musc catalyst

August 10, 2012 MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA Vol. 30, No. 50

READ THE CATALYST ONLINE - http://www.musc.edu/catalyst

42 Lifetime Achievement AwArdreducing infections

Honor reveals Dr. Charles DarbyJr.’s passion for children.

3

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5Pediatric Intensive Care Unit staff arecommitted to preventing infections.

Applause Program

Meet Brandon

Year in Review

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READ THE CATALYST ONLINE - http://www.musc.edu/catalyst

4 scrub cLubbirthdAy wishes

Pediatric patients and their familiescan tour the preoperative area.

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5Officials explore how the MUSC Children’sHospital has grown and where it’s heading.

Raising awareness

Meet Melissa

Classified ads

musc chiLdren’s hospitAL

25thBIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

SEE THE CELEBRATION vIDEO

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RuCkER’S SONg, “THIS.”STORY, pAgE 8

by the numbers

1,432,622milliliters of human milk

given to prematureinfants in the NICU

every year

66,138 Babies born at MUSC inthe past 25 years.

60percent of the state’s newpediatric cancer patients

treated here.

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atrium, along with15pounds of glitter, 100pounds of sand, 2,500boxes of crayons, 15

pounds of rhinestonesand 5,000 sheets ofconstruction paper3

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3,888spent in a yearby volunteers

willing to knithomemade

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From left, Caleb Pack, 4, Jeremy Lane, 7 and Fallyn Hendrix, 5, scoop somefrosting off a cake celebrating the Children’s Hospital’s 25th birthday.

200percent

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blood andmarrow

transplantprogram in

the past fouryears in the

state, placingit in the

top third ofcenters in the

nation.

of Pediatric Cardiology andHeart Surgery program by U.S.News & World Report (2012)

15 R A N K I N G FIRST AND ONLY STATE-DESIgNATED LEvEL 1

pEDIATRIC TRAumA CENTER

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2 THE CATALYST, August 10, 2012

BY CINDY ABOLE

Public Relations

Pediatric research flourishes through collaboration

The Catalyst is published once a week.Paid adver tisements, which do notrepresent an endorsement by MUSCor the State of South Carolina, arehandled by Island Publications Inc. ,Moultrie News, 134 Columbus St. ,Charleston, S.C., 843-849-1778 or843-958-7490. E-mail: [email protected].

Editorial of ficeMUSC Office of Public Relations135 Cannon Street, Suite 403C,Charleston, SC 29425.843-792-4107Fax: 843-792-6723

Editor: Kim [email protected]

Catalyst staff:Cindy Abole, [email protected] Brazell, [email protected]

Seven years ago when the doorsopened at the Charles P. DarbyChildren’s Research Institute, theMUSC community celebrated thescience and medical knowledge gainedthrough the Department of Pediatrics.They also were anxious for newtranslational research discoveries and thepotential for preventing and improvingchildhood diseases.

When Lowcountry pediatrician andthen Department of Pediatrics chairmanCharles P. Darby Jr., M.D., founded theChildren’s Hospital in 1987, he shared avision to improve children’s health carein South Carolina. An important part ofthis vision included a plan to enhanceresearch and discovery. To do this, Darbyand Children’s Hospital leadershipfocused on recruiting talented physicians,scientists and health care professionalswho could work collaboratively underone facility.

Before the institute existed, pediatricresearch was more dispersed betweenChildren’s Hospital pediatric programsand basic science departmentsthroughout the university. Researchwas conducted in pediatric cardiology,endrocrinology, hematology/oncologyand neonatology-perinatology anddevelopmental pediatrics.

Darby’s vision still resonates withinthe institute and across campus. Today,more than 150 investigators and staff

work in high tech laboratory modulesand research programs within SouthCarolina’s largest, most comprehensivepediatric research facility. Investigatorshave received National Institutes ofHealth (NIH) translational fundingfor basic and translational research inareas including cancer, blood disorders,congenital heart disease, multiplesclerosis, AIDS and immunologicaldiseases, genetic disorders, diabetes,pulmonary disease, learning disabilitiesand more.

The institute’s scientific director andpediatric developmental neurogeneticsdirector Inderjit Singh, Ph.D., is proudof the progress made by Children’sHospital clinicians and scientists inbridging the translational gap on campusand collaboration across the state.

