News at CHOP: Spring 2024

Renata Arrington Sanders, MD, Named Chief, Craig Dalsimer Division of Adolescent Medicine

CHOP has appointed Renata Arrington Sanders, MD, as Chief of the Craig Dalsimer Division of Adolescent Medicine, succeeding Carol A. Ford, MD, who served as Chief for more than 13 years and will remain at CHOP.

Before joining CHOP, Sanders was associate professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, with joint appointments in the Department of Epidemiology and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Department of Health, Behavior and Society. She is an expert in adolescent sexually transmitted infection(s), HIV prevention and treatment, caring for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, school-based health center needs, and transition to adult care.

Ouch! Pediatric E-Scooter Injuries Rose More than 70% from 2020 to 2021

The number of injuries associated with riding electric scooters (e-scooters) rose dramatically from 2020 to 2021, according to new research from CHOP. The research, presented at the 2023 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference, found that e-scooter injuries rose by 71% over the study period, with white teenage boys ages 16 to 18  making up the majority of injuries.

“This work emphasizes the importance of educating parents and young riders about the potential risks of e-scooters, as well as safety measures they can take to prevent serious injury,” says senior abstract author and orthopaedic surgeon J. Todd Lawrence, MD, PhD.

Other key findings: the most injured body part was the head, and among patients with head injuries, nearly 67% were not wearing a helmet at the time of injury.

Two CHOP Research Leaders Elected to National Academy of Medicine

Congratulations to CHOP Chief Scientific Officer Susan Furth, MD, PhD, and CHOP pediatrician and PEDSnet founder Christopher B. Forrest, MD, PhD, who were recently elected to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in health and medicine.

COVID-19 Vaccine Reduces Risk of ‘Long COVID’

Led by investigators from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, researchers have found that the COVID-19 vaccination provides moderate protection against persistent health problems in the months after a COVID-19 infection, or “long COVID.” Vaccination also has a stronger effect in adolescents, who have a higher risk of developing long COVID than young children.

Lead study author Hanieh Razzaghi, PhD, MPH, of PEDSnet and CHOP, and others analyzed results from a large-scale collaboration of health systems from PCORnet^® that encompassed a cohort of 1 037 936 children. The study, published in Pediatrics, estimated effectiveness of the vaccine within 12 months of administration as 35.4% against probable long COVID and 41.7% against diagnosed long COVID.

CHOP Surgeons Find Over-the-Counter Medications Control Pain after Elbow Surgery as Effectively as Opioids

Children who take only ibuprofen or acetaminophen after routine elbow surgery report similar pain control to patients who take opioids, according to a new study by CHOP researchers. The study, published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, suggests surgeons can confidently recommend over-the-counter medications to patients after elbow surgery and discontinue the routine prescription of opioids

“Pain is an important indicator of post-surgical recovery, and we want to make sure kids are not suffering needlessly, but we also want to make sure we are controlling pain in a responsible way,” says senior author and attending orthopaedic surgeon Apurva S. Shah, MD, MBA. “This study provides support for recommending acetaminophen and ibuprofen to patients after elbow fracture surgery, which will improve opioid stewardship for this common surgery and potentially for others like it.”