Meet the Scholars – Health System Transformation and Leadership

Nathan Barefoot
Mentor Name:
Dr. Uduak Akpan, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Title:
Increasing ECHO Screening for Neonates with a Diagnosis of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia and Pulmonary Hypertension

Valentine Okafor
Mentor Name:
Dr. William Wooten, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Closing the Gap between Primary and Speciality care – A Crucial Intervention to Boost Vaccination Rates for Cystic Fibrosis patients at ECU Health

Hannah Rayala
Mentor Name:
Dr. Gregory Knapp, Department of Family Medicine
Project Title:
EPIC Secure Chat: Streamlining Hospital Communication and Enhancing Patient Care

Chance Rector
Mentor Name:
Dr. Maja Herco, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Title:
Reducing Vitamin K Refusal Rates in ECU Newborns

Jacob Richardson
Mentor Name:
Dr. Tilak Kilaria, Internal Medicine, ECU Health
Project Title:
Reduction of Hospital Acquired Infections within the Intermediate Care Unit

Blaiz Rodman
Mentor Name:
Dr. Shaundral Jamison, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Increase Adherence Rates to Well Child Visits

Michael Wright
Mentor Name:
Dr. Shadman Memarian, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Use of Point of Care Ultrasound vs Kub X-ray for Confirmation of Pediatric NG Tube Placement

Jonathan Bowling
Mentor Name:
Dr. Sarah Leonard, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Improving Sickle Cell Transition from Pediatric to Adult Care

Elizabeth Davidson
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jennifer Stahl, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Title:
Steroid Weaning in Septic Shock

Miles Farlow
Mentor Name:
Dr. Doug Schiller, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Title:
Tele-ICU

Uma Gaddamanugu
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jill Sutton, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Project Title:
Improving Screening for Food Insecurity Among High-Risk Pregnant Patients

Nupur Jain
Mentor Name:
Dr. Weili Chang, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Title:
Improving Screening and Management of Neonates with Thyroid Disorders

Taha Lodhi
Mentor Name:
Dr. Lacy Hobgood, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Improving Bone Density Screening at the Med-Peds Clinic

David Oakley
Mentor Name:
Dr. Shaundreal Jamison, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Improving Chlamydia Screening in 16-18 year olds in the ECU Peds outpatient clinic

Pankti Sheth
Mentor Name:
Dr. Kelly Bear, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Title:
Timely Extubation in Preterm Infants Born Less Than 28 Weeks Gestation and Birthweight Less Than 1500 Grams

Titilola Babatunde
Mentor Name:
Dr. Shadman Memarian, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Implementation of Ultrasound Guided Lumbar Punctures in Febrile Infants

Nolan Davis
Mentor Name:
Dr. Timothy Powell, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Improving Care for Peoples with Diabetes in the ECU Adult and Pediatric Healthcare Clinic

Ananya Koripella
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jennifer Sutter, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Improving Pediatrics Diabetes Transition to Adulthood

Serena Mooney
Mentor Name:
Dr. Uduak Akpan, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Title: Improving parental knowledge of the status of medically complex neonates through scheduled conferences

 Kevin Travia
Mentor Name: Dr. Uduak Akpan, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Title: Implementing Food Insecurity Screening in the NICU at Maynard Children’s Hospital

Rishita Yeduri
Mentor Name:
Dr. Mary Catherine Turner, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Improving Transition from Pediatric to Adult Health Care in ECU Med-Peds Clinic

Gary Allen
Mentor Name:
Dr. Gregory Knapp, Department of Family Medicine
Project Title:
Increasing Clinical Information Reconciliation in a Multihospital Academic Medical System

Mona Amin
Mentor Name:
Dr. Paul Swaney, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Project Title:
Alphabet Rounds in SICU

Garrett Berk
Mentor Name:
Dr. Danielle Walsh, Department of Surgery
Project Title:
Evaluation the Accuracy of the ACS NSQIP Pediatric Surgical Risk Calculator for the Vidant Patient Population

Anna Lisa Ciarrocca
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jennifer Stahl, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Title:
Enteral Feeding in Critically Ill Patients on Mechanical Ventilation in Prone Positioning: A Quality Endeavor

Kiane Douglas
Mentor Name:
Dr. Uduak Akpan, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Title:
Improving the transfer of Patients from the NICU to the Stepdown Nursery

