Continuity and constancy balance areas
of transition at Children's

aSpring 1998

AS THE CHICAGO BULLS move toward yet another NBA championship run, the winds of change blow at Children's Memorial Hospital. Patrick Magoon, who recently assumed the position of president and chief executive, is an outstanding administrator who has had a long career at Children's and is respected by all. Dr. Tom Green, head of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, has been named acting chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Medical School. He replaces Dr. Martin Myers who stepped down in January. During his time here, Marty expanded the department substantially, increased the funded research activities, and introduced a number of innovations. A national search for a replacement for Dr. Myers is now underway. Dr. Ed Ogata, formerly head of the Division of Neonatology has just assumed a newly established position at Children's — that of chief medical officer.

Also, in recent months, Dean Harry Beaty retired as dean at Nums and was replaced by Harvey Colten, Md, a pediatric immunologist of international reputation. Dean Colten is committed to moving Northwestern into the top ten tier of medical schools in the nation.

Balanced against these transitions is the sense of continuity and constancy at Children's. The hospital remains a vibrant institution committed to the finest in patient care for children. The resident staff, fellows, and medical students remain first-rate, and outstanding educational programs continue to improve. For example, approximately half of each third-year medical student's pediatric curriculum now takes place in a private pediatrician's office; the new program has met with rave reviews from both students and their mentors. The excellent full-time hospital faculty, in pediatrics and other departments, has been quite stable, and a number of new faculty members have been added in several areas. A prominent addition has been the active liver transplantation program headed by Dr. Peter Whitington, Dr. Estella Alonso and transplant surgeon Dr. Riccardo Superina.

Challenging and fascinating patients continue to seek care at Children's in large numbers. For example, in recent weeks we have encountered children with neurocysticercosis, Hemophilus parainfluenzae endocarditis, Kawasaki disease with autoimmune anemia, trichobezoar and many, many more.

Considerable effort is currently being expended to address the statewide issue of underfunding of health care for indigent children at Children's and at other major Illinois pediatric facilities. This effort will be very important in enabling the hospitals to cover their expenses for this critical aspect of our mission. With new leadership in place, the future looks most promising for achieving our goals.

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