May 2025 Pediatric Pulse

Dear Yale Pediatrics Family,

We've been busy in Pediatrics as you'll see below! Enjoy this month's great updates. Keep an eye out for YSM's Staff Appreciation Day, Summer Social, and scheduled updates in early June from Dean Brown.

Warmly,

Cliff

Earlier this month our strategic plan working group met to discuss progress on all of our seven goals. You can see the slides and find updates on our intranet page.

The Friends of Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital is now accepting proposals for the 2025 Elephant Grant. If you or your staff plan to submit a request, please complete the application and send the completed form and supporting documentation to Marissa Moncata (Marissa.moncata@ynhh.org) by Friday, May 23 at 4 p.m. When submitting your proposal, please compile all application components into a single document to ensure the complete application is received.

Whether you are new to YSM or have been with us for several months, the incoming faculty orientation provides useful information and resources to help you thrive as you pursue your career at Yale. The day-long program also offers an opportunity to meet and network with peers, colleagues, and leaders from YSM and YNHHS. OAPD will request your department relieve you of any clinical obligations that day. The orientation includes overviews of:

• YSM’s clinical, education, and research missions and resources
• Faculty ranks and tracks (with break-out sessions)
• Resources related to annual feedback, communications, professionalism, well-being, and leadership development

Learn more in the latest edition of Focus on Faculty from OAPD.

The Yale Pediatrics Department’s Award for Clinical Excellence (Yale Peds-ACE) recognizes exemplary clinicians who go above and beyond for patients, deliver the highest quality of care, and personify healing, innovation, and collaboration. We are honored to share that Ahmed Veten, MD, is the recipient of the Yale Peds-ACE Award for the month of April 2025!

Dr. Veten stands out as the only attending in our unit who is dual trained in both pediatric critical care and pediatric cardiac intensive care. This rare combination allows him to seamlessly care for patients across the PICU and PCICU, fostering stronger clinical continuity and bridging cultural gaps between the two teams. He is a consistently strong bedside clinician who is highly regarded for his thoughtful, compassionate, and evidence-based care. His attentiveness to feedback from colleagues and the interdisciplinary team makes him a trusted and collaborative team member. He is also highly respected by both the pediatric cardiologists and the cardiac surgeons for his clinical acumen and collaborative approach to complex cases.

Dr. Veten is also widely appreciated by our trainees for his accessible teaching style and mentorship. Comments from residents and fellows describe him as “always approachable” and “an excellent educator,” with one trainee noting, “I always learn something new from him. I enjoy his cardiac lectures and hope he does more!” His combination of clinical skill, innovation in systems improvement, and commitment to education make him a truly deserving nominee for the ACE award. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Veten on this award!

Many parents and caregivers of the chronically sick children for whom we provide care have concerns about immigration enforcement and the impact it may have upon the health and wellbeing of their children. As pediatric providers, we hope to ensure that all sick children receive the uninterrupted care that they need. With that in mind, we want to share the following resources:

• YSM's Intranet site with resources and guidance for staff and patients in the event of Immigration Enforcement actions within Yale New Haven Health System or Yale Medicine
• CT Governor Ned Lamont’s Family Preparedness Plan, available in multiple languages
• American Academy of Pediatrics Tip Sheet
• Society resource with example letters that may be used by medical providers who feel that a sick child in their care will suffer negative medical consequences if their medical care is disrupted

We hope these resources will be useful in the care of the sick children under the medical supervision of the Yale Pediatrics community.

• Gauthami Soma, MD, MHS, has been awarded a 2025 Academic Pediatric Association (APA) Young Investigator Award for her project, "Emergency Department Utilization Patterns Among Resettled Refugee Children: A Comparative Analysis and Exploration of Social Determinants".

• Liza Konnikova, MD, PhD, FAAP, was elected to The American Society for Clinical Investigation in April. The American Society for Clinical Investigation seeks to support the scientific efforts, educational needs, and clinical aspirations of physician-scientists to improve the health of all people.

• Laura Nally, MD, was invited to give a presentation for the American Diabetes Association on April 24, 2025, entitled, “Understanding the Impact of Dietary Patterns for Type 1 Diabetes Management.” Dr. Stuart Weinzimer (also from Yale Pediatrics) was a moderator for this talk.
• Mark Cicero, MD, promotion to professor of pediatrics (emergency medicine) in the clinician educator-scholar track with a continuing appointment, effective July 1, 2025.
• Elena Aragona, MD, MS, promotion to associate professor of pediatrics (hospitalist medicine) in the academic clinician track, July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2030.
• Kathleen Cardinale, MD, promotion to associate professor of pediatrics (neurology) in the academic clinician track, July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2030.
• Erin Faherty, MD, promotion to associate professor of pediatrics (cardiology) in the academic clinician track, July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2030.
• Danya Rosen, MD, promotion to associate professor of pediatrics (gastroenterology & hepatology), in the academic clinician track, July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2030.
• Jeremy Steele, MD, promotion to associate professor of pediatrics (cardiology) in the academic clinician track, July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2030.
• Jeremy Asnes, MD, promotion to professor of pediatrics (cardiology) in the academic clinician track, July 1,2024 to June 30, 2029.
• Brian Feldman, MD, PhD, appointment as professor of pediatrics (endocrinology) in traditional track with tenure, effective January 1, 2025.
• Steven M. Peterec, MD, reappointment as professor of pediatrics (neonatal-perinatal medicine) in the academic clinician track, July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2031.
• Sarah Kandil, MD, reappointment as associate professor of pediatrics (critical care medicine) in the clinician educator- scholar track, July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2031.

This year's Junior Faculty Retreat was run by Drs. Dan Glaser, Maryellen Flaherty-Hewitt, and Julie Leviter and was attended by 20 junior faculty! Feedback about the day shared by attendees said, "Enjoyed being able to interact with colleagues I don’t usually have the chance to regularly interact with”; “Both sessions were very informative and relevant to my career"; "Perfect amount of time; great location; information relevant”!

• Cassia Braga – Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Fellowship Award - Dysregulated Hematopoiesis and Inflammation in Cystic Fibrosis
  • Project period: 5/1/25-4/30/27
  • Total awarded to Yale $151,000
• Kim Hieftje & Deepa Camenga – NCI R01, Youth Vaping Prevention through Immersive Technology
  • Project period: 5/15/25-4/30/2030
  • Total awarded to Yale $4,134,108
• Lindsay Johnston – Mead Johnson Nutrition, 16th Annual First Year Neonatology Fellows Regional Bootcamp
  • Project period: 7/14/24
  • Total awarded to Yale $5,500
• Saparja Nag – AAP SPARK Award, Supporting Physical Activity in Adolescents with Knowledge
  • Project period: 6/1/25-5/31/26
  • Total awarded to Yale $2,000
• Gauthami Soma – 2025 APA Young Investigator Award, Emergency Department Utilization Patterns Among Resettled Refugee Children: A Comparative Analysis and Exploration of Social Determinants
  • Project period: 5/1/25-4/30/26
  • Total awarded to Yale $10,000
• Juan Vasquez – Hyundai Hope on Wheels, 2025 Hyundai Hope Scholar Grant, Biomarker-driven targeting of NAD metabolism and DNA repair in rhabdomyosarcoma
  • Project period: 12/31/25-12/31/27
  • Total awarded to Yale $400,000