| Alexander Bassuk to lead Stead Family Department of Pediatrics | Alexander G. Bassuk, MD, PhD, has been named chair and departmental executive officer of the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics in the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. Bassuk also will serve as physician-in-chief of UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
Bassuk will begin his new role on September 1, pending approval by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa. He currently serves as a professor in the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics and is director of the department’s Division of Pediatric Neurology. He also holds a secondary appointment in the Carver College of Medicine Department of Neurology.
“Dr. Bassuk has been an effective leader in the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics—as a faculty member and as a division director—and he’s an outstanding choice to lead the entire department,” says Brooks Jackson, MD, MBA, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine. “He’s highly respected among the department’s faculty and staff, and he has an impressive record as a clinician, researcher, educator, and administrator. I’m pleased for the department and our entire organization.”
Board-certified in pediatrics and neurology with a special qualification in child neurology, Bassuk joined the UI faculty in 2007. His research focuses on the neuroanatomy, molecular biology, protein biochemistry, and genetics of human disease. Specifically, he and his research colleagues study genetic and molecular mechanisms of epilepsy, autism, inflammation, retinal diseases, and traumatic brain injury. A recipient of numerous National Institutes of Health grants, he has authored or co-authored more than 140 peer-reviewed research articles.
Throughout his career, Bassuk has been active in education and training, working with undergraduates, medical students, doctoral students, resident and fellow physicians, and postdoctoral research trainees. He serves on the admissions committee for the college’s Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)—a combined MD/PhD course of study—and he is an interviewer for the college’s Physician-Scientist Training Program.
Bassuk has helped advance the careers of trainees from diverse backgrounds, and he has been involved in recruiting faculty from underrepresented minority communities to the Carver College of Medicine and the broader university.
He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the Child Neurology Society, the Society for Neuroscience, the American Epilepsy Society, the American Society of Human Genetics, and the Society for Pediatric Research.
“I am honored and excited to serve the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics in this leadership role,” Bassuk says. “I am deeply committed to our department, and to the core tenets of our mission: to provide outstanding clinical care to the children of Iowa, our region, and beyond; to excel in scientific research advancing pediatric care and treatment; and to provide superior education and training to the next generation of clinicians and scientists. I look forward to working with all of you.”
Bassuk earned an MD degree and a PhD in biological sciences, pathology, through the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine Medical Scientist Training Program. He completed residency training in pediatrics and pediatric neurology at Children’s Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University.
Jackson expressed appreciation to Eva Tsalikian, MD, who has served as interim chair of the department since 2019. He also thanked the search committee—led by Janet Fairley, MD, and Peter Snyder, MD—for its work in conducting a national search for the position.
“The search committee and the college’s administrative staff did a great job throughout the search process,” Jackson says. “They identified and interviewed outstanding candidates, and ultimately recommended Dr. Bassuk for this important role. I look forward to working with him as a member of our leadership team.”
The Stead Family Department of Pediatrics has more than 170 faculty members and offers a three-year pediatric residency program and 12 subspecialty fellowship programs. As chair and physician-in-chief, Bassuk will work in partnership with Pamela Johnson-Carlson, DNP, RN, NE-BC, chief administrative officer for UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital. | | | | Celebrate Your Colleagues Welcome, New Hires!
- Anthony Pamatmat, Research Intern, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, started on August 1.
- Christian Brommel, Research Associate, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, started on August 7.
- Danielle Hodge, Nurse Practitioner, Division of Critical Care, started on August 9.
- Kristen Surom, Nurse Clinician, Division of Medical Genetics & Genomics, started on August 9.
- Stephanie Houston, DO, Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Nephrology, started on August 15.
- Lindsey Reinhardt, Clinical Trials Research Associate, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, started on August 16.
Work Anniversaries
- Carlisle Xavier, Division of Infectious Diseases, celebrated 10 years on August 16.
We are seeing an increase of local COVID-19 infections due to the higher transmission rates with the delta variant.
The good news is that we know that the vaccines are working. They are not a 100% protective shield; however, vaccines greatly reduce the severity of illness and prevent many hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.
We also know that layers of safety measures offer more protection, so we are making some changes to our safety precautions, effective immediately.
The UI Employee Assistance Program is offering a new financial assistance program for eligible employees experiencing financial hardship. | | | APP Corner: Spotlight on Trudy Pierick Trudy Pierick, MSN, ARNP, FAHA, has been with the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics in the division of Cardiology since 2001, where she was an inpatient nurse practitioner until July 2020, when she transitioned to the single ventricle program coordinator within the division. Throughout her time here, she has become heavily involved in the Cardiology community, and even helped author "Comparison of growth and feeding method in infants with and without genetic abnormalities after neonatal cardiac surgery" alongside her daughter, Alyson Pierick, a first-year Pediatric Cardiology fellow at the University of Michigan, and our own Benjamin Reinking, MD for Cardiology in the Young in September 2020.
Trudy's leadership extends far beyond the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics and into community groups, national societies and development events:
And somehow, on top of all of these current duties, Trudy runs a side business called Treats by Trudy, to "balance the more challenging days at work". | | | | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) DEI Committee Meetings
The next Department DEI Committee meeting will take place on Zoom at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 19. This committee is open to any trainee, faculty, or staff in the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics. Please contact Dr. Joyce Goins-Fernandez if you would like to join the committee.
