CONTENTS
It starts with a
A letter from a fellow questioner at Children ’ s Hospital Colorado
Dear colleagues ,
As one of the largest sections of pediatric infectious disease in the nation , our faculty at Children ’ s Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado School of Medicine have been privileged to participate in one of the most important efforts of our time : The development of COVID-19 vaccines .
Early on in the pandemic , my predecessor as Section Chief of Pediatric Infectious Disease , Myron Levin , MD , led a group on campus investigating the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in an adult cohort . My colleagues in adult medicine also participated in trials for Moderna and Novovax , and we were among the first to enroll adolescents in Novovax trials in early 2021 .
On the pediatric side , we ’ ve had the tremendous opportunity to be a part of validating these lifesaving vaccines for children as well . When my colleague Eric Simoes , MD , led a Pfizer study of children between 5 and 12 years old , Children ’ s Colorado dedicated an entire wing of our outpatient facility to enroll participants as quickly as possible , assembly line-style : 20 children a day , five days a week for two weeks . We knew we needed to enroll a diverse group of participants to evaluate the vaccine in children from all races , ethnicities and social demographics , and we invested the resources do it .
Meanwhile , Dr . Levin studied the Moderna vaccine in children ages 5 to 11 in a clinical area typically used for adults – which required redecorating , reorganizing and setting up new furniture to create a child-friendly space . We put in thousands of extra hours and worked late into the night .
Those studies have concluded . Pfizer submitted their pediatric data to the FDA and received emergency authorization ; Children ’ s Colorado is now working with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to host vaccine clinics for children ages 5 and up . Meanwhile , our team is enrolling a Moderna vaccine trial for children as young as 6 months .
The scope of this pandemic far exceeds anything anyone working in our field has ever seen . In many ways these last two years have been the most challenging of my career . But they ’ ve also been among the most exciting .
Contents
ON THE COVER
06
ENDOCRINOLOGY
Making Associations
FEATURES
11
HEMATOLOGY / ONCOLOGY
The Next Phase
14
CARDIOLOGY
3 Studies In : Cath Lab Virtual Reality
OUTCOMES
04
EMERGENCY MEDICINE
How to Stay Nimble in PPE
COVID-19 NEWS
10
ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
Beyond the COVIDome
SHORT ANSWER
03
ORTHOPEDICS
Walking the Walk
17
NEONATOLOGY
Disparities Persist
18
PULMONOLOGY
A Deeper Registry
BRIEFS
ACCOLADES
18
A (:) List
There ’ s still so much to learn about SARS-CoV-2 . There ’ s a tremendous amount of work to be done . But I ’ m tremendously proud to see what incredible dedication and prodigious talent we ’ ve brought to it , here on the Anschutz Medical Campus and throughout the country . I hope you are , too .
Best ,
ELIZABETH J . MCFARLAND , MD
Department Head , Pediatric Infectious Diseases Medical Director , HIV Program Children ’ s Hospital Colorado
Professor , Pediatrics-Infectious Diseases
Section Chief , Pediatric Infectious Diseases 2 | CHILDREN ’ S HOSPITAL University of COLORADO
Colorado School of Medicine
For a digital version of this publication visit : childrenscolorado . org / Qmagazine
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