|
|
Features Departments Information |
|
Growth and exciting new programs aSpring 1999 SPRING HAS FINALLY arrived in Chicago, a season that annually reaffirms my family’s personal decision many years ago to relocate from beautiful central Florida to the harsher climate here. Alas, this spring is distinctive as we cannot look forward to an exciting Chicago Bulls playoff run, with the expected NBA championship in June, as we have so often during the 90s. (Nostalgia buffs: See the stamp column in this issue.) My decision to move to Children’s Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University Medical School in 1979 in large measure was a reflection of the stellar reputations of both institutions and of the opportunities to participate in their steady growth. I haven’t been disappointed over the years, as I have observed Children’s, the Department of Pediatrics, and NUMS all grow and thrive. Clinical and research programs have expanded steadily, the faculty has grown substantially both in number and quality, and the national and international profiles of the institutions have become more prominent. In the most recent national rankings, CMH is in the top handful of children’s hospitals, and NUMS is ranked 21st among medical schools, based on research activity, student selectivity, faculty resources, and reputation as judged by senior faculty and program directors. Under the current leadership of its Acting Chairman, Dr. Tom Green, the Department of Pediatrics of Northwestern University Medical School has recently recruited two outstanding clinician-investigators, Dr. Leon Epstein from the University of Rochester to head Neurology and Dr. Robin Steinhorn from the University of Buffalo to lead Neonatology. Other outstanding individuals have also been added to the faculty. One example of excellence at CMH and NUMS with which I am most familiar and would like to highlight briefly here is the newly established Children’s Memorial Hospital Center for Kawasaki Disease. This center formalizes our long involvement in both research and clinical activities related to this fascinating disorder. The center pulls together components that include one of the largest clinical services for children with Kawasaki disease outside of Japan. It also offers exciting cutting-edge basic laboratory work by Dr. Anne Rowley in the Division of Infectious Diseases who is investigating the etiology of this illness, a large number of clinical research activities, pediatric cardiologic expertise, and a variety of educational activities. Our Kawasaki disease nurse-clinician, Nancy Innocentini, is a key component of these efforts as are a number of faculty and fellows. This is just one of many programs at Children’s Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University Medical School that make this the outstanding place that it is for providing the very best care for children. |
