S - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School - Rutgers, The State ...

TheChildren’sChampion“Our goal has been and continues to be to bringtogether the brightest minds to make a difference inthe lives of the children and their families who turn tous for care,” says Peter S. Amenta, MD, PhD, dean.The centralization is deliberate. The goal is to createa collaborative environment that will not onlyprovide exceptional clinical expertise, but also offeropportunities for close collaboration that can lead tothe creation of breakthrough therapies. An importantelement of this is the Department of Pediatrics, whichhas developed centers of excellence where children aretreated now, and where future clinicians are trained toserve as a catalyst for change in the evolution of care.Examples of progress are evident everywhere youlook.Centers of ExcellenceThat Fuel ProgressTHE BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB PEDIATRICRheumatology Center is involved in the diagnosisand management of a wide array of complexrheumatic diseases, including juvenile rheumatoidarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, reactivearthritis, systemic sclerosis, and regional musculoskeletalpain syndromes.The Pediatric Diabetes Center, established in 2003,has grown to include two clinicians, a certified diabeteseducator, and a research arm. The center looksat the autoimmune characteristics of relatives ofthose with type 1 diabetes — siblings, parents, andcousins — to determine their risk, so that they canenter prevention trials. Ian Marshall, MD, assistantprofessor and chief, division of pediatric endocrinology,emphasizes the importance of widespread educationabout pediatric diabetes. “We see type 1 diabetesin children of all ages after one to two years ofage,” says Dr. Marshall. “We work very hard toinvolve the extended family, the community, teachers,nurses, and coaches so they know as much asthey can about this condition, for the young patient’ssake.”The Cystic Fibrosis Center at RWJMS has establisheda comprehensive program to improve the outcomesfor cystic fibrosis patients of all ages, from newbornsto adults. Spearheading the efforts is Thomas F.Scanlin, MD, professor of pediatrics, chief, division ofpulmonary medicine, and director, the Cystic FibrosisCenter, who previously led the renowned program atthe Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and theUniversity of Pennsylvania. Since Dr. Scanlin’s arrivalin 2005, outcome data for the CF Center in the CysticFibrosis Foundation National Registry have demonstrateda dramatic improvement in key measures ofnutritional status and pulmonary function.Prior to 2005, the results for many of these keymeasures were at or below the national average.Now the CF Center is consistently ranked amongthe top five out of 117 CF centers in the UnitedStates. The program features a strong multi-disciplinaryteam practicing a coordinated, family-centeredapproach to this complex, chronic inherited disease.— Continued on Page 23Ian Marshall,MD, assistantprofessorand chief,division ofpediatricendocrinology,emphasizesthe importanceofwidespreadeducationaboutpediatricdiabetes.Robert Wood Johnson ■ MEDICINE 19