Residents in the News
UF pediatrician: Why you should reconsider…
Florida Statutes Section 39.01 states, “Corporal discipline of a child by a parent or legal custodian for disciplinary purposes does not in itself…
ACGME Announces 2023 Award Winners and New…
Dr. Evelyn Obregon and Dr. Baxter Vernace received the 2023 ACGME David Leach Award.
Pediatricians encouraged to discuss gun safety
Alexandra K. Byrne, MD, a pediatric resident at the University of Florida College of Medicine, presented findings from a study showing that staff…
Resident Projects
Prioritizing Food Insecurity in All Children: Expansion of Eligibility of Immigrant Children for Federally Funded Nutrition Programs
Monserrat Corbera-Hincapie submitted an AAP resolution at the AAP National Conference in Chicago, and the resolution was passed by the SOPT. The SOPT will sponsor the resolution and create a task force. The resolution may eventually become policy. View the AAP resolution
Gainesville Equity Youth Project
Olivia Potter, DO and Stephanie Ryan, MD partnered together to successfully submit and win grant funding for a LGBT youth group to serve the Gainesville, FL community. Drs. Potter and Ryan meet monthly with Gainesville youth to discuss emerging issues and successes that come with being a LGBT youth.
Combating Antibiotic Resistance
Michelle Spencer, MD and Vini Vijayan, MD were successfully awarded a 2014-15 CATCH grant for their project titled “Operation Superbug!” More to details to come as this project enters the implementation phase on July 1.
Pertussis Prevention
Diana Montoya Fontalvo, MD and Vini Vijayan, MD collaborated to conduct a needs assessment for pertussis awareness in Alachua County high schools, specifically targeting nursing staff and pregnant teens. Drs. Montoya Fontalvo and Vijayan then designed and implemented a plan that educated this targeted population on the importance of Tdap immunizations and effectively increased immunization rates of children born to teen parents in Alachua County.
School Health Interdisciplinary Program (SHIP)
Faculty and residents collaborated on this multi-site, longitudinal project that placed undergraduate and health science students into local elementary schools. Together, these interdisciplinary teams applied their collective knowledge into teaching science, nutrition, health, and physical activities. SHIP is still active, continuing its successes under the auspices of the Department of Health Education and Behavior at University of Florida.
Other Projects
Grants
Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) Grant Awarded
- 2020 – Evelyn Obregon, MD: Barriers for Hispanics Uninsured Children
- 2018 – Brittany Bruggeman, MD & Seon Lee, MD: Healthy Smiles Day Initiative
- 2016 – Kourtney Guthrie, MD: Mobile Pediatrics – Children of Migrant Workers
- 2013 – Michelle Spencer (Mentor, Vini Vijayan, M.D.): Operation Superbugs! Combating Antibiotic Resistance
- 2013 – Diana Montoya-Fontalvo, M.D. (Mentor, Vini Vijayan, M.D.): Cocooning in High School
- 2013 – Olivia Potter, D.O. (Mentor, Stephanie Ryan, M.D.): Gainesville LGBTQ Youth Group
- 2013 – Nasim Moshtagh, M.D. (Bahareh Keith, M.D.): Staying Ahead of Asthma
- 2012 – Christian Kegg, D.O.: Peer to Peer Breastfeeding Support Group
- 2010 – Alexandra Butler, M.D. (Mentor, Patricia Shearer, M.D.): Young Adult Cancer Survivors in Transition
- 2010 – Virginia Kockler, M.D. (Mentor, Maureen Novak, M.D.): Smoking Cessation Resources for Mothers of Newborns
Breastfeeding Promotion
- Dr. Sandra Sullivan has a CPTI Obesity Prevention Residency Training grant at UF-Gainesville: Preventing Obesity through Breastfeeding Promotion
CMN (Children’s Miracle Network) Grants
- Elizabeth Griffin, M.D. (Mentor, Michele Lossius, M.D.): Implementation and Evaluation of the Effect of Physician Trading Cards on Patients’ Ability to Identify the Names and Roles of Their Physicians
- Andrew Galligan, M.D. (Mentor, Michele Lossius, M.D.): Hospital Orientation for Patients/Parents/ Shands Children’s Hospital Video Project
Resident Leaders in the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Markus Renno, MD, District Coordinator, District X (2013 and 2014)
- Irina Prelipcean, MD, Assistant District Coordinator, District X (2014)
- Maneesha Jamnadas, MD, Tailor, Editor-In-Chief, District X Newsletter (2014)
- Irina Prelipcean, MD, District Coordinator, District X (2015)
- Brittany Bruggeman, MD, Assistant District Coordinator, District X (2016)
- Brittany Bruggeman, MD, District Coordinator, District X (2017)
- John-Anthony Coppola, MD, Assistant District Coordinator, District X (2017)
- Brittany Bruggeman, MD, Executive Coordinator of Resident Initiatives (2018)
- John-Anthony Coppola, MD, District Coordinator, District X (2018)