Faculty Concerns Regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
If you have any concern or issue related Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, please email Dr. Joyce Goins-Fernandez, and she will help you navigate possible solutions. | | | Wellness
A new 10-Week Weight Management program begins in September – with application period starting on August 23. This is an all-online behavior change platform that offers 24/7 access. Visit the liveWELL website to learn more and sign up to be notified when the application period begins.
Faculty and staff may enter the CCOM Creative Writing Contest. Deadline is Tuesday, August 31.
Become a Rec Services member between August 1 and September 6, and waive the $39 set-up fee. Simply complete the Perpetual Payroll Deduction Form electronically and email the completed form to rec-services@uiowa.edu. | | | | Faculty Meeting
Normally the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Mondays of the month, from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. This meeting may be attended in person or via Zoom. As of August 16, food will not be permitted for in-person meetings until further notice.
Frontiers in Pediatric Research Lectures
- No Frontiers until September 2021.
Grand Rounds
- No Grand Rounds until September 2021.
Chair’s Rounds
- Fourth Tuesday of every rotation, 12:15 - 1:00 p.m.
- Residents present recent interesting clinical care cases to review and receive feedback from faculty. All faculty regardless of specialty are encouraged to attend.
- Chair's Rounds have resumed meeting in person; lunch is provided.
K Club
- Starting on September 9, K Club will occur approximately every two weeks, from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. on Thursdays. This meeting may be attended in person in the Morriss Conference Room, or via Zoom. As of August 16, food will not be permitted for in-person meetings until further notice.
- Junior faculty present research/grant submissions to receive feedback from senior faculty on how best to structure the research/submission to maximize chances of success.
| | | | In this episode of CME’s podcast Rounding@IOWA, host Gerry Clancy, MD, and guests Ian Law, MD, and Andy Peterson, MD, discuss when athletes are ready to return to play after having COVID-19, what protocols to follow, and the importance of athletic trainers.
Staff should stay home and call the University Employee Health Clinic at 319-356-3631 if they experience any symptoms similar those of COVID-19. | | | Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Lane Strathearn, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, was recently awarded a five-year P50 NIH-sponsored grant in the amount of $6,159,151 for the new “University of Iowa Hawkeye Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (HAWK-IDDRC)”. This grant period is between July 16, 2021 and May 31, 2026.
As the number of IDD diagnoses increases, University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD) and the Iowa Neuroscience Institute (INI) are joining forces with other researchers, clinicians, physicians, and scientists across the UI enterprise to form a new center aimed at advancing care for Iowans with IDDs. Read more about the Hawk-IDDRC here. | | | | YOU Make a Difference! "Lukasz [Weiner] is a fabulous Peds ID clinican and the director of our developing Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. He's also an amazing teammate. While on inpatient consult service this week, he heard about a 5 year old outpatient who had an unusual and concerning ID test result during her evaluation for a new diagnosis of a non-infectious complex disease. The patient had been referred and scheduled for an outpatient appointment with me in Peds ID clinic next week. Interpreting the test is going to require tracking down various results, including imaging and pathology and will require discussions with pathologists, the microbiology Lab, and the referring service and may ultimately end up in admission of the child.
Rather than letting all that fall onto my shoulders next week when I am in the middle of a busy outpatient clinic, he started tracking all the info down today. He the stopped by my office and discussed the case with me so that I would be involved in the decision making.
Lukasz's duties this week don't require him to do all this extra work. He did it because it will enable us to take MUCH better care of this patient and also keep time available for the other patients who are schedule for clinic next week.
He makes a huge difference every day - he improves the care of our patients and the wellness of his teammates. Thank you Lukasz!"
Nominated by: Melanie Wellington, Staff Member. Awarded on July 9, 2021. | | | YOU Make a Difference! "Mendi [Schmelzel] is a member of the NICU clinical research team. She is exemplary of the ICARE values. Our program has grown exponentially over the 4+ years she has been working with us. She is a leader and example for new members of the team, teaching them how to be excellent team members, how to do everything with the highest level of integrity and responsibility, how to recognize that every team member and family of the patients we serve is treated with dignity, and ALWAYS striving for excellence. These are essential for our clinical research program, and additionally ensure high quality research to benefit the patients, families and caregivers in the NICU."
Nominated by: Karen Johnson, Staff Member. Awarded on July 23, 2021.
"Due to the unknowns of my case, Dr. [Bryan] Koestner consulted with many teammates. He made sure to go into detail explaining all testing, procedures, and images so we knew what was going on. His upbeat personality really put a smile on my face when I needed it. He listened to me very closely when I told him I was sick. He made sure to give me meds I needed and to feel comfortable. Hopefully in your spare time your baseball skills can improve like your basketball skills!!"
Nominated by: BreAunnika P., Patient. Awarded on July 27, 2021.
| | | Communications Corner: Social Media | Are you on social media? Make sure you're following these accounts:
Do you have an account that isn't listed above? Email Claire McGranahan to be added to the list. We'll feature institutional and professional accounts in Peds Express on a rotating basis. | | | |
