Department of Pediatrics - About Us

Mission

The University of Louisville Department of Pediatrics exists to meet the health-related needs of children within environments that each child and family can perceive as safe.  We serve this mission through excellence in clinical care, medical education, pediatric research and community engagement, while inclusive of all.

Vision

The Department of Pediatrics is to be:

  • An inclusive environment that nurtures diversity among its faculty, staff and trainees as it pursues its missions
  • A center of excellence in children’s healthcare, in partnership with Norton Children’s Hospital, through provision of evidence-based, patient-centered, high quality, high value diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive health services
  • Outstanding and innovative educators for our pediatrics residency training program, medical student rotations, and fellowship programs, with a faculty that models effective work-life balance
  • A national leader in pediatric clinical/clinical-translational trials, health services research, and education research, and a substantial contributor to basic science knowledge in childhood diabetes and neurosciences
  • Known for principled advocacy for children’s health and health equity and for community engagement and global health efforts that improve the lives of all in our city, our state, and beyond.
Our pediatric specialists work with community partners to provide a full range of services to children throughout Louisville, Southern Indiana, the commonwealth of Kentucky and the region. We provide clinical health care through our affiliation with the Norton Children's system of hospitals and outpatient practices.  We also provide services in Pediatrics units at UofL Hospital, Owensboro Medical Center and Baptist Health Paducah.

Our faculty are researchers who explore innovation in pediatric medicine. They are leaders in their fields, serving on local, regional and national committees and organizations, helping to set standards of care and formulate new models of treatment. They are educators, focused on training the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists.

The UofL Department of Pediatrics is home to several training programs. We offer Pediatrics residency and collaborate with the UofL Department of Medicine on a Medicine-Pediatrics residency program. Our Child & Adolescent Psychiatry & Psychology division offers a Psychology internship, a Child Psychiatry residency program and a post-doctoral fellowship program. Our department also offers pediatric fellowship training programs in: Child Abuse Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases, Pulmonology,Developmental - Behavioral Pediatrics, Critical Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Neonatology.

At the University of Louisville Department of Pediatrics, we know that the world of tomorrow will inherit the children of today. We firmly believe that ours is among the highest callings, perhaps second only to parenting. We're proud of the work we do and pledge to always put children first.

To donate to the Department of Pediatrics visit 'Give to Pediatrics'

Department Chair

Kimberly A. Boland, MD, FAAP

Department Chair, Pediatrics
Billy F. Andrews, MD Endowed Chair in Pediatrics
Chief of Staff, Norton Children's Hospital
Leadership Bio

 

Executive Vice Chair

In K. Kim, MD, MBA
Executive Vice-Chair - Pediatrics
Executive Medical Director, Norton Children's Medical Group
Director, Center for Health Process Innovation
Leadership Bio



Vice Chairs

V. Faye Jones, MD, Ph.D., MSPH
Vice-Chair - Pediatrics Inclusive Excellence
Associate Vice President for Health Affairs - Diversity Initiatives
Leadership Bio

 

Sara M. Multerer, MD, FAAP
Vice-Chair - Pediatrics Medical Education
Director, Pediatric Residency Program
Leadership Bio

 

Jan E. Sullivan, MD, FAAP, FCCM, CPI
Vice-Chair -  Pediatrics Research
Leadership Bio




Administrative Staff

Accounting & Finance

Communications & Marketing

Faculty Affairs & Human Resources

Information Technology & Facilities

Medical Education

From: Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure <donotreply@ky.gov>
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2022 3:59 PM
To:

 

Subject: CDC HAN Update: Updated Recommendations for Adenovirus Testing and Reporting of Children with Acute Hepatitis of Unknown Etiology

Dear Healthcare Partners Agencies,

Please see below and attached updated Health Alert from CDC regarding acute pediatric hepatitis of unknown etiology and distribute to your constituents as appropriate.

Summary
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Update to provide clinicians and public health authorities with updated information about an epidemiologic investigation of pediatric cases of hepatitis of unknown etiology in the United States. This investigation focuses on collecting information to describe the epidemiology, etiology, clinical presentation, severity, and risk factors related to illness and to identify any relationship between adenovirus infection or other factors and hepatitis. As of May 5, 2022, CDC and state partners are investigating 109 children with hepatitis of unknown origin across 25 states and territories, more than half of whom have tested positive for adenovirus with more than 90% hospitalized, 14% with liver transplants, and five deaths under investigation. Because this investigation is ongoing and includes reviewing cases of hepatitis of unknown cause with onset since October 2021, patients under investigation are not limited to current or newly diagnosed pediatric hepatitis illnesses.

This HAN Health Update also provides updated recommendations for testing specimens from patients under investigation. It is an update to a HAN Health Advisory that CDC issued on April 21, 2022, that initially notified clinicians and public health authorities of children identified with hepatitis of unknown origin and adenovirus infection.

Background
A cluster of pediatric cases of hepatitis without an apparent etiology was identified and reported to CDC in November 2021. A possible association between pediatric hepatitis and adenovirus infection is under investigation after laboratory testing identified adenovirus infection in all nine patients in the initial cluster; the five specimens that could be typed were all adenovirus type 41. Investigators continue to examine the role of other possible causes and identify contributing factors.

Recommendations for Clinicians

  • Clinicians should continue to follow standard practice for evaluating and managing patients with hepatitis of known and unknown etiology.
  • Clinicians are recommended to consider adenovirus testing for patients with hepatitis of unknown etiology and to report such cases to their state or jurisdictional public health authorities.
  • Because the potential relationship between adenovirus infection and hepatitis is still under investigation, clinicians should consider collecting the following specimen types if available from pediatric patients with hepatitis of unknown cause for adenovirus detection:
    • Blood specimen collected in Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA) (whole blood, plasma, or serum); whole blood is preferred to plasma and serum) 
    • Respiratory specimen (nasopharyngeal swab, sputum, or bronchioalveolar lavage [BAL]) 
    • Stool specimen or rectal swab; a stool specimen is preferred to a rectal swab 
    • Liver tissue, if a biopsy was clinically indicated, or if tissue from native liver explant or autopsy is available:
      • Formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) liver tissue 
      • Fresh liver tissue, frozen on dry ice or liquid nitrogen immediately or as soon as possible, and stored at ≤ -70°C 

Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), is preferred for adenovirus detection (currently not available for FFPE liver biopsy or native liver explant). Testing whole blood by PCR is more sensitive to and is preferred over testing plasma by PCR. 

Where possible, clinical specimens should be tested locally to ensure timely results for patient care. If patients are still under medical care or have residual specimens available, please save and freeze them for possible additional testing.

The current working case definition to investigate the possible correlation of adenovirus 41 and pediatric hepatitis is:

  1. Children under 10 years of age with
  2. Elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) OR alanine aminotransferase (ALT) > 500 U/L without
  3. Known etiology of the cause of hepatitis with or without Adenovirus testing results
  4. Since October 2021

For More Information

To Report a Suspected Case

  • Email KDPH at reportable.diseases@ky.gov or
  • Call KDPH at 888-9-REPORT after hours or on weekends. 
  • Contact your local health department.

Thank you for your attention and support,

Kathleen Winter, PhD, MPH
State Epidemiologist
Director, Division of Epidemiology and Health Planning
Kentucky Department for Public Health
275 East Main Street
Frankfort, KY  40621