Debbie School and Jackson Memorial Foundation Celebrate Grand Opening of Dream Playground
With singing, dancing and their profuse thanks, students, friends, faculty and other supporters of the Department of Pediatrics' Debbie School celebrated the grand opening this month of the dream playground students designed and school volunteers built at the Mailman Center for Child Development.
Unlikely Duo Collaborates on NIH Grant to Study Optic Nerve Stroke
The lunchtime musings of two graduate students from adjacent labs at the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute (ISCI) have led to the award of one of the Miller School's more unusual NIH grants – for a $2.11 million study on how to improve neuron survival and function after optic nerve stroke using research already conducted on the heart.
Researcher's Dual Studies Link Pediatric HIV Therapy to Premature Cardiovascular Disease
Tracie L. Miller, M.D., professor of pediatrics and director of the Division of Pediatric Clinical Research, published two major multicenter studies this month that found HIV-positive children exposed to antiretroviral drugs in utero or at birth are at higher risk for developing premature cardiovascular disease.
Research Shows BMI and Waist Size Signal Cardiovascular Risks in Preschoolers
A Miller School childhood obesity research team has published a landmark, population-based study showing that multiethnic children as young as 3 who have elevated body mass indexes and large waistlines are already at risk for cardiovascular disease and facing a potentially dire future.
International Neonatology Conference Highlights Critical Care of Pre-Term Infants
Leading experts in neonatology from 42 countries gathered at the Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach last month for the 35th Annual International Miami Neonatology Conference.
UM Researcher Wins 2011 Micah Batchelor Award to Study Childhood Obesity
Surrounded by family, colleagues, University leadership, and some of the Miller School of Medicine's top researchers, Sarah E. Messiah, Ph.D., M.P.H., received the prestigious 2011 Micah Batchelor Award for Excellence in Children's Health Research.
Miller School Physicians Recognized as Organ Donation Heroes
Two Miller School faculty, Michael Nares, M.D., assistant professor of clinical pediatrics, and Kristine O'Phelan, M.D., associate professor of clinical neurology, were honored at the Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency's 9th Annual Luminaire Gala this month for their dedication to making the "miracle of life" possible.
Mailman Center LEND Grant Renewed for Fifth Time
The Mailman Center for Child Development has been awarded a grant for $4.3 million over five years by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal Child Health Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Training Program.
UM's Daniel Armstrong Named Chair/President of American Cancer Society in Florida
Daniel Armstrong, Ph.D., has been elected the 2011-12 chairman of the board and president of the American Cancer Society, Florida Division. In this role, he will oversee the governance body for all American Cancer Society activities in Florida.
Miller School Divisions Win Grant to Develop Primary Care Faculty
Three Miller School primary care divisions have launched a bold and historic collaborative effort aimed at significantly advancing UHealth's scope of primary care in research, education and direct clinical care, and helping to relieve the shortage of physicians who work and conduct research in this field.
UM's October 10 Obesity Symposium Tackles Urgent Community Concern
When Jose Szapocznik, Ph.D., chair of epidemiology and public health and the executive dean for research & research training, met with community stakeholders about the health needs in South Florida, they cited the growing obesity epidemic as a top concern – for good reason.
Pediatric Oncologist Receives Hyundai Hope Grant
Hyundai Motor America and its Miami-Fort Lauderdale dealers have awarded Martin Andreansky, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics, a $100,000 Hyundai Hope grant to support an initiative to increase South Florida minority representation in bone marrow registries and cord blood banks.
Pediatric Mobile Clinic Receives Gift from Himan Brown Trust
Hundreds of mostly uninsured children who live in many of Miami-Dade County's most at-risk communities will continue to receive quality health care from a UHealth medical team thanks to a $650,000 gift.
Pediatric Oncologist Receives Hyundai Scholar Grant for Leukemia Research
Hyundai Motor America and its Miami-Fort Lauderdale dealers have awarded John Goldberg, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics, a $50,000 Hyundai Scholar grant to study the anti-leukemia properties of metformin, a commonly prescribed oral medication for diabetes, in combination with other drugs.
UM Pediatric Mobile Clinic Receives Miami Foundation Grant
The Pediatric Mobile Clinic at the Miller School's Department of Pediatrics has been awarded a $15,000 grant from The Miami Foundation. The grant will assist the mobile clinic in its mission of providing free pediatric care to uninsured and underinsured children in Miami-Dade County.
The Miller School Hosts National ASK Day to Avoid Gun Tragedies
In February 2007, 15-year-old Yamel Trigo became the kind of statistic that the June 21 observance of National ASK Day at the Miller School was designed to prevent. While Yamel snapped a photo of her cousin holding a rifle the girls mistakenly thought was unloaded, the cousin pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced Yamel's neck, consigning her to a wheelchair.
Three of the Molina Quints Head Home from UM/Jackson
One by one, in their baby carriers, three of the Molina quintuplets made their long-awaited debut before television cameras and newspaper photographers during a news conference with their Miller School of Medicine physicians at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Shortly after the June 21 event, the boys headed home with their mother and father, leaving one brother and one sister behind in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
UM Pediatrics' Debbie School Receives $35,000 Donation
The Department of Pediatrics' Debbie School at the Mailman Center for Child Development received a generous $35,000 donation to help put the finishing touches on the dream playground school volunteers built last summer with the Kaboom! organization.
Holtz Children's Hospital Ranks Among Nation's Best Children's Hospitals
Holtz Children's Hospital at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center is among the country's elite, according to U.S. News & World Report's Best Children's Hospitals rankings published online May 17. The rankings recognize the top 50 children's hospitals in 10 specialties.
Marc Buoniconti and Patricia Cantwell Win Health Care Heroes Awards
Marc Buoniconti, president of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, was recognized as the 2011 Individual of Merit at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Health Care Heroes Awards at Jungle Island on May 12. Dr. G. Patricia Cantwell won the Health Care Professional Award.
Pediatrics Celebrates Dedication of Newly Named NICU
Matteo Vicencio was a friend of Schatzi Kassal long before the neonatal intensive care unit at Holtz Children's Hospital was renamed in her hon. "We had known Schatzi, and some of the doctors who would later help save Matteo's life, long before we decided to start a family," says Matteo's mother Abby. "But our obstetrician practiced at a different hospital, so that's where we headed when I started having contractions."
Hunting for Hearing Conservation
The lush tropical paradise of Jungle Island in Miami served as host to swarms of eager egg-hunters during the annual Easter Eggstravaganza, supported in part by the UM Ear Institute and the Department of Pediatrics. The event on April 23 benefited the Children First Fund, and helped raise awareness and resources to support hearing and speech-language programs for children.
From Tykes to Teachers, UM Nutrition Initiatives Impress Site Visitors
The 3- and 4-year olds at Kids Kollege preschool in Miami Springs showed off their nutrition smarts to some special guests on April 20 – UM President Donna E. Shalala and two other former Cabinet secretaries – who watched the youngsters talk, sing and dance about the function of their hearts, kidneys, brains, bones, and yes, even their intestines.
UHealth Helps Overtown Teens Say "CHILL" to Violence
Committed to reducing violence among teenagers, the University and the Miller School participated in the first "CHILL With the Violence Life Maze and Concert" held in Miami's Overtown neighborhood last week. Presented by the Overtown Community Oversight Board Youth Committee, the full day of activities on March 6 featured workshops, presentations and exhibits by UHealth physicians and other health care professionals.
Miller School Raises Funds and Awareness for Autism
UHealth Pediatrics and the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics teamed up for Walk Now for Autism on Sunday, February 27, at JC Bermudez Park in Doral.
Debbie School Reunion Celebrates 40 Years of Success
More than 100 alumni, parents, supporters, current and former employees and community partners attended the Debbie School's first reunion last month, held in honor of the 50th birthday of Debra Jean Segal, the girl for whom the school at the Department of Pediatrics Mailman Center for Child Development was named.
UM Pediatric Researchers Publish Findings on Energy Drinks
Energy drinks may pose a risk for serious adverse health effects in some children, especially those with diabetes, seizures, cardiac abnormalities or mood and behavior disorders, according to new findings from pediatric researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
UM Pediatrics Selected for Research Consortium
The Department of Pediatrics at the Miller School has been selected as one of 11 organizations in a consortium that will suggest, design and participate in studies that will evaluate health care improvements in practice settings. The consortium is led by Ohio-based Battelle, an independent research and development organization, and is called the Battelle Women and Children's Healthcare Partnership.
Pediatric Mobile Clinic Wins Health Foundation Grant
The Pediatric Mobile Clinic in the Department of Pediatrics at the Miller School has been awarded a $60,000 grant from the Health Foundation of South Florida. The grant will be used to provide access to quality health care for Miami-Dade County children, from birth to age 21, who are either uninsured or underinsured – free of charge.
Innovative Technology Program to Help South Florida Military Families
A military deployment overseas is a tough enough assignment, but imagine your spouse being sent to a war zone and you are left alone to care for your family, including a child with a developmental disability.
Groundbreaking Held for Children's Cancer Clinic
Leaders and physicians from UHealth-University of Miami Health System have broken ground on the Alexander Daly Family Clinic for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders, the first pediatric oncology clinic at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.