News in Brief
Department of Pediatrics Receives National Recognition
The Department of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center has again been ranked among the top five pediatric programs at medical schools in the United States.The U.S.News & World Report annual guide to America's best graduate schools ranked the Department of Pediatrics as the fourth best in the nation, behind only Harvard University, the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Up Another Notch in "America's Best Hospitals" Survey
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has been named the seventh best pediatric hospital in the United States, according to U.S.News & World Report's annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey.This ranking represents an improvement in the U.S. News survey for the fourth consecutive year. Cincinnati Children's ranked eighth in 2003, ninth in 2002 and 10th in 2001.
"Our representation among the top 10 children's hospitals, and our improvement over previous years' top 10 scores, confirms that our reputation for quality care is becoming more widely known among physicians throughout the country," says Cincinnati Children's president and CEO James M. Anderson.
To determine the best hospitals for pediatrics, U.S. News asked board certified pediatricians to name hospitals they consider tops in their specialty, regardless of cost or location.The 29 hospitals ranked in pediatrics were cited by at least 3 percent of physicians who responded to U.S. News surveys in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Among institutions offering pediatric care, Cincinnati Children's was ranked ahead of such prestigious organizations as Children's Hospital Denver, Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., University of California San Francisco, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
U.S. News has published "America's Best Hospitals" for 15 years as a starting point to help consumers find quality care.This year, the publication ranks only 177 top medical centers, or fewer than one in 30, in 17 specialties.
The volume and complexity of services that Cincinnati Children's provides, as well as the quality of care it offers, place the medical center among the leading facilities in the nation. According to data from the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI), Cincinnati Children's ranks in the top five pediatric institutions in number of surgical procedures, emergency visits, outpatient visits and admissions.
Researchers Awarded for Significant Contributions
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| Meg Zeller, PhD | Lori Stark, PhD |
Meg Zeller, PhD, assistant professor, Division of Psychology, received the eighth Fifth Third Bank/Charlotte Schmidlapp Women Scholars Award.The Schmidlapp Scholars Award supports the academic career development of Cincinnati Children's junior women faculty who have demonstrated academic potential and leadership skills. Zeller plans to use the Schmidlapp Scholar award to fund additional staff positions in her lab in order to increase research productivity.
Lori Stark, PhD, director, Division of Psychology, received the Logan Wright Distinguished Research Award, presented by the Society of Pediatric Psychology. This award recognizes excellence and significant contributions in establishing the scientific base of pediatric psychology. Stark has published more than 50 articles and book chapters focusing on pediatric chronic illness, particularly cystic fibrosis.
Cincinnati Children's Earns Center of Excellence Designation
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| Alexandra (Lisa) Filipovich,MD |
Cincinnati Children's was recently recognized as a center of excellence by the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS).
"This prestigious recognition makes Cincinnati Children's one of only two pediatric hospitals in the United States participating as a center of excellence," said Alexandra (Lisa) Filipovich,MD, center director.
FOCIS represents a concrete effort for national leaders in clinical immunology to collaborate in translational research and innovative care of patients with immunologic disorders. Currently, there are 22 FOCIS centers of excellence in North America.
Grant Funding an Integral Component of Research Foundation
Cincinnati Children's has a renowned research staff that attracts millions of dollars in research funding and private and corporate donations annually. These funds are reinvested into research supplies, equipment and salaries so our researchers have the resources to continually "raise the bar" in the pediatric health care field. We are ranked third in funding among comprehensive pediatric centers receiving National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants. Recent grants obtained include the following:
| Bissler, J.: Utility of Repamycin for the Treatment of Renal Angiomyolipomas with Rapamycin; National Institutes of Health; 9/1/03 - 8/31/05; $274,259 |
| Denson, L.: Cytokine Regulation of Liver Growth Hormone Signaling; National Institutes of Health; 09/30/03 - 06/30/05; $74,500 |
| Elluru, R.: Genetic Determinants of Respiratory Tract Cartilage; National Institutes of Health; 01/01/04 - 12/31/08; $125,010 |
| Jiang, X.: Development of Strategies to Treat and Prevent Norovirus Infections; DOD(Army); 02/01/04 - 01/31/08; $364,083 |
| Nichols, W.: Cloning of Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension Gene; National Institutes of Health; 08/01/03 - 07/31/07; $298,000 |
| Schleiss, M.: Epidemiology of CMV in Daycare; National Institutes of Health; 06/01/03 - 05/31/07; $184,656 |
| Zheng, Y.: Pho GTPase-Activating Proteins in Cancer; National Institutes of Health; 03/01/04 - 02/28/09; $264,860 |