“We’ve been successful in takingbasic science activities into translationalscience and conductingclinical research. Our goalis to provide institutionalsupport for faculty-initiatedresearch, facilitate moreinteractions between basicand clinical scientistsand build a supportiveinfrastructure for guidingclinical translational research projectstoward preclinical and humantranslational research trials.”

According to Singh, pediatric researchcollaborations on campus continueto flourish. Discoveries from researchon childhood diseases have already

progressed to clinical trials and beyond.Some research studies are on track forfurther development in the productionof new FDA-approved drugs, therapiesand clinical interventions.

In 2011, Robert Gourdie, Ph.D., aprofessor in cell biology and regenerativemedicine, successfully received twopatents for the development andcommercialization of a wound-healing,scar-reducing peptide gel.

Gourdie’s team developed this productfrom studying electronic signalingwithin heart muscles. They found thatthe peptide gel decreased scar tissueand healed wounds faster in laboratoryanimals. Their work led to Gourdie’scollaboration with First String, abiotech developer. The spin-off biotechcompany supports regenerative medicinetechnology. The gel has further uses forspinal cord injury patients and maculardegeneration.

Translational scientist Bruce Hollis,Ph.D., and neonatologist Carol Wagner,M.D., have made great progress in theirstudies with vitamin D in human milkand pregnancy.

In the last decade, Hollis and Wagnerhave discovered how the body producesvitamin D when it is exposed to sunlightdeficiency and how it affects the body’scell function and immunity. Theyconducted two NIH-supported pilotstudies as well as large-scale studies,incorporating 700 subjects each, andgave randomized vitamin D supplementsto pregnant and lactating women.They concluded that women, especiallyduring pregnancy, should take 4,000 IUs

(international units) of vitamin D dailyto improve pregnancy outcomes.

Singh’s study of adrenoleukodystrophyled to the discovery of statin drugsfor patients with multiple sclerosis. Inother research, Singh, also workingwith neonatologist Doe Jenkins, M.D.,studied the effects of N-acetyl cysteineand its protective properties in thedeveloping brain of unborn babies.In clinical trials, Jenkins administeredmedicine to mothers with fevers prior tobirth. Their breakthrough work providedpreventative treatment for cerebral palsy.

In addition, researchers and cliniciansalso support scientific and analyticalwork with MUSC’s Proteomics andLipidomic centers.

Looking ahead, Singh hopes tocontinue the team’s research focus onpediatric cancers, childhood obesity,nutrition, inflammation and geneticdisorders.

According to Singh, with the growingprevalence of Alzheimer’s disease andstroke in adults, he would like to seemore scientists focus on understandingthe factors that cause these diseases inearly development.

Singh, Department of PediatricsChairman Rita Ryan, M.D., andChildren’s Hospital leadership are inthe process of recruiting the institute’snext executive director. Pediatric leaderswill continue to make strategic newrecruitments of translational scientists.Plans are being developed to enhancefellowship training and educationalprograms to boost research productivityacross all disciplines.

The Children’sHospital has beeninvolved in manytranslationalresearchdiscoveriesincludingthe study ofneuroprotectiveagents in thebrains of pretermbabies.

Singh

THE CATALYST, August 10, 2012 3

Some say Joey Benton is the posterchild for MUSC’s Children’s

Hospital.That’s because his face has graced

hospital walls and roadside billboards tosell Children’s Hospital license plates.The hospital gets $42 of the $50 cost ofeach plate sold, raising funds distributedthrough the MUSC Volunteer AdvisoryCommittee. Joey, who recently went toWashington, D.C., to represent MUSC’s

BY CAROLINE ALTmAN

Public Relations

Patient with CF wants children’s health care improved

Joey “Peanut” Benton shared theimportance of children’s health carewith Nancy Pelosi, former speakerof the House of Representatives,and Pat Votava, MUSC Children’sHospital director of governmentrelations and grants.

Joey Benton has promoted the license plates since he was 5 years old,and continues to promote children’s health care on local and nationallevels. To download the application, visit http://www.scdmvonline.com/DMVNew/forms.aspx under MV-95.

Children’s Hospital, continues to workto improve children’s health care.

Joey, nicknamed “Peanut,” is a 9-year-old soccer player with cystic fibrosis (CF).He enjoys playing with his friends andcomputer games. His favorite book is“Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” and he is a fanof the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

After being born at a normal birthweight, Peanut never grew. At 6-weeks-old, he was diagnosed with CF. Fromthat point on, his parents knew theywere going to support CF research. Hismother, Caroline Benton, said, “We’vealways known that we had to do our partfor Joey’s future.”

