey Robbins, Ph.D..

Throughout her career in Cincinnati, James continued working with the lab and developed many productive research collaborations. In addition, she served the Heart Institute as Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship program director, medical director of Cardiovascular Genetics and director of the Mouse Echocardiography Core. Among other roles, James served the University of Cincinnati as chair of the Department of Pediatrics Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure Committee and was a member of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Institutional Review Board.

James earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry at West Virginia University and went on to the West Virginia School of Medicine. At 20 years of age, she was the youngest member of her class, but was widely recognized not for her age, but for her early achievements and leadership. She completed her pediatrics residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, followed by her fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology, also at Vanderbilt. During this time, she was a research fellow in the Molecular Physiology and Biophysics lab of Michael M. Tamkun, Ph.D.

A year-long, national search to fill this position was co-led by Drs. Shawn St. Peter and Tamorah Lewis and included many representatives from UMKC School of Medicine, Children’s Mercy and KU Hospital.

“I thank all who played a role in helping us fill this important position – expectations were high and the committee delivered,” said Jackson. “No doubt Dr. James will be a leader and a great addition to our faculty.”

UMKC announces Dr. Mary Anne Jackson as School of Medicine dean

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Mary Anne Jackson, M.D., has been announced as the next dean of the UMKC School of Medicine, effective May 1, 2020.

Having served as interim dean since July 2018, she now becomes the ninth dean in the school’s nearly 50-year history. A 1978 graduate of UMKC’s innovative six-year medical school program, Jackson is the first alumnus and the third woman to lead the School of Medicine.

Jackson is a pediatric infectious diseases expert, affiliated with Children’s Mercy and internationally known for her research. During the current COVID-19 crisis, she is one of the six physicians statewide advising Missouri Governor Mike Parson. She also continues to be a frequently sourced expert for the media and national publications.

“I am honored to serve as the dean for this medical school, which has been ahead of the curve in educating and mentoring physicians and health professionals for nearly half a century,” Jackson said. “I look forward to helping grow its research enterprise to improve the health of our community and beyond.”

Jackson, a professor of pediatrics, joined the School of Medicine faculty in 1984.

UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal announced Jackson’s appointment and that of Jenny Lungren, Ph.D., as executive vice chancellor, in a letter to the university on April 28. Both had been serving their roles on an interim basis.

“In this challenging time, there is an immediate need for stable, innovative leadership,” Agrawal said. “Drs. Lundgren and Jackson have led with intellect and heart during the pandemic, and I have full confidence that they will continue to capably help us navigate through the uncharted territory ahead.”

Jackson is recognized locally, regionally and nationally as a master clinician and educator on the topic of pediatric infectious diseases. The American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Infectious Diseases Executive Committee honored her with the 2019 Award for Lifetime Contribution in Infectious Diseases Education last October.

She has served on the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Red Book Committee on Infectious Diseases, a publication that provides guidance on the diagnosis, treatment, manifestations and epidemiology of more than 200 childhood conditions. She is also a journal reviewer for American Journal of Infection Control, Journal of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal and JAMA Pediatrics, among many other research publications.

Jackson has won numerous awards for her mentorship including the Children’s Mercy Department of Pediatrics Excellence in Mentoring award in 2015, and Golden Apple Mentoring Awards in 2012 for mentoring fellows and in 2013 for mentoring residents. In 2012, she received the Take Wing Award, presented annually at the School of Medicine to an alum who has demonstrated excellence in his or her chosen field and exceeded the expectations of peers in the practice of medicine, academic medicine or research.

In 2017, Jackson was selected to the National Vaccine Advisory Committee. She also serves on the American Heart Association’s Committee on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, as well as additional national, regional and local committees.

School of Medicine teams with Nestle to create unique student experience

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Brandon Trandai, Madeline Harris and Valerie Hummel were the first to participate in a new UMKC School of Medicine elective, the Infant and Toddler Nutrition Experience.

Three sixth-year medical students from the School of Medicine this past fall were the first to participate in a unique elective experience bringing together the medical school and a leading baby food manufacturer.

The Infant and Toddler Nutrition Experience is a collaboration between UMKC and Nestle Nutrition North America, which produces Gerber baby foods and formulas.

Joel Lim, M.D., and Brandon Trandai

Emily Haury, M.D., docent and chair of the School of Medicine Docent Council, is one of the faculty members overseeing the course elective. She said one goal of the program is to expose students to the corporate world of health care. It also offers a glimpse of how corporations work with the medical field to produce the best products for their customers.

“In addition to gaining clinical knowledge and studying evidence-based guidelines, the students also gained practical knowledge and resources that they can use to counsel families about nutrition as they continue their training in pediatrics,” Haury said.

Madeline Harris, Valerie Hummel and Brandon Trandai began the class with reading assignments and participating in small group discussions on basic and clinical sciences related to infant and toddler nutrition.

After completing the preliminary work, the students spent 10 days at the Nestle facilities in Michigan and the company’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Their travel took in tours of a baby food factory, a farm and a consumer testing center. They also attended sessions with marketing, human resources and regulatory staff to learn about the business side of the industry.

