Chairman's Message
A message from David P. Ascher, MD, MBA
Chairman, Department of Pediatrics
Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children is devoted to the healthcare of infants, children and adolescents in the Northern Virginia area. We are located on the campus of Inova Health System's flagship hospital, 833-bed Inova Fairfax Hospital, in Falls Church, VA, where we share state-of-the-art technology and a dedicated team approach, linking patient care, teaching and research. As Northern Virginia's only pediatric tertiary care center, we provide only the highest level of care for our young patients.
It is an honor and a privilege to follow the visionary work of Dr. Mohsen Ziai and the program development of Dr. Michael Altieri. I am impressed with the growth and unlimited potential for a comprehensive Children's Hospital at Inova and in Northern Virginia. In the last few years, we have expanded our PICU and NICU, opened a 22-bed adolescent unit, opened a dedicated Pediatric Emergency Department, opened an intermediate care unit, and opened a procedural/sedation unit.
We value outstanding clinical care, and are proud to have achieved benchmarked outcomes in the top 15th percentile in our NICU, PICU and medical/surgical units.In addition, these outstanding outcomes extend to our pediatric cardiothoracic surgical program, which has grown to over 300 open heart cases/year.
Inova has become the northern campus of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, with 20 percent of the class of 2009 entering Pediatric residency training. All teaching faculty have appointments at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. We have 10 medical students on our inpatient service each block. Each year, we have 8-10 faculty win teaching awards and in 2008, Dr. Carpenter, Director of our Nursery Rotation, won the Golden Apple Teaching Award for the whole campus.
We have expanded our residency program to a total of 35 residents. I am proud to say we have a very culturally diverse residency program, mirroring the community in which we practice. We have implemented a very successful resident research curriculum under the direction of Dr. Karen Carpenter.
Eight residents presented research at the 2009 Pediatric Academic Society (PAS) Meeting in Baltimore, with nine lucky enough to have traveled to Honolulu for the 2008 PAS. Any resident presenting has the cost of the travel covered by the program.
We are in our fifth year of an international rotation in Honduras. In the last two years, we have developed a simulation program utilizing portable high-fidelity mannequins and have trained over 750 healthcare professionals. This year, we will develop and implement a robust advocacy curriculum. Approximately 40 percent of our residents choose to pursue subspecialty fellowships, with a 100 percent placement rate in the last eight years.
Our vision of the future continues to be exciting and dynamic. Within the next five years, the renovations of the Children's Hospital will have begun. As a not-for-profit healthcare provider, Inova Health System re-invests all of its income and contributions into programs, staff, services and technology to improve the health of the diverse community it serves and to meet its commitment to excellence in patient care, education and research.
Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children is committed to superior residency education, and I am proud of the amazing pediatricians and subspecialists we train at IFHC. We welcome your interest in our Pediatric Residency Program and urge you to explore our Web site for more information.