Since then, Peanut has helped otherchildren with illnesses. At 5 yearsold, he became the face of the licenseplate fundraiser. During visits to theChildren’s Hospital his father, alsonamed Joey Benton, said it was comicalrevisiting Peanut’s photograph as hisson became almost unrecognizable afterlosing his Eddie Munster haircut andgrowing for four years.

Several doctors and nurses stillrecognize Peanut as the license platecover boy when he visits the hospital.To Benton, being a celebrity in thehospital was a gift to his son, a childwho has gone through so much. “It wasneat driving down I-26 and seeing himsmiling back at us.”

During Peanut’s recent visit toWashington, he shared the importanceof children’s health care withcongressional delegates of the Senateand House. Benton said Peanut had thechance of a lifetime when he got a rarehonor to be on the speaker’s balcony and

share the importance of health care forchildren nationwide.

Caroline Benton said, “The average

life expectancy when Joey was born was32. Now it’s 38, and I believe we’re veryclose to that number skyrocketing.”


chAnging whAt’s possibLe

Twenty-seven years ago, John Sanders would go tothe top of Rutledge Tower, back in the day when

it was St. Francis Hospital, to take pictures of the newMUSC Children’s Hospital.

Sanders remembers being excited seeing MarieOsmond come for the opening. It’s an excitement hestill feels as MUSC Children’s Hospital celebrates its25th birthday this week.

“Over the years, programs we have developedhave become leaders in the industry. The staff andphysicians here are incredible and are so dedicated to

the children. We havealso seen the patientsatisfaction by ourfamilies increase overthe years to be oneof the leaders in thenation.”

Sanders, who leftMUSC to work in

Cincinnati and Delaware, returned nine years ago as theadministrator of the Children’s Hospital. Looking back,he’s amazed how the hospital has grown. An importantchange occurred when the Children’s EmergencyDepartment became a separate entity.

“That changed the dynamics of the hospital. At onepoint 10 percent of our admissions came from theEmergency Department and now more than 35 percentcome from there. We are also reaching out to thecommunity to provide services at our After Hours CareProgram,” he said of the clinic that opened in NorthCharleston in July and the East Cooper site openingthis fall.

When the Children’s Hospital was completed in1987, it focused primarily on children with very difficultillnesses or injuries. It still offers expertise service, butits reputation has grown to encompass a comprehensivelevel of pediatric care.

“Today, the MUSC Children’s Hospital is trulythe community’s Children’s Hospital. We have goodcollaboration with other facilities who now recognizethat we are able to provide a unique service specific tokids.”

This is an important birthday milestone. The MUSCChildren’s Hospital has ranked very well against someof the most famous facilities over the years throughChild Magazine, Parent Magazine and U.S. News &World Report, he said.

“In some ways 25 years is not that long, but if youlook at how the hospital has grown and how it isviewed nationally, it is amazing. Over the years we have

recruited some of the most talented physicians and staffin the world. We have programs that provide the mostprogressive models of care. We have outcomes that aresimply excellent.”

That reputation has and is attracting quality faculty,a factor pleasing to Rita M. Ryan, M.D., chair of theDepartment of Pediatrics. It makes her job of recruitingand reaching out to the community much easier.

“We want the community to understand howimportant it is for surgical procedures on children tobe performed at the Children’s Hospital. It is not onlythe pediatric surgical subspecialist who is here, it is

also pediatric anesthesiologists, pediatric radiologists,pediatric respiratory therapists, pediatric nurses,pediatric pharmacists, pediatric nutritionists, and ofcourse, our child life specialists, who are there forour patients on all floors, including in the pediatricemergency room, to help.”