“It was unique and a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Trandai said. “I was able to see another facet of pediatrics. We don’t typically focus on nutrition as much as treating illnesses and disease.”

Trandai said the experience enlightened the students about the amount of research done at Gerber and the innovation taking place to promote infant and toddler nutrition.

Hummel said, “This rotation was incredibly rewarding. I would highly recommend it for any students interested in learning more about nutrition and the intricate world of the business industry surrounding nutrition.”

The elective is overseen by Haury, Darla McCarthy, Ph.D., assistant dean for curriculum, and Joel Lim, M.D., adjunct professor pediatrics, who now serves as vice president of the Medical and Scientific Regulatory Unit at Nestle Nutrition North America. Funding for the students’ travel and lodging was provided by Nestle.

Haury said the elective will be offered again during several blocks in the 2020-21 academic year, providing students unique learning opportunity that they can share at their residency interviews.

American Academy of Pediatrics to honor SOM’s Dr. Mary Anne Jackson

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Jackson, Mary Anne
Mary Anne Jackson, M.D.

The American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Infectious Diseases Executive Committee has chosen to recognize UMKC School of Medicine Interim Dean Mary Anne Jackson, M.D., with the 2019 Award for Lifetime Contribution in Infectious Diseases Education.

The award recognizes her outstanding commitment to educating pediatricians in infectious diseases, her work as associate editor of the Red Book, the foremost source on pediatric infectious disease, and her efforts on a national level with groups such as the National Vaccine Advisory Committee.

Jackson is recognized locally, regionally and nationally as a master clinician and educator on the topic of pediatric infectious diseases. A pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Kansas City for 35 years, she is widely recognized for developing one of the nation’s leading and most robust infectious diseases programs. The division focuses on research to prevent antibiotic resistance, judicious use of antibiotics, and optimal use of vaccines.

She is also passionate about medical education including developing a fellowship program to train pediatric infectious diseases doctors. And she is active in research collaborations with foundations including the CDC and the NIH to investigate the impact of new vaccines. Among her many achievements while division director has been the description of a national outbreak of the polio-like virus called enterovirus D68.

A mentor to many residents, fellow trainees and others in pediatric fields, Jackson often guides others to access leadership roles in the fields of pediatric infectious diseases, child abuse and mistreatment, and general pediatrics.

She was appointed interim dean of the School of Medicine in June 2018, becoming the first graduate of the program to become dean and one of only 26 female medical school deans in the nation. In that role, she has begun a transformation of programs to enhance student and faculty engagement, worked to find solutions to ongoing issues, and has continued her commitment to pediatric infectious diseases at Children’s Mercy. She was also recently appointed the Special Advisor to the Chancellor on Health Affairs and will assist in the current search for a new dean.

The American Academy of Pediatrics honored Jackson with the lifetime achievement award on Oct. 28 during its national conference and exhibition in New Orleans.

SOM faculty, Children’s Mercy hospital spotlighted in TV documentary

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School of Medicine faculty and partner hospital Children’s Mercy Kansas City return to the spotlight on Jan. 27 and Jan. 30 for Season 3 of Inside Pediatrics.

The Emmy Award-winning documentary looks at world-class pediatric health care through the stories of patients and their families from the Kansas City area and beyond, and the professionals who take care of them. Actor Paul Rudd, a Kansas City area native, is narrator for the series that will air at 6 p.m. on Jan. 27 and at 7 p.m. on Jan. 30 on KMBC Channel 9.

These episodes feature brave families who have allowed cameras to follow them and capture their heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking moments.

View the Season 3 trailer at https://www.facebook.com/InsidePediatrics/videos/1844276945698313.

All of the episodes and additional bonus video are available on the web site at www.InsidePediatrics.com. Viewers can also visit www.facebook.com/InsidePediatrics for information and to share their thoughts and support.

Two students selected for Children’s Mercy neurology research award

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Shrushti Mehta, Andrew Williams

Shrushti Mehta and Andrew Williams, fourth-year students at the School of Medicine, have been selected to receive an award from the Children’s Mercy Hospital Philanthropy Fund to support research interests in neurology.

Recipients of the Neurology Research and Scholar Award work on research projects with Jennifer Bickel, M.D., and her research team in the Headache Research Group in the Division of Neurology at Children’s Mercy Kansas City. An associate professor of pediatrics, Bickel serves as director of the Comprehensive Headache Clinic at Children’s Mercy.

Students work closely with the research group to design, implement and present research findings in the area of pediatric headache assessment and management. They also attend the American Academy of Neurology annual conference where they can network with other professionals in the field, attend presentations and poster displays and other pertinent educational opportunities.

Research projects focus on headache treatment but also vary based on current studies being conducted at any given time within the group.

The research fellowship award is available to qualified fourth, fifth or sixth-year B.A./M.D. students or second, third or fourth-year M.D. students at the School of Medicine. Students must commit to at least 80 total research hours throughout a 12-month period. A medical school research elective with the Children’s Mercy Hospital Department of Neurology is highly encouraged.