Children's Memorial Hospital broadcast email

April 2009

	Thank you for your referrals, relationship and dedication to the art of medicine. We couldn’t do it without you.
Artwork created by Dahlia, age 9

Connections - our quarterly newsletter for community physicians and their practices - provides online tools and news for our partners who provide pediatric care.

For questions on Connections, contact Physician Services. You may also unsubscribe at any time.

Look who’s new on staff

Amir F. Kagalwalla, MD, returned to the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition in February 2009 and is seeing patients in Lincoln Park, Westchester and Winfield. Dr. Kagalwalla is an Associate Professor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and is board certified in Gastroenterology and Pediatrics. Dr. Kagalwalla’s special interests include eosinophilic esophagitis, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, allergic bowel diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, recurrent abdominal pain and constipation.

Rebecca Ford-Paz, MD, joined the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in September, 2007. Dr. Ford-Paz is an Instructor, Clinician Track, at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Ford-Paz is the coordinating psychologist for the Mood and Anxiety Program (MAP) at Children's Memorial Hospital, an evidenced-based program staffed by a multidisciplinary team that specializes in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with mood and anxiety disorders.

Dr. Ford-Paz is interested in Latino mental health issues including the reduction of mental health disparities for this population as well as the cultural adaptation of evidence-based treatment for Latinos. She is particularly interested in the treatment of depression in Latino adolescents. Dr. Ford-Paz provides therapy in Lincoln Park in both Spanish and English.

Look what’s new at Children’s Memorial

Children's Memorial Hospital offers new minimally invasive technique - Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS)
The Division of Pediatric Surgery at Children's Memorial Hospital is now performing Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS) for a number of different procedures including, but not limited to, appendectomy, cholecystectomy and intussusception. SILS is a technique by which all the laparoscopic instruments are placed through the same incision at the umbilicus. The incision is essentially lost deep down in the umbilicus and leaves no obvious scarring after a month of healing. For the sake of comparison, a traditional laparoscopic appendectomy usually takes three separate incisions to remove the appendix; one of which is hidden in umbilicus, and two of which remain visible on the lower abdomen. Physicians at Children's Memorial Hospital are currently studying the pain associated with SILS, but suspect that there will be less pain as there is only one incision. SILS requires advanced laparoscopic skills. However, with these advanced skills, many common operations can now be successfully and safely completed using a single incision laparoscopic technique.

Expanded cardiology services in Glenview
In March, the cardiology services available at the outpatient center in Glenview grew significantly in order to meet the growing demand in the Northern suburbs. ECG screening is now available for children involved with sports and those who are on psychotropic medications. If an abnormal ECG is detected, same-day visits with a consult and echocardiogram will be available with Kendra Ward, MD. In addition to this new service, other cardiologists specializing in electrophysiology and arrhythmias have also increased their presence in Glenview. Cardiology services are also available in Arlington Heights, Lincoln Park, Tinley Park, Westchester and Winfield.

Knee Injury Prevention Program (KIPP™)
The Children’s Memorial Institute for Sports Medicine is please to offer the Knee Injury Prevention Program, ("KIPP"), a neuromuscular training program designed to reduce the risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries among female adolescent athletes. Each year in the United States, over 20,000 high school girls suffer a serious sports-related knee injury-six times more than boys in similar sports. The KIPP program can reduce the risk for knee pain by 50%. KIPP sessions are starting soon and will continue throughout the summer and into early fall. See the current schedule or get enrollment forms.