Continuous quality improvement and improving patient safety are critical components to the mission of Department of Pediatrics as well as the Pediatrics Residency Program. Our program has developed a comprehensive quality improvement and patient safety curriculum for our trainees in order to prepare them for the changing landscape of health care.
This includes:
- Teaching basic principles of continuous quality improvement (QI), performance improvement, team work, patient safety, learning from defects, and the culture of safety to residents
- Developing an infrastructure for residents to participate, design and lead QI and patient safety projects
- Creating of a forum for continuous review of individual, departmental, and health system quality metrics
- To improve the quality and safety of the care we deliver to our patients
All pediatric residents participate in the design and implementation of a quality improvement project. In the intern year, residents participate in hospital-wide initiatives. In the second and third year, residents select their own quality improvement project or elect to join an existing team to address an issue of their choosing using improvement methodology. Many important improvements in care for patients at Duke have been the result of efforts of our Pediatrics residents.
Pediatric Resident Safety Council
The mission of the Pediatric Resident Safety Council (PRSC) is to enhance patient safety through collaboration, innovation, and leadership at the resident level. The resident-led PRSC works to educate and engage fellow residents on quality improvement, process improvement, and patient safety. As part of its mission, the council organizes bimonthly morbidity and mortality conferences and takes action items from each conference to improve patient safety at Duke Children's.
Quality Improvement Projects
Resident-led quality improvement work, with the faculty mentor for each project.
2026
- Improving Neurology Follow-Up Scheduling After Emergency Department Visits for First-Time Seizures
Shaina Anderson (Class of 2028)
Neurology · Faculty mentor: Kelly Rang - Early Discharge for Low-Risk Patients with Febrile Neutropenia
Christopher Bassil (Class of 2027)
Hematology/Oncology · Faculty mentor: Hutton Chapman - Standardizing Postoperative Handoffs in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Kevin Blum (Class of 2026)
Neonatology · Faculty mentor: Kamlesh Athavale - Development of a Vaso-Occlusive Crisis Management Algorithm for Hospitalized Patients with Sickle Cell Disease
Bora Candir (Class of 2027)
Hematology/Oncology · Faculty mentor: Jennifer Rothman - Development of a Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome Management Pathway
Elyssa Farr (Class of 2026)
Newborn Nursery · Faculty mentor: Sophie Shaikh - Asthma Education Program for School Nurses
Emmanuelle Lavassani (Class of 2026)
Pulmonology · Faculty mentor: Mai El-Mallah - Improving Concordance with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Newborn Screening
Toluwanimi Ogungbesan (Class of 2026)
Allergy and Immunology · Faculty mentor: Geoffrey Hall; Talal Mousallem - Improving Asthma Discharge Planning
Natasha Ramaswamy (Class of 2027)
Pulmonology · Faculty mentor: Nour Akil - Development of a Penicillin Allergy Risk-Stratification Pathway
Karina Robinson (Class of 2026); Alexis Schuck (Class of 2026)
Allergy and Immunology · Faculty mentor: Amy Stallings - Reducing Unnecessary Laboratory Testing in the Pediatric Cardiac Step-Down Unit
Rachel Wolfe (Class of 2026)
Cardiology · Faculty mentor: Andrew McCrary
2025
- Increasing capture of patient-reported outcomes for those receiving methotrexate
Nicole Carson (Class of 2025)
Faculty mentor: Mary Buckley - Reducing Unnecessary Subsequent Blood Culture Utilization in Pediatric Patients with Central Lines
Alison Conca-Cheng (Class of 2025)
Faculty mentor: Ibukun Kalu - Universal STI screening at adolescent WCC
Jasmin Martin (Class of 2025); Marriam Elfakahany (Class of 2025)
Faculty mentor: Richard Chung - Shortening Inpatient Stay, Standardization of Bronchiolitis Patient Care
Sarah Fagan-Kellogg (Class of 2025)
Faculty mentor: Lisa Parnell - Improving ECMO deployment in the emergency department
Megan LeBlanc (Class of 2025)
Faculty mentor: Caroline Ozment - Improving Follow-up after ED-treated Asthma Exacerbation
Shannon Williams (Class of 2025) - Reducing Unnecessary Lab Draws on the Pediatric Cardiology Stepdown Unit
Haleigh McBride (Class of 2025); Rachel Wolfe (Class of 2026)
Faculty mentor: Andrew McCrary - Increasing utilization of asthma action plans when discharging inpatients
Elizabeth Woodburn (Class of 2025)
Faculty mentor: Mai El-Mallah
2024
- Decreasing post-op testing in low-risk NSU patients
Lauren Allen (Class of 2024)
Faculty mentor: Sameer Kamath - Identifying Social Drivers in Pediatrics through Project SEEK (Social driver Evaluation and Engagement in Kids)
Monica Alvarez (Class of 2024)
Faculty mentor: Colby Feeney - Increasing residents leading family meetings
Maggie Kent (Class of 2024); Sarah Andrew (Class of 2024)
Faculty mentor: Karen Jooste - PrEPare to test for HIV: Improving Guideline Concordant HIV Testing in Youth
Cesar Lopez Angel (Class of 2024)
Faculty mentor: Melissa Campbell - Decreasing ED to PICU Transfer Time
Andrew Brown (Class of 2024)
Faculty mentor: Emily Greenwald - Improving the discharge process from the PICU
Philip Carmon (Class of 2024) - Universal STI screening at adolescent WCC
Katie Jones (Class of 2024)
Faculty mentor: Richard Chung - Back to Sleep Safe Sleep Campaign
Alexis Dela Cruz (Class of 2024); Tatiana McIntyre (Class of 2024)
Faculty mentor: Sophie Shaikh and Kristina Nazareth-Pidgeon - Increasing Reach and Read participation
Nate Sinsheimer (Class of 2024)
Faculty mentor: Elizabeth Erickson - Standardizing pediatric brain tumor care in Tanzania
Rosie Spiegl (Class of 2024)
Faculty mentor: Kristin Schroeder - Mental health screening in Heme/Onc Patients
Audrey Ward (Class of 2024)
Faculty mentor: David Van Mater - Standardization of SCID+ newborn screens in NICU
Cynthia Zhou (Class of 2024)
Faculty mentor: Talal Mousallem
2023
- Breastfeeding during RSV admissions
Calisha Allen (Class of 2023)
Faculty mentor: Sophie Shaikh - OSA Screening in CF clinic
Trent Beeninga (Class of 2023)
Faculty mentor: Mai El-Mallah - Accuracy of early onset sepsis calculator in FTN
Jenna Berger (Class of 2023)
Faculty mentor: Sarah Germana - Mental Health Curriculum
Alexa Cohen (Class of 2023)
Faculty mentor: Jamie Fox - Adolescent Well Child Checks
Natalie Hernandez (Class of 2023); Hannah Driscoll (Class of 2023)
Faculty mentor: Amy Chung and Carolyn Avery - SDOH screening in endocrine clinic
Stephanie Giessner (Class of 2023)
Faculty mentor: Grace Hendrix - Pre-tracheostomy goals of care discussions
Marissa Hennelly (Class of 2023)
Faculty mentor: Megan Jordan - Mother's Own Milk: Improving Breastfeeding Rates in the Hospital
Kara Hoffman (Class of 2023); Chelsea Lockyear (Class of 2023)
Faculty mentor: Deesha Mago-Shah - Improving residents mental health education
Elizabeth McCain (Class of 2023)
Faculty mentor: Jamie Fox - Safe Sleep Practices
Renyta Scales (Class of 2023)
Faculty mentor: Sophie Shaikh - Decreasing post-op testing in low-risk NSU patients
Daniel Critchfield (Class of 2023); Shivani Shah (Class of 2026)
Faculty mentor: Sameer Kamath - Screening for food insecurity/and food pantry
Elizabeth Atteh (Class of 2023); Cole Shapiro (Class of 2023)
Faculty mentor: Carolyn Avery and Emily McCormick