2022–2023 Annual Report

Letter from Our Interim Chair

It gives me great pleasure to share this 2023 Annual Report for the University of Wisconsin Department of Pediatrics. As the interim chair of the department, I have had the opportunity to see firsthand the excellence in our department across our clinical, research, and education work. We also leaned into community and advocacy work toward our larger mission to improve child health inside and outside our clinical spaces.

One major event for us in fiscal year 2023 was the celebration of our previous department chair, Dr. Ellen Wald. We honored her time as chair during an event that brought together current and past department members, family and friends of Dr. Wald, and collaborators across our school and community to celebrate the growth and achievements that the past 16 years of her leadership have brought the department.

We saw our strong clinical teams experience growth and increased demand in the past year. including expansion of specialty care telehealth consultations across the region, a new cardiology clinic at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, and UNOS accreditation of our pediatric heart transplant program. Our primary care clinics saw a more than 14% increase in patient visits from last year, collaborated with the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health to offer a new Saturday sports physical clinic and weekday appointments that allowed providers to see an additional 300 high school students, and partnered with our psychiatry colleagues to develop a new learning opportunity for both groups to enhance their learning and skills in mental health issues for youth. Our pediatric cancer program was recognized in U.S. News & World Report as a top 50 program and is a program of distinction for American Family Children’s Hospital. Neonatology. pulmonology, and cardiology were also recognized. Our advanced practice providers (APPs) continue to be an integral part of our clinical care teams, providing exceptional continuity of care and learning opportunities within our subspecialty clinics and inpatient units.

Last year our department was ranked 9th nationally in NIH-funded research among departments of pediatrics and saw its highest-ever total grants awarded: $55.86 million. As more conferences returned to being in-person events, many of our faculty members shared their research and collaborated with colleagues both nationally and internationally, attending more than 100 different pediatrics-related conferences throughout the year. In the spring, we had 47 faculty, staff, and trainees present at the multidisciplinary research meeting of Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS), one of the world’s largest gatherings of pediatricians.

Within our department, we saw a new academic group form around qualitative research called Empowering Pediatricians Learning Qualitative Research (ExPLOR). This group reflects the growing interest in this research approach that centers on the voices of our patients, families, and providers. And we continued our tradition of Research Week, with the May 2023 event providing an outstanding lineup of talks from our residents and fellows, research updates from 17 faculty members, and the keynote address, “Cell Migration: From Patients to Zebrafish and Back.”

A growing area of excellence in our academic work as a department is in quality improvement scholarship. In 2021, we introduced the Increasing Novel Scholarship through Peer Innovation, Research, and Education in Quality Improvement (INSPIRE-Ql) cohort. Fiscal year 2023 saw its second INSPIRE-Ql cohort and the introduction of INSPIRE-QI PRO, for more advanced Ql training and mentorship. The breadth of the department’s QI work was on full display during the annual UW Health Kids Quality and Safety Poster Fair in September 2022, when 33 department members presented their work in 14 different posters on topics from “Feasibility of Using Social Media to Provide Pediatric Pulmonary Patient Education” to “Improving Direct Breastfeeding at NICU Discharge.”

Our training programs continue to be robust and strong. Last year, our new Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship welcomed its first-ever fellow, our residency program introduced the Coaching to Optimize Resident Education (CORE) Mentor Program, and we hosted our inaugural Medical Education Week, which allowed faculty and staff members to focus in on learning and best practices in education.

Our faculty members attend numerous community engagement events throughout the year. They provided family education at back-to-school events, supported local and national reading programs, and volunteered at local camps for children with specialized health needs. Last year the department was a premier sponsor of the American Family Children’s Hospital Gala, which helped raise $800,000 for pediatric research. The department also supported the Rainbow Project, a local organization that supports children and families who have experienced trauma, at its annual Rhumba 4 Rainbow fundraiser. And we sponsored the local chapter of Girls on the Run, which organizes programs that inspire girls to build confidence, kindness, and decision-making skills. In addition to running events, the group hosted a community-based Day of the Girl event and invited me to participate as a guest panelist.

In addition to community-based engagement, our advocacy committee was involved in more targeted efforts to promote and enhance the health of children everywhere. Its members engaged in legislative advocacy as well as efforts to train the next generation of pediatricians in advocacy work and education.

I am incredibly grateful for the work that our providers, learners, and staff contribute every day in our department. Please enjoy learning more about our work and how it emulates our mission, vision, and values in this 2023 Annual Report. 

Megan Moreno
Professor and Interim Chair