Given the impressive roster of new faculty coming onboard, the quality of services at the Children’s Hospitalwill just continue to get better, she said. The followingare a few of the new additions.q A new pulmonologist, Maria Riva, M.D., joins

the staff in January 2013, specializing in pediatricsleep medicine, an area of dire need for children withdisabilities who often suffer from sleep problemsand for children with craniofascial issues and airwayabnormalities.q Genetic services are being expanded with the

recruitment of two new faculty members in an areathat will see rapid growth. “I think applied genomicsis going to be big in the future. We’ve been waiting forthe ‘big win’ for discovering a gene for a specific diseaseand those things are happening, but the biggest winsrecently have been in how one person responds to aspecific drug versus another,” Ryan said.q MUSC is opening a new Pediatric Therapeutic

Endoscopy Unit, bringing the latest in treatmentoptions. She describes the new division chief ofpediatric gastroenterology, Jose Antonio Quiros

Children’s Hospital marks its 25th birthdayBY DAwN BRAzELL

Public Relations

See Birthday on page 12

Ella Nora Evans, born June 30 at 28 weeks, weighed just 2 pounds, 9 ounces.

Dr. Rita M. Ryan checks on newborn, Ella NoraEvans, in the fifth floor special care nursery.


Meet Melissa

Melissa KubuDepartmentChildren’s Hospital Volunteer & GuestServicesHow long at MUSC3 monthsHow are you changing what’s possibleat MUSCBecause I am passionate about what Ido, I can offer the best service possible toMUSC’s volunteers, patients and families.After all, they are why we are here.FamilyMy husband, James, and children, Jamison,3, and Olivia (born Aug. 6)Dream jobI’m doing it. I have always said that ifI could volunteer the rest of my life, Iwould. The next best thing is working withvolunteers.Amust-have in the fridgeIce cream and cheeseLast book readHardwiring Excellence: The Studer Group.The book should be required by all newemployees coming into health care.


Scrub ClubTour takes children behind-the-scenes to lessen fears

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2. 3.

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Everyone agrees. Monkey is a terrible name for the toyanimal, especially one with the misfortune of having

an IV permanently attached to his wrist.Jennifer Redfern, senior child life specialist with

MUSC’s Children’s Hospital, turns to 9-year-oldElizabeth Brown who’s here on a Scrub Club visit atMUSC. The club is open to all pediatric patients andtheir families who are interested in a preoperative tour.

“What should we call him then?”Elizabeth cocks her head to the side, ponders the

monkey’s face, and declares, “Tommy.”Redfern nods. “The monkey’s name will be Tommy.”In front of Tommy is a case stocked with lip balms in

a rainbow of colors. Redfern tells Elizabeth to pick herfavorite flavor. Taking the winning strawberry flavor,Redfern rubs the balm in the mask, explaining this will goover Elizabeth’s face when she has surgery, and it will helpit to smell better than the plastic.

Elizabeth rubs it into the mask and takes a sniff andsmiles, agreeing that it smells much better now.

As a child life specialist, Redfern knows this is a criticalpart of preparing Elizabeth for her procedure. “It gives achoice. We don’t get a lot of choices in the hospital so itgives them more control.”

BY DAwN BRAzELL

Public Relations

See Club on page 7

The first part of the Scrub Club tour allows patients to visit the preoperative area. Above, Ellisand Elizabeth Brown check out various items Elizabeth might see when she comes in for hersurgery. Senior child life specialist Jennifer Redfern, along with Tommy the monkey, helpanswer questions they have. Watch a Scrub Club video at http://bit.ly/MUSC_Scrub_Club.

Ellis and Elizabeth Browncolor and name their medicaldolls. Right, they check outthe toy cabinet. Redfern likesto give children an idea of thefun activities available whilein the hospital.

Redfern pulls up photos on her phone of Elizabeth and her mother,Julia Brown, in their scrub attire. A game of I Spy in the OR helpsElizabeth feel more comfortable in the room and allowed Redfern toanswer questions about the operating room.

The Catalyst, August 10, 2012 7

5.

6.

The two continue the discussion of what her surgerywill entail as Elizabeth and her younger brother Ellis gethospital fabric dolls to decorate. Elizabeth decides she’lltake it with her on the rest of her tour.

Elizabeth and her mother, Julia, suit up in scrub gearto visit the operating room, where Redfern answersquestions about what the various instruments andequipment are used for, and then it’s time for surgery“I Spy.” They all take turns finding items, with anxietydraining from Elizabeth with each round of play.

Then it’s time to visit the waiting room where Juliaand family will be waiting to hear how Elizabeth’ssurgery is going. Redfern explains the procedures boardand gets popsicles for the children. As Elizabeth eatsher treat, Redfern shows her faces that indicate variouslevels of pain. Elizabeth will be asked her pain levelsafter surgery and this will help her understand theprocess before she undergoes surgery.

Her mother looks over the room, adjusting that thisis where she’ll have to wait for news of her daughter’ssurgery. “This has been good. It takes care of some ofthe unknown,” she said of the tour.

Final stops on the tour include going to a hospitalroom and checking over the menu, where Elizabethpicks out some of her favorite food options, and thengoing to a giant children’s play space called the ChildLife Atrium. Elizabeth and Ellis immediately run to theair hockey table and begin checking out other toys.

Redfern, who has been a child life specialist for 11years, said she loves her job. “There’s nothing betterthan making a small difference in the life of a child. Wetake care of the emotional needs of kids. Our goal is tomake that experience a positive one.”

That means offering developmentally-appropriateinformation for children and play activities that canhelp them process what’s happening in their lives.It also means figuring out and defusing their fears.Some parents say nothing about an upcoming or

ongoing medical procedure, but that can magnify fears.“Nothing is scarier than the imagination of a child. Achild can create a very scary story.”

Redfern, who is one of 11 child life specialists atMUSC, sees daily how the power of preparation andplay helps children to heal. Research shows it speedsrecovery and gives them a positive association with themedical center where they’ll receive their care. “Onebad experience can change forever the trust a child hasin the medical staff.”

Often she sees children who are overwhelmed by themedical environment and the unknown. They have sofew choices and control in their life. That’s where shecan make a big impact. She gives children choices everychance she gets and focuses on putting the focus backon play, even though they have to be in the hospital.

“There’s nothing better than knowing we’ve made adifference in how they see the medical staff in general,”she said. “It’s really about empowering them. It’shelping the family empower themselves.”

CLuB Continued from Page Six

After seeing the operating area, Ellis and ElizabethBrown go to the waiting room, where their parentswill wait during her procedure. Redfern explains apain chart to Elizabeth. Below, the family checks out ahospital room and picks out their favorite menu items.

Redfern uses medical playto help children be morecomfortable in the hospital.Below, Tommy the monkeywith an IV.

Julia Brown asksJennifer Redfern herremaining questionsabout her daughter’ssurgery as her childrenplay in the Child LifeAtrium.


2011 y i rBY DAwN BRAzELL

Public Relations

Lights, camera, action: Birthday video a hitIt takes a village to raise a child.It also takes a village to treat them.That’s what the MUSC Children’s

Hospital’s latest video, celebrating its25th birthday this week, shows. Froma helicopter landing with its dedicatedpediatric flight team of specialists tonurses caring for tiny, premature babiesstruggling to get a purchase on life,this video features almost 100 people,including doctors, nurses, staff andpatients, who all have their own slice ofthe story to tell.

Featuring music star Darius Rucker’ssong, “This,” the video was releasedat 11 a.m. Aug. 9. Meredith Strehle,manager of business developmentfor the Children’s Hospital and heradministrative intern Janna Conecoordinated the special events and videofilming.

There was a celebration at 10 a.m.Aug. 9 in the Child Life Atrium. DebOliver, a licensed practical nurse in theRutledge Tower Pediatric Clinic whohas been at MUSC for 35 years, sangan a cappella birthday song followedby addresses from administrators andfrom U.S. Rep. Tim Scott. There werebirthday cupcakes donated by Bi-Lo, anda special birthday banner is currently ondisplay on the President Street garage.

There also was a Hollywood red carpettheme for the event. Children’s Hospitalunits and clinics competed to design thetop stars to adorn the carpet, with theChildren’s Neurology Clinic taking topprize. The clinic will receive a birthdayparty.

Strehle said the events and thevideo capture the fun, caring spirit ofemployees that makes the Children’sHospital so special. She found Rucker’ssong, “This,” and as she listened to thewords thought it captured the way someof the families and patients may feel.

“Life takes turns sometimes that youdon’t expect, but it leads people here tothe Children’s Hospital where we canmake a positive impact on their lives.”

See Video on page 10

The video includes footage ofMUSC’s pediatric flight teamsimulating a patient transport.Above, Mark Daniell, pediatricflight nurse, rolls an isolette, whichcreates a mini ICU for babies. “Nomatter how good the surgeon is,”said Daniell, “until the patient getshere, they can’t be helped.”

Daniel Spillane and James Monk (sitting) film a helicopter once landed.MUSC has a dedicated pediatric transport team.

The video is based on singer Darius Rucker’s song,“This.” To see the video, scan the QR code rightor visit http://tagr.com/t/V3wR6 (It went live at 11a.m. Aug. 9.)


Josh and Ashley Bradley watch as their daughter, Kirby, born April 10, gets stronger. Born with aheart condition, their daughter has not been able to leave the hospital yet to return to her home inSpartanburg.

The Loyd family good-naturedly walks down a hallway inthe Children’s Hospital numerous times for the video filmingby Daniel Spillane (far left) and James Monk. The familyfrom left, is Gracie, Don, Annie and Kelly.

Nurse Kathy Kurowski shows off part of one of her costumes that “The PerfectDivas” use. Nurses on her unit, 7 East, decorate IV poles and use music and dance tocheer up patients. They enjoyed helping with the video.

Drs. Olivia Titus and Chris Streck put on theirangel wings to enter the Bradleys’ room as partof the video.


The video also is a way to dosomething that is all about the childrenand to use the talents of local residentRucker, who is a strong supporter of thehospital.

“We wanted the video to be about thekids, families, faculty and staff and tohighlight everything they do and havedone to bring us to the 25th birthdaycelebration. Our hope is the video willgo viral, and share the story and greathappenings here with the world. Wehope this video will be shared by theChildren Hospital’s staff and physiciansand others as a way of being proud of thelast 25 years and as a wish for the next 25years,” Strehle said.

The video took two months ofplanning with videographers, DanielSpillane of Business Development andMarketing Services, and James Monk,doing three days of filming. It also tookcooperation from staff and patients.

“It is fun to see staff and physicianscut loose and have fun filming,” saidStrehle. “It shows their dedication to theChildren’s Hospital and doing anythingfor the kids. It takes a special personalityand spirit to specialize and work withchildren. I think this video displays thatspirit.”

Kathy Kurowski, R.N., and other

nurses on 7 East, were happy toparticipate, bringing out their decoratedIV poles that they take into patients’rooms on occasion to do a song anddance. “The Perfect Divas,” as they areknown, enjoy dressing up and dancingto entertain patients. The group is sogood, they do their performances totallyimprov. The acts vary from Christmas in

July to a kitty cat theme, complete with a‘Kitty Litter’ cake.

“When patients have been here awhile,we go in and sing to cheer them up. It’steam building, and it helps everybodyhave a good time.”

The video gave them a chance to showoff that spirit. It also lets patients get intothe act.

Ashley and Josh Bradley ofSpartanburg, said they were glad toparticipate. Their daughter, Kirby, wasborn at 39 weeks with a heart condition,atrioventricular septal defect complete,that required her to remain in thehospital for several months for a series ofprocedures.

Josh good-naturedly shrugs. Theyfound out after his wife’s first ultrasoundthat their daughter would need surgeryand had prepared for the long hospitalstay. “It is what it is. You just deal with it.It’s been amazing to see how tough sheis. She’s a fighter.”

They look forward to when they canbring their daughter home, but for nowthe Children’s Hospital is home.

“It doesn’t bother us to be in thespotlight a bit,” he said, his wife addingthat it’s a way to let others know whatMUSC’s Children’s Hospital has tooffer.

Don and Kelly Loyd agree. Theybrought in their twin girls, Annie and

Gracie, 4, for filming and to visit staffwho they got to know so well whentheir twins arrived pre-term at 28 weeks.Gracie weighed 3 pounds, and Annie, 2pounds 12 ounces.

“Gracie was in pretty bad shape,”Kelly said. “She was intubated at birth.Annie needed a little help. She was a tall,skinny thing. They called her a spitfire.”

It would be 77 days before Gracie waswell enough to go home. It was a longhaul, said Kelly, who now serves on theFamily Advisory Council. She said sherealizes what a treasure the Children’sHospital is, and she enjoys being activeon the council. Their stay gave her aninsider’s view of the Children’s Hospital,and she knows the care they receivedis part of the miracle of her daughtersbeing alive and doing so well.

“It was luck, and it was the top tobottom care and caring that we receivedfrom everyone. It wasn’t just the doctorsand nurses, but also the pharmacists,respiratory therapists and many others aswell as the strong will of these two littlegirls. We’re excited to do anything wecan to help MUSC.”

Kelly said parents don’t realize thespecialized services the Children’sHospital has until they have to use it.“Any way we can put a face to what’shere, we want to do it. We know howlucky we are to have it in our backyard.”

vIDEO Continued from Page Eight

The Children’s Hospital’sNeurology Clinic won the starcontest with this design that sportsa battery-powered light feature.

Patient Skylar Byars, 6, designed this poster above to be used in thevideo. At right are nurses who put together a choreography for the song’schorus.


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Giron, M.D., as a dynamo. The doctor, who comesfrom San Francisco, Calif., brings with him a highly-skilled endoscopy expertise and he has plans to host agastrointestinal conference here, that he’s been runningfor the past five years.q Amy-Lee Bredlau, M.D., just joined the staff in

hematology oncology. She specializes in pediatric braintumors and will be working closely with Steven Glazier,M.D., running a pediatric brain tumor clinic.q Pediatric nephrologist – Katherine Twombley,

M.D., who specializes in pediatric kidney transplants,just joined MUSC.q David Bundy, patient quality and safety officer for

pediatrics, just started. “He’ll be a game changer. We’revery committed to patient safety and quality outcomes.It’s very important. We want to be the best. We wantto have the safest children’s hospital in South Carolina.That’s how this guy thinks. He’s a broad thinker.”

It’s not just new faculty members joining theChildren’s Hospital that she’s excited about, though.

She praises the existing hospital’s pediatric cardiologyand cardiac surgery team, as well as the currenthematology-oncology service. “We still have the lowestmortality post-operatively for neonatal cardiac surgery inthe country,” said Ryan, who became chair in July 2011.“Our pediatric bone marrow transplantation team isexcellent. We have overall outstanding clinical services.It’s one of the reasons why I came here. I didn’t have tofix any major clinical services. They are all top-notch.”

One direction she likes to see the hospital headingis in telemedicine. David S. McSwain, M.D., recently

received a Duke Endowment grant that will enablespecialists at the Children’s Hospital to share theirexpertise with the community via telemedicine carts.This is an important move that also will open the doorto ways to provide more access in rural areas, she said.

“It’s fantastic about the Duke Endowment grant.They’re trying to improve care for those who are awayfrom the ‘mecca’ of medicine and need subspecialtyexpertise and also trying to improve care for kids whodon’t have good access to medical care in general, forexample, in more rural areas. For both of those things,it’s exciting.”

Another good change is a shift to wellness andprevention. MUSC is home to The Boeing Centerfor Children’s Wellness’ Lean Team, led by JaniceKey, M.D., chief of adolescent medicine. The groupis making important strides in the community inpreventative health.

“This is a game changer for the Charleston CountySchool district. They have made incredible strides ineducating people in the school district about what isbetter for children. They have eliminated all fat fryersfrom every school. All the schools serve only low-fatdressing and only whole wheat bread, even in thepizza crust, and they offer salads daily. Dr. Key hasspearheaded this, and she has done a great job.”

Sanders said MUSC Children’s Hospital certainlyhas come a long way since Marie Osmond walked thegrounds. It will be exciting to see the new era that’scoming.

“We hope that going forward we will be lookingat a new facility for our hospital that will provide anatmosphere that can provide even better outcomes for

our patients and families. We continue to recruit thebest and brightest and will strive to be the best in theindustry. We do that because we want to be the best,and the children of this community deserve it.”

BIRTHDAY Continued from Page Four

q Cardiology and CardiacSurgeryq Bone Marrow Transplantationq Kidney, Liver and HeartTransplantationq Congenital AirwayProblems (Pediatric ENT andCardiothoracic Surgery)q Cochlear Implant Program(Pediatric ENT)q Voiding Dysfunction Program(Pediatric Urology)q Pediatric Epilepsy Center(Neurology and Neurosurgery)q Pediatric GIq Pediatric Hypertension(Pediatric Nephrology)q Pediatric Kidney Stones

(Pediatric Nephrology)q Pediatric Traumaq Center for Complex LimbDeformities(Orthopedic Surgery)q Pediatric Burn Centerq Pectus Surgical Centerq Regional PerinatalCenter (combination of OB/Maternal-Fetal –Medicine andNeonatologyq Pediatric Minimally InvasiveSurgery Centerq Craniofacial Center (ENT)q Pediatric Spine Center(Orthopedic Surgery)q Craniosynostosis (PediatricNeurosurgery)

destinAtion progrAms: chiLdren’s hospitAL

Dr. Rita M. Ryan, right, with the Loyd family, Don, Kelly, Gracie (inpink) and Annie.

musc catalyst

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