Emily Downs
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jennifer Sutter, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Streamlining a scheduling process to increase attendance at initially scheduled appointment with clinic social worker in the Pediatric Diabetes Clinic

Brandon Garcia
Mentor Name:
Dr. Doyle “Skip” Cummings, Department of Family Medicine
Project Title:
Improving Screening to Address Social Determinants of Health in a Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic

Atif Mahmood
Mentor Name:
Dr. Roberto Portela, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Title:
Improving EMS Handoffs: Using the “IMIST-AMBO” Mnemonic to provide Standardized Structure & Organization

Grant O’Brien
Mentor Name:
Dr. Shaundreal Jamison, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Improving HPV Vaccination Rates at Well-child visits for 9-10 year-old patients at ECU Outpatient Pediatric Clinic

Nonye Onokalah
Mentor Name:
Dr. Mary Catherine Turner, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Closing Immunization Gaps: Improving Rates of Age-Appropriate Immunization Compliance for Adolescent Patients

Camille Bauer
Mentor Name:
Dr. Judith Ugale-Wilson, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Respiratory Support in the PICU and Peds Inpatient

Anita Gandhi
Mentor Name:
Dr. Mary Catherine Turner, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Increasing the completion and documentation of diabetic foot exams at the ECU Adult and Pediatric Health Care Clinic (APHC)

Atima Huria
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jennifer Sutter, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Improving Delivery Time of Insulin in non-DKA Hyperglycemic and/or Ketotic Patients aged 5-17 in the Children’s ED

Veronica Lavelle
Mentor Name:
Dr. Amanda Higginson, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Establishing a dental home through pediatric primary care

Mark Mcalister
Mentor Name:
Dr. Roberto Portela, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Title:
Reducing time to catheterization for STEMI’s identified in Pitt County prehospital care

Christel Molnar
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jennifer Stahl, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Title:
Increasing MICU transfer efficiency

Tejal Naik
Mentor Name:
Dr. Suzanne Lazorick, Departments of Pediatrics and Public Health
Project Title:
Creating Self Management Packets for New Patients at the Pediatric Healthy Weight Clinic

Tulsi Patel
Mentor Name:
Dr. James deVente, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Project Title:
Improving Standardized Care of Cesarean Section Patients

Usman Saqib
Mentor Name:
Dr. Lacy Hobgood, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Improving Patient’s Self-reporting of their At-home Blood Pressure Values at the Med-Peds Clinic

Julie Brown
Mentor Name:
Dr. Kathleen Bryant, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Title:
Improving asthma management for pediatric patients in the Children’s Emergency Department

Chris Chase
Mentor Name:
Dr. Audy Whitman, Department of Family Medicine
Project Title:
Improving Diabetic Retinopathy Screening in the Outpatient Primary Care Setting

Amber Gautam
Mentor Name:
Dr. James deVente, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Project Title:
Access to Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives for Patients in Eastern North Carolina

Juhi Gor
Mentor Name:
Dr. Timothy Powell, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Diabetes Management: Improving Rates of Eye Exams, Foot Exams, and HbA1c Levels

Kyle Luke
Mentor Name:
Dr. Shivajirao Patil, Department of Family Medicine
Project Title:
Diabetic Foot Exams: Improving rates

Arjun Patel
Mentor Name:
Dr. Ryan Moore, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Title:
Reducing Immunization Delays in Extremely Low Weight Infants in the NICU

Meera Patel
Mentor Name:
Dr. John Kohler, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Title:
Reducing the Rate of Contaminated Blood Draws Coming from the ED to the Microbiology Laboratory at Vidant Medical Center

Tyler Powell
Mentor Name:
Dr. John Kohler, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Title:
Improving ED Sepsis Identification through Implementation of a Triage Screening Tool

Sanjana Prabhu
Mentor Name:
Dr. Suzanne Lazorick, Departments of Pediatrics and Public Health
Project Title:
Improving Communication of Lab Results to Patients at the Pediatric Healthy Weight Clinic (HWC)

Greyson Vann
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jennifer Bennett, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Title:
Standardized Patient Handoffs for Emergency Medicine Residents

Amber Whitley
Mentor Name:
Dr. Susan Weiss, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Project Title:
Reducing Cryoprecipitate and Plasma Waste at Vidant Medical Center

Jubayer Ahmed
Mentor Name:
Dr. Toni Johnson, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
Project Title:
Routine Monitoring of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomology (QIDS-SR16) in Clinic Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

Samantha Curtis
Mentor Name:
Dr. Amanda Higginson, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Bilirubin turn-around time in an outpatient pediatric clinic: improving efficiency of time-sensitive lab results

Noopur Doshi
Mentor Name:
Dr. Gregory Knapp, Department of Family Medicine
Project Title:
Assessment of Alert Fatigue and Utility of Modified Early Warning System at Vidant Medical Center: A Quality Improvement Initiative

Jonathan LeCrone
Mentor Name:
Dr. Roberto Portela, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Title:
Pitt County EMS: Increasing Stroke Care Efficiency

Bennett Mack
Mentor Name:
Dr. Weili Chang, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Title:
Initiation of Cue-Based Feeding Guidelines in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit – A Quality Improvement Project

Chantel Morey
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jan Wong, Department of Surgery
Project Title:
Breast Cancer Conference EHR Template Improves Documentation of Clinical Staging

Chirag Patel
Mentor Name:
Dr. Michael Ritchie, Department of Internal Medicine
Project Title:
Improving the Mobility Protocol in the Cardiac ICU to Enhance Documentation and Patient Mobility

Allison Williams
Mentor Name:
Dr. Uduak Akpan, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Title:
Individualized fluid management in extremely preterm neonates to ensure adequate diuresis without increasing adverse complications

Aubrey Allen
Mentor Name:
Dr. Charles Phillips, Division of Dermatology
Project Title:
Examining No-Show Appointment Rates in an Outpatient Dermatology Clinic: An Approach to Scheduling Follow-Up Appointments

Adrian Ambrose
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jill Sutton, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Project Title:
Scan Me! An Improvement in the M3 Obstetrics & Gynecology Ultrasound Curriculum

Richard Andresen
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jennifer Stahl, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Title:
Dysphagia in short-term intubation patients

Chris Crotty
Mentor Name:
Dr. Roberto Portela, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Title:
High Quality Pit-Crew CPR: Doing the Ordinary Extraordinarily Well

Justin Hess
Mentor Name:
Dr. Clinton Faulk, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Project Title:
Increasing frequency of Functional Abilities scores

Jason Holbrook
Mentor Name:
Dr. Gregory Knapp, Department of Family Medicine
Project Title:
Modified Early Warning System: A Multidisciplinary Response Pathway

Anna Laughman
Mentor Name:
Dr. Mary Catherine Turner, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
Increasing Diabetic Foot Exam Screening Rates in the ECU Adult and Pediatric Health Care Clinic (APHC)

Valencia Quiett
Mentor Name:
Dr. Timothy Reeder, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Title:
Continuing Routine, Opt-Out HIV Testing in VMC ED, Children’s ED, & Minor ED

Pooja Sarin
Mentor Name:
Dr. James deVente, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Project Title:
Reducing the Rates of Newborn Hypothermia by Maintaining Operating Room Temperatures: A Quality Improvement Initiative

Akash Shah
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jason Foltz, Department of Family Medicine
Project Title:
Lowering Uncontrolled Hypertension Rates in the Purple Module of the Family Medicine Center

Paige Driver
Mentor Name:
Dr. Uduak Akpan, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Title:
Volume Targeted Ventilation in ELBW Infants at Birth to Reduce Risk of Hypocarbia

Elizabeth Ferruzzi
Mentor Name:
Dr. David Eldridge, Department of Pediatrics
Project Title:
The Effects of the I-PASS Handover Mnemonic in Medical Education

Ismail Kassim
Mentor Name:
Dr. Niti Armistead, Department of Internal Medicine
Project Title:
Reduction of Sepsis-Related Mortality at Vidant Medical Center (VMC) through Implementation of a Multidisciplinary Sepsis Pathway

Taj Nasser
Mentor Name:
Dr. Timothy Reeder, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Title:
From Bits and Bytes to Reality: Reduction in Patients Who Leave Without Treatment in the Emergency Department by using Computer Simulation to Redesign Nurse Staffing

Zachary Williams
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jason Foltz, Department of Family Medicine
Project Title:
Improving Care of Patients with Diabetes Using a Disease Registry