Inside Pediatrics Spring 2018

JOINED AT THE HIP

To the naked eye, they’re just sky bridges, but to Children’s of Alabama and University of Alabama at Birmingham neonatologists and researchers, the pathways impact advancements in clinical care, education and research worldwide.

T he sky bridges connecting the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Women & Infants Center and Children’s of Alabama provide more than a means of travel from point A to B. For the UAB/ Children’s Division of Neonatology, the sky bridges not only facilitate seamless clinical care but also seamless research collaborations. “It’s a tremendous benefit,” said Trent Tipple, M.D., UAB associate professor of pediatrics, director of neonatology faculty development and co-director of the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Training Program. “The integration is one that just makes sense. It eliminates a lot of barriers that can make research frustrating and allows one to focus on designing the best study with the necessary personnel;

to really think about how to execute a study rather than whether a study can be done.” “It’s one of the unique features here. UAB’s Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Children’s NICU are literally joined at the hip,” said Namasivayam Ambalavanan, M.D., UAB professor of pediatrics, neonatology division co-director, director of the Translational Research in Normal & Disordered Development (TReNDD) Program at UAB and principal investigator of the UAB Research Center. “This makes clinical care a lot better, and research also improves.” Carl “Tim” Coghill, M.D., UAB professor of pediatrics and medical director of Children’s NICU, said the physical proximity not only serves as a benefit

to clinicians and researchers but also patient families facing what can be a stressful experience. “Many freestanding children’s hospitals are blocks away from their associated delivery units, making it difficult for consultants to see the infants without transfer away from the mother,” Coghill said. “Children’s of Alabama used to be two blocks from UAB with no connecting bridge. With the present bridge, the closest NICU bed at UAB is only 75 feet from the nearest NICU bed at Children’s, which is closer than some beds are to each other in other respective units.” Coghill continued, “The ability to stay with a nursing staff that you know and a hospital that you are familiar with while continuing to get the best care

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