Maine Medical Center
Group shot of MMC Pediatric Residents standing together outside

Scholarly Activity

Lauren McGovern MD
Lauren McGovern, MD presenting her Quality Improvement Project poster on "Decreasing Transportation Barriers at Hospital Discharge" at the APA Regional Meeting; Children’s Waltham, March 2019

Residency is an opportune time to explore all facets of medical education, further intellectual curiosity, and establish a basis upon which to build adult learning skills. Participating in scholarly activity during residency is a great way to expand learning beyond the clinical setting.

In my role as Associate Program Director, I work to ensure that our residents are able to explore various aspects of scholarly work. We are proud to offer a wide range of both structured and independent scholarly activities that are integrated throughout the curriculum in a variety of settings from the bedside to didactic sessions. The ACQUIRE scholarly activity rotation in the intern and 2nd years is a unique experience that introduces residents to scholarly activity in Advocacy/Community, Quality Improvement, Research, and Education, while also providing independent time to begin a long term scholarly project over the remainder of residency. This is followed up by the Advocacy rotation in 2nd year, the Teach rotation in 3rd year (aimed at maturing residents' teaching skills), and an optional scholarly activity elective during 2nd or 3rd year. Our residents are also required to participate in several structured activities during residency, such as Journal Club, Health Equity Rounds, Quality Improvement projects, and formal educational presentations at Mid-Day Report and Grand Rounds.

Our faculty have expertise and interest in incredibly diverse areas of pediatrics scholarship, including basic science, clinical research, educational research, policy, and advocacy, and are very eager to partner with residents in scholarly work. Collaboration between residents and faculty is further supported by the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital Scholars Academy and the Faculty-Resident Scholarship Program, which are departmental programs that provide research navigation, financial support, opportunities for feedback on projects in progress, and further opportunities for education. Through these collaborations and mentorships, residents regularly are able to pursue independent academic development resulting in poster and platform presentations at regional and national academic meetings, authorship of journal articles, and participation in existing clinical research projects.

Amy Buczkowski, MD 
Associate Program Director, Pediatrics Residency Program 
Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hospital Medicine

Fall 2021-Fall 2022:

  • Amy Buczkowski with Aaron Wallace (2023): A Qualitative Study of Parental Experience of the Eat, Sleep, Console Protocol for Management of NOWS
  • Jill Gregory with Bill White (2022): Cannabis Toxicity in Pediatric Patients Following Statewide Legalization of Recreational Use
  • Mike Zubrow with Emily Kelly (2023): Bedside Thoracic Ultrasound-Guided Assessment of Lung Inflation in Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Spring 2022-Spring 2023:

  • Noah Diminick & Annie Coates with Amanda Gagnon (2023): Improvement in Interdisciplinary ED and Hospital Care of Pediatric Asthma (contingent upon IRB approval)
  • Roslyn Gerwin with Marlow Easterling & Hannah Burley (Child Psych Fellows): Characteristics of suicide attempts amongst rural youth: A retrospective review of hospitalized pediatrics patients
  • Meredith Jackson with Bela DeOliveira (2024): QI Project: Alignment of BBCH Management of Febrile Infants with National Guidelines

Please find more information about Awardees at BBCH Scholarship Academy Members - MITE MMC Institute for Teaching Excellence

Bela DeOliviera, Maria Libertin, Julia Oppenheimer, Mitch Peterson, Hannah Yeomans, and Makenzie Zidek (all 2024) are working together on a combined QI and advocacy project aimed at improving COVID vaccination rates in the underserved children and families who attend the MMC pediatrics residency clinic. They are working with Dr.’s Amy Buczkowski and Steve DiGiovanni on this comprehensive project.

Danielle Doctor (2023) is collaborating with Dr. Michael Dedekian in pediatric endocrinology on QI project to improve documentation of and referral rates for pediatric obesity within pediatrics across MaineHealth. She is also working on an advocacy project developing an educational intervention for local middle school aged children to participate in “mini-medical school”. Lastly, she is participating in a research team with Dr. Logan Murray on qualitative analysis of interviews of parents of children with medical complexity.

Aaron Wallace (2023) is working on a novel medical education project with a curricular intervention to improve resident evaluation of medical students. He is collaborating with medical educators both within the pediatric residency as well as faculty responsible for oversight of medical student education within pediatrics.

Haley Pelletier (2023) has launched a quality improvement project with attending neonatologist, Dr. Gina Trachimowicz, designed to improve follow-up evaluation for infants who require repeat car seat evaluation for safe transport after discharge from the NICU.

Heather Reilley (2023) is doing a medical education and advocacy project evaluating our global health curriculum and the use of a local support group for refugee/asylee seeking/immigrant adolescents.

Amanda Gagnon (2023) has taken on a QI project in our resident continuity clinic to improve screening for ENDS (electronic nicotine delivery system) use in the adolescent population with goal of improving referral for quitting interventions.

Sarah DiBrigida (2023) is doing a comprehensive QI project to improve access to appropriate interpreter services in our resident clinic through both improved workflow and leveraging technological interventions. She has also begun a separate project looking at improving the provision of material regarding healthy diet and exercise in other languages to children and families with limited English proficiency.

Sarah Reynolds, MD (2022) and Rachel Coffey, DO (2022) have launched an ambitious project to incorporate techniques of the Autism Friendly Initiative into the care of children at Maine Medical Center. Through a combination of advocacy and quality improvement strategies, they hope to change both the inpatient and outpatient experience of families affected by autism by creating EHR tools to help guide providers on best ways to interact with patients with autism, global developmental delay, or intellectual disability.

Colbey Bowen, DO (2022) is working on a quality improvement project in our NICU/CCN to examine the use of combination or individual vaccinations in the care of very premature infants who spend multiple months in the hospital after birth.

Robin Wolschendorf, MD (2022) has joined our pediatric hospitalists in a study of parental attitudes surrounding safe sleep for infants on our inpatient unit. Additionally, he has begun an advocacy project in our residency clinic that aims to improve the screening, referral, and access to child developmental services for families in whom English is a second language. He is also working with pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Tom Miller, to improve the screening for and identification of complex congenital heart disease patients with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Amber Brown, DO (2022) is completing research on the use of OMT (osteopathic manipulative treatment) in inpatients on the hematology/oncology service and how this therapy may improve quality of life.

Anna Sagaser, MD (2022) has submitted a poster abstract as well as initiated publication on a study looking at the comparison of measuring POC versus whole blood glucose levels to best manage hypoglycemia in our at-risk newborn nursery population. She has also begun working with Dr. Alexa Craig, attending neonatal neurologist, on a project to evaluate and improve trauma-informed care in the NICU.

Dan Trigg, MD (2021) has created an advocacy/community based project in cooperation with a local bicycle store. He is using quality improvement techniques to screen for helmet use in the residency clinic and then provide vouchers for free bicycle helmets to underserved children who currently do not have access to or the means to obtain a helmet otherwise

Lauren McGovern, MD (2021) has completed quality improvement work on improving barriers to transportation for hospitalized patients with several of our hospitalist attending pediatricians. She has presented her work at regional Academic Pediatric Association meetings and recently had a virtual poster accepted at for a national AAP conference.

Kyle Deerwester, MD (2021) helped developed a pilot study assessing the safety of mothers holding their infants during therapeutic hypothermia and assessed the stability of vital signs during holding and the qualitative impact of holding on mothers and nurses. Kyle’s poster was presented at the Brain Monitoring and Neuroprotection Conference in Ireland in October 2017, at the Costas-Lambrew Research Conference at MMC in May 2018, and was subsequently published in 2019 in Acta Paediatrica. Kyle has continued other scholarly activity in studying educational techniques for improving arterial puncture through the use of Point-of-Care Ultrasound with our PICU attendings in 2020.

Kalyn Utley, MD (2021) has been working on quality improvement projects within the division of hematology/oncology focused on improving care and reducing length of stay for children admitted with fever and neutropenia as well as ongoing case reports in neuro-oncology.

Lauren McGovern, MD (2021) has completed quality improvement work on improving barriers to transportation for hospitalized patients. She has presented her work at regional Academic Pediatric Association meetings.

Hilary Schroeder, MD (2021), Chris Rogers, DO (2020), and Karl Santiago, MD (2020) have all been working on an advocacy project for a local family shelter to better determine what medical needs can be met at the shelter and how to collaborate with the MMC pediatric clinic.

Kyle Deerwester, MD (2021) was a research assistant for a clinical trial on the use of delayed rewarming for neuroprotection in infants after congenital heart surgery. During this time frame, Kyle also developed his own pilot study assessing the safety of mothers holding their infants during therapeutic hypothermia and assessed the stability of vital signs during holding and the qualitative impact of holding on mothers and nurses. Kyle’s poster was presented at the Brain Monitoring and Neuroprotection Conference in Ireland in October 2017, at the Costas-Lambrew Research Conference at MMC in May 2018, and was subsequently published in 2019 in Acta Paediatrica. 

Rate of Recognition and Referral in Early-Onset Severe Obesity. Doctor D, Dedekian M. Costas Lambrew Research Retreat, Portland, ME. May 3, 2023. Poster

A Perfect Cloudy Storm. Iyer J, Mathes J, Doctor D, Coates A, Fey J. Maine AAP Spring Conference, Rockport, ME. April 29, 2023. Poster.

Caregiver perspectives on Telemedicine for children with medical complexity. Doctor D, Murray L, Payne A. APA Region 1 Meeting, Waltham, MA. March 27, 2023. Poster.

Gettin’ By is Tough: Poverty Training Increases Understanding of Individual and Structural Patient Barriers. Doctor D, Yeomans H, Riddell L, Buczkowski A. Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, Washington, DC. April 27, 2023 & Association of Pediatric Program Directors Conference, Atlanta, GA. March 29, 2023. Poster.

A Hairy Affair. Doctor D, Buczkowski A, Bennett S. Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Virtual Conference. August 5, 2021. Poster.

Car-bed Discharge Process and Follow up” (2022). Costas Lambrew Research Retreat

Car-bed Discharge Process and Follow up” (2022). Vermont Oxford Network Improvement Science Virtual Poster Expo

Annie Coates, Amanda Gagnon, Noah Diminick, Improvement in Inter-Disciplinary ED and Hospital Care of Pediatric Asthma, Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Conference (Rockport, ME) and Costas Lambrew Retreat (Portland, ME)

Wallace A, Cutler A, Motyl C, Bennett S, Reynolds TQ.  Inclusion of Student Assessment Training in an Existing Residents as Teachers Curriculum, Poster presentation at Association Pediatric Program Directors National meeting, May 2022.

Reynolds S, Coffey R, Hubbard C, Dunn S.  The Behavioral Support Checklist: Making MM More Autism Friendly, Poster presentation at AAP, Maine Chapter Spring Conference, May 2022.

Pelletier H, Trachimowicz G.  Improving Car-Bed Discharge Process and Follow-Up, Poster Presentation at Costas Lambrew Research Retreat, Maine Medical Center, May 2022.

Pelletier H, Motyl C.  Formula Mixing, Invited Presenter, Maine Medical Center Quality Improvement Symposium, September 2021.

Dibrigida S.  Improving Interpreter Services in Pediatric Residency Clinic, Invited Presenter, Northern New England Advocacy Conference, Dartmouth Medical School, September 2021.

Gagnon A, DeOliveira G, Behmer R, McElwain L (April 2022). “ALCAPA: A Heart Breaking Cause of FTT”, abstract and poster presentation, Maine American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Annual Meeting (Rockport, ME) and New England Pediatric Hospital Medicine Annual Conference (Boston, MA)

Libertin M, Trachimowicz G, McElwain L, Chaleff S (April 2022) “Prolonged Bleeding After Circumcision in a 1-day-old Infant”, abstract and poster presentation, Maine American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Annual Meeting (Rockport, ME)

Wolschendorf R, Logan Murray, Jennifer Hayman, (Spring 2022) "Impact of Social Media on Safe Sleep", Poster Session presented at: Maine AAP Annual Meeting and Lambrew Research Symposium and National Cribs for Kids Conference

Diamond-Falk K, Kornkven A, Felix B, Schaumburg J, Nuki G (2022). “Development of an Immigrant Health Elective” presented at Academic Internal Medicine Week 2022 in Charlotte, NC

M Chase, M Libertin, Lorraine McElwain (June 2022). “Pulmonary Disease Masked with Neurologic Symptoms”, abstract and poster presentation, New England Pediatric Hospital Medicine Annual Conference (Boston, MA)

Brown, A., Chaleff, S. (2021, June 12). Anaplastic astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma presenting as simultaneous primary brain tumors in a pediatric patient: The first known report of a rare condition. Society for Neuro-Oncology Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Conference, Virtual.

Brown, A., Bennett, S., Hayman, J. (2021, May 5). Purulent Pericarditis in the Setting of Disseminated CA-MRSA Infection: A Rare Condition in Children. Society of Hospital Medicine Converge Meeting, Virtual.

Anna Sagaser, MD; Misty Melendi, MD; Brian Youth, MD; Bridget Manning; Wendy Craig PhD. Neonatal Hypoglycemia: A Comparison of Point of Care and Radiometer Glucose Tests. Highlighted E-poster with live Q&A session, Pediatric Academic Societies Virtual Conference, May 2021.

Anna Sagaser, MD; Misty Melendi, MD; Brian Youth, MD; Bridget Manning; Wendy Craig PhD. Neonatal Hypoglycemia: A Comparison of Point of Care and Radiometer Glucose Tests. Poster presentation, Costas Lambrew Research Retreat, Maine Medical Center, May 2021.

Anna Sagaser, MD; Misty Melendi, MD; Brian Youth, MD; Bridget Manning; Wendy Craig PhD. Neonatal Hypoglycemia: A Comparison of Point of Care and Radiometer Glucose Tests. Poster presentation, New England Perinatal Society Annual Conference, April 2021.

Brown, A., Bennett, S., Hayman, J. (2021, April 9). Purulent Pericarditis Secondary to Disseminated Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection: A Rare Condition in Children. DOing Pediatric Education Together: The Resilient Child. Joint virtual conference of the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians (ACOP) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Osteopathic Pediatricians, Virtual.

Brown, A., Bennett, S., Hayman, J. (2021, February 12). Purulent Pericarditis Secondary to Disseminated CA-MRSