Dr. William Slayton, Division Chief and Associate Chair of Hematology/Oncology has been working for years to reduce the pain of pediatric leukemia. First, as a researcher Dr. Slayton is working with a team to produce a drug that more accurately targets leukemia cells thus reducing the damage to non-cancerous cells. Second, Dr. Slayton has worked to  make his unit an efficient “one stop shop” so patients and their families have an easier time with screenings, treatments, and follow-up appointments. This two-fold approach to treating leukemia not only helps patients towards a quicker recovery but also family in more easily coping with the illness.

With respect to the University of Florida slogan, “The Gator Nation is Everywhere,” Dr. Desmond Schatz is perhaps a quintessential example of the truth of that notion. With family and educational roots in South Africa, training on the west coast of North America, and educational and research achievements originating in Gainesville and affecting those around the world, he is literally and experientially among the most cosmopolitan on campus and in the region.

“I have known Des Schatz since the early 1980s when he came from South Africa to do a pediatric residency at UF,” said Dr. Arlan Rosenbloom, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus. “As Division Chief of Pediatric Endocrinology, I was delighted when this star resident decided to do a fellowship in our division. His acquisition of knowledge and skills has always been phenomenal and he went on to acquire clinical, laboratory, and clinical research experience of the highest quality by identifying mentors within and outside of the division who eagerly welcomed this enthusiastic and genial scholar clinician. To no one’s surprise, he has achieved international fame and support for his leadership in type 1 diabetes clinical research,” he said.

Dr. Schatz earned his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees at The University of Witwatersrand Medical School in 1979. He completed an externship in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California at San Francisco in 1978, and Interned at Johannesburg Hospital in 1980 in both Internal Medicine and Surgery. He was a Medical Officer in the Department of Pediatrics in the 1 Military Hospital of Pretoria, South Africa, before coming to the University of Florida in 1983 to begin his residency.

In 1986 he began his pediatric endocrinology fellowship at UF, and in the years since has served as Instructor, Assistant Professor, and Associate Professor for pediatric endocrinology. He began as Medical Director for the Diabetes Center at UF in 1997 before accepting an additional role in 2001 as Associate Director of the Clinical Research Center. Since 2002 he has served as Associate Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, and according to the UF Diabetes Center for Excellence website has more than 180 publications to his name. He has led, with colleagues, university-based, industry-sponsored, and NIH-funded projects totaling more than $27 million since 1988.

“Des is a world-class researcher in the field of pediatric diabetes,” said Dr. Nackashi, Chief of the Division of General Pediatrics. “He’s best defined through research, even though he really likes clinical service and education. From the day he arrived as a resident, you could tell he was not only intelligent but he was a cut above everyone else in his knowledge base, use of new ideas, and patient care. As a researcher he’s a real humanitarian and he’s also very humble about his success.”

In addition to his work in South Africa, California, and Florida, Dr. Schatz has pursued scholarly opportunities in nearly every corner of the world, including Finland, Denmark, Portugal, Australia, Canada, and Japan. “Dr. Schatz is one of the most renowned faculty in the department,” said Dr. Richard Bucciarelli, Nemours Eminent Scholar and Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics. “His work is well known nationally and internationally. His reputation brings great recognition to this Department and to the College of Medicine.”

In addition to Dr. Schatz’s intellectual repertoire, he is able to inspire others with communicative, interpersonal, and leadership initiatives. “His ability to collaborate, mentor students and fellows, and be a stimulating teacher at all levels is outstanding,” said Dr. Rosenbloom. “The goal of a medical educator is to assist in the development of the next generation of academicians who should surpass the mentor’s own accomplishments. Des Schatz is in the forefront of the people who have given me that satisfaction.”

The program was developed collaboratively between the College of Medicine and the College of Education and is hosted by the College of Education.  Students in the certificate program include both those in the health sciences and those in the field of education.

The online program consists of a maximum of  four courses (12 semester hours) of graduate-level credit. The certificate is designed to respond to an increased number of children and youth with special health care needs, or CYSHCN, and invisible chronic illness, or ICI, highlighting the importance of collaboration between healthcare transition and education transition. The latter is a process of  which many healthcare providers are unaware, which prepares students for work, secondary education and adult living.

The certificate program will begin on June 10.

Coursework provides background information on healthcare and education transition prior to discussing the relationship of the two disciplines, and topics address a variety of methods for collaboration between the two fields. The courses in the certificate program include in-depth group discussions, readings, journal writing, group activities and summary projects. Each course is taught by education and health care professionals, and are intended to be taken in a sequence, but can be taken independently. The first three courses are prerequisites for the seminar course, and all four courses must be completed to earn the EdHCT Certificate.

Please click HERE to read about the admission process, program cost, course planner and individual course descriptions.

By: Cindy Capen M.S.N., R.N. and Leslie Hendeles Pharm.D.

Why do we need to be aware of asthma?

It is common, costly and usually controllable without need for emergency care and yet, in 2009, there were 42,238 emergency department visits and 7,646 hospitalizations with asthma listed as the primary diagnosis among Florida children below the age of 18. The total combined charges for these visits amount to nearly $222 million (Florida Asthma Prevention and Control Program: Childhood Asthma in Florida 2006-2010).   Shands at the University of Florida treated and released 445 children under the age of 18 in the emergency room between March 2010 and February 2011.  Additionally, 198 pediatric patients and were admitted, 47 of which, to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Asthma isn’t just costly in health care dollars, it is a wider community health problem.  Poorly managed asthma can impact school attendance and educational success for children, which consequently effects employment attendance and stability for parents, leading to a ripple effect on employers.

In 1989, the first Expert Panel Report of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program, coordinated by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute raised awareness about asthma as a major public health problem and provided clinical practice guidelines.  This report has been updated twice, and in 2012 it was condensed into an Asthma Care Quick Reference. It is the standard for asthma identification and management in the United States and has been taught to generations of pediatric residents at the UF.

UF&Shands provides optimal asthma management through convenient access to pediatric pulmonary specialists and physicians, as well as an interdisciplinary team approach to outpatient asthma education and a coordinated community response program for the most severe asthmatics.

Intensive provider training is also offered to healthcare professionals and students. The UF Pediatric Pulmonary Center Training Program is a Health Resources and Services Administration-funded interdisciplinary leadership program that prepares trainees for clinical care, patient education, family partnership and advocacy/policy change related to pediatric asthma. As part of the program’s mandate, faculty and trainees have also conducted more than 400 presentations in the past five years, and have also developed several online continuing education modules on asthma.

The most recent internal advancement is the Pediatric Asthma Center of Excellence, or PACE, which aims to further improve outcomes for the children we serve.  PACE combines the expertise of pediatric pulmonologists, clinical pharmacists, hospitalists, respiratory care staff and the emergency room to improve coordination for patients.

Its goals include:

• Decreasing hospitalization of children seen in the emergency room
• Decreasing hospital stay durations for children who require admission
• Referring children with chronic asthma to the pediatric pulmonary clinic for education and care management
• Improving education in the administration and use of maintenance medications in the emergency room and inpatient setting
• Increasing the availability of Certified Asthma Educators in the hospital and emergency room

The Florida Asthma Prevention and Control Program, which is funded by the CDC, facilitates the Florida Asthma Coalition and is working specifically to increase the number of childcare centers, schools and hospitals that implement asthma management programs.  Its Asthma Friendly Schools and Childcare Centers program offers education and other support services to schools and childcare centers that strive to achieve recognition for their efforts on improving environmentally and through personnel training.  UF faculty members have been actively involved in this effort at both the community and state levels, serving on program and guideline development committees and as mentors for area program development.

To learn more about asthma, please click here and visit the PACE website here.

UF Research Foundation:

Arun Srivastava, Ph.D., was chosen as a University of Florida Research Foundation Professor for 2013. The University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc. promotes, encourages and provides assistance to the research activities of university faculty, staff and students. The organization provides a means by which research can be conducted flexibly and efficiently and by which discoveries, inventions, processes and work products of University of Florida faculty, staff and students can be transferred from the laboratory to the public. Funds generated by licensing such discoveries are used to enhance research at the University of Florida.

David A. Paulus Award for Clinical Excellence:

Nicole Black, M.D., received the new David A. Paulus Award for Clinical Excellence in its inaugural year, along with Michael Waters, M.D., Ph.D. The Paulus Award will be given annually to a member of the faculty of the College of Medicine who best demonstrates the ideals of clinical excellence manifested by Dr. David Paulus’ legacy of making a difference for patient care.  His high standards included an unfailing moral compass, engagement at every level of patient care and championing teamwork. Dr. Paulus lived and taught these ideals throughout his career.

Hyundai Hope on Wheels Grant:

Lamis Eldjerou, M.D., won a Hyundai Hope on Wheels grant. This year the organization will award at least 40 Hope Grants of $250,000 each for a total of $10 million in support. The grants, which will fund childhood research projects designed to improve the treatment and quality of life for children with cancer, will be distributed at Hope On Wheels Handprint Ceremony during the month of September.

Bayer Hemophilia Awards Program

David Markusic, Ph.D., received an award from The Bayer Hemophilia Awards Program, which supports basic and clinical research and education in hemophilia. The program seeks to support steps for the next generation of care and treatment options for people with hemophilia worldwide.

Children’s Miracle Network

Grants:

CMN Awards were given to support pilot studies, provide bridge funding for research studies and to support the discovery effort by our faculty.

Discovery Funding

• Erik Black, Ph.D.
• Thianchai Bunnalai, M.D.
• Alexandra Milloff Butler, M.D.
• Carolyn Carter, M.D.
• Satyanarayan Hegde, M.B.B.S., M.D., M.R.C.P.C.H.
  
• Bahareh Keith, D.O.
• Maria Kelly, M.D.
• John Nackashi, M.D., Ph.D.
• Krestin Jo Radonovich, Ph.D.
• Sarah Ritchie, M.D.
• Stephanie Ryan, M.D.
• Sukesh Sukumaran, M.D.
• Sharda Udassi, M.D.
• Vini Vijayan, M.D.
• Deborah Weyer, M.D.
• Charles Williams, M.D.
• Molly Posa, M.D.
• Mori Stern, M.D.

Pilot or Research Grant  Funding

• Georgiy Aslanidi, Ph.D.
• Daniel Driscoll, M.D., Ph.D.
• Debra Esernio-Jenssen, M.D.
• Jacqueline Hobbs, M.D.
• Brad Hoffman, Ph.D.
• Chen Ling, Ph.D.
• David Markusic, Ph.D.
• Seh-Hoon Oh, Ph.D.
• Liya Pi, Ph.D.
• Jennifer Miller, M.D.
• Arun Srivastava, Ph.D.
• Sergei Zolotukhin, Ph.D.

Scholars – A New Award: 

This year also marks the inauguration of CMN Scholar Awards to individuals who have demonstrated academic excellence and research productivity, and have made seminal contributions to the field of biomedical research.

Roland Herzog, Ph.D. and Arun Srivastava, Ph.D. we recognized as our first CMN Scholars! They are internationally recognized scientists and each has been the recipient of a long-standing NIH award.

They both have also been on the leading edge of research that is already benefiting the lives of children.

As CMN Scholars, Drs. Herzog and Srivastava will receive CMN support to enhance their  research programs.