Division of Critical Care hosts Pediatric Critical Care Regional Meeting

On May 22, the Division of Critical Care hosted the Pediatric Critical Care Regional Meeting at the Discovery Building on the UW–Madison campus. About 115 people attended the event, which is a collaborative effort of the five Pediatric Intensive Care Units in Wisconsin. Division members who served on the planning committee included Casey Blumer, medical program assistant; Pelin Cengiz, MD, professor; Peter Ferrazzano, MD, professor and chief; Scott Hagen, MD, professor; and Neil Munjal, MD, MS, assistant professor.

dozens of people sitting at desks in a conference room listening to someone speak at the front of the room — Conference goers gathered at the H.F. DeLuca Forum in the Discovery Building on the UW–Madison campus.

The theme of this year’s meeting was Pediatric Neurocritical Care. Keynote speaker Kristin Guilliams, MD, of St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine offered her talk, “Code Brain! Recognizing and Treating Pediatric Strokes.” Guilliams is the chair of the national Pediatric Neurocritical Care Research Group and a scientist with interests in pediatric stroke, cerebral blood flow and metabolism, and sickle cell disease. Her talk provided valuable insights and advancements in the understanding and management of pediatric stroke.

In addition to the keynote, seven presenters shared their research and findings across various topics in pediatric critical care. The event received 27 abstract submissions for a poster session, highlighting the active engagement and contributions from the Midwest Pediatric Critical Care Medicine community.

“The diversity of subjects and depth of research presented throughout the day underscores the dynamic and multidisciplinary nature of the field,” Ferrazzano said. “The meeting served as a platform for knowledge exchange, fostering collaboration and inspiring future research endeavors in pediatric critical care. It was an honor to host the event in Madison this year.”

Four abstract presenters were recognized for their outstanding contributions:

Best Quality Improvement Abstract: Juan Boriosi, MD, associate professor, Division of Critical Care, Department of Pediatrics, UW SMPH, for the project, “A Quality Improvement Project Aimed at Reducing MRI Sedation in Children”

Best Clinical Research Abstract Presenter: Caleb Kitcho, MD, PGY-5 fellow, Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship, University of Wisconsin, for the project, “Route of Nutrition Impacts Outcomes After Autologous Stem Cell Transplant for High-risk Neuroblastoma”

Best Education Abstract Presenter: Sushant Srinivasan, MD, MHPE, associate professor, Division of Critical Care, Department of Pediatrics, UW SMPH, “Brain Death Determination Simulation: Pilot Study”

Best Basic Science Research Abstract Award Presenter: Furkan Camci, PhD, research associate, Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, “Sexually Differentiated Gene Expressions Following Neonatal Hypoxia Ischemia: A Transcriptomic Study”