A Message from the Chair

Warmer days bring thoughts of vacations and summer breaks, but this season is busy for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

The highlight of the summer months is the arrival of our 2024 class of pediatric, child neurology and med/peds interns and our incoming pediatric fellows. These 23 residents and nine fellows will join the Department of Pediatrics on July 1. These include three pediatric hematology/oncology fellows, two pediatric cardiology fellows, two child neurology fellows, one neonatal/perinatal fellow, one pediatric emergency medicine fellow, 16 pediatric residents, two child neurology residents and five med/peds residents.

Twelve of this incoming class of residents are UMMC graduates, which should make all of us proud of how we’re fulfilling our mission of medical education in the state. Others graduated from medical schools ranging from William Carey University in Hattiesburg to Sheikh Zayed Medical College and Hospital in Pakistan. 

We’re excited to welcome each of them to the Medical Center and our Department of Pediatrics and hope to give them the best preparation for their health care careers.

Their promise, plus the achievements honored in the 2024 Pediatrics Awards, show the bright future of our Department of Pediatrics.

Our pediatric research includes serving as one of five sites in the nation dedicated to enrolling more African American families affected by autism in SPARK, the world’s largest study of autism spectrum disorder.

Pediatrics at UMMC has a proud history, too. We can see how that’s continuing to help our former patients live healthy lives today. Monica Harrion had surgery to correct a congenital heart condition when she was 8 years old. Fifty years later, she’s enjoying a healthy life and a career in art and design. You can read more about her in this issue.

We’re also announcing a gift from a young scholar and philanthropist. Antonina Karam, daughter of Dr. Rola Abi Selah and Dr. Simon Karam. After winning a reading award at her school, she decided to donate her prize to the state’s only children’s hospital.

You can also learn about continuing education opportunities through Pediatric Grand Rounds, Department of Pediatrics achievements and awards, and upcoming events, all in this quarter’s issue of Pediatric Update.

Thanks go to each of you for being a part of Mississippi’s pediatric community and for caring for the children of our state.

Sincerely,

Mary B. Taylor, M.D., M.S.C.I.

Professor of Pediatrics

Suzan B. Thames Chair, Department of Pediatrics