Building a career around quality improvement initiatives is not a small feat, yet Allison Redpath Mahon, MD, has done just that. Since arriving in Madison over 10 years ago, Dr. Redpath Mahon has systematically focused her efforts in areas in need of improvement.
Allison Redpath Mahon, MD, is Director of Dialysis Services at the University of Wisconsin American Family Children’s Hospital. Under her leadership, the pediatric dialysis program began offering a home hemodialysis (“home hemo”) option for pediatric patients in 2014, with the youngest home hemo patient being 13 years-old.
Dr. Redpath Mahon led local efforts in the SCOPE Collaborative, the NINJA Collaborative and the BP-Catch Collaborative. Her work on the SCOPE Collaborative has been instrumental in improving workflow, process and education – especially in the area of peritonitis study and prevention – and the development of educational materials for physicians, nurses and patients. In multiple cases, her work and tools have been adopted within adult home dialysis programs.
Her work within SCOPE was recognized and awarded “Best Abstract” at the Annual Dialysis Conference. Her expertise in the prevention of dialysis-related infections in children has also been recognized nationally. She is an invited member of the patient engagement committee of the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Making Dialysis Safer for Patients Coalition as well as an invited participant in the strategic planning committee for the Solutions for Patient Safety NAKI initiative. Additionally, Dr. Redpath Mahon has been active in the American Society of Pediatric Nephrologists (ASPN), including co-chairing the ASPN Workforce Committee and leading an ASPN QI initiative aimed at improving recognition and staging of pediatric CKD patients.
In addition to her national QI efforts to improve patient outcomes, Dr. Redpath Mahon started a multidisciplinary Metabolic Syndrome Clinic with colleagues in pediatric endocrine, pediatric preventative cardiology, and nutrition. This unique clinic provides coordinated care for medically complex children and teens and provides a unique educational opportunity for learners. In her spare time, Dr. Redpath Mahon has managed to excel in teaching and is a recipient of the prestigious Todd Varness Teaching Award, the highest honor awarded by pediatric house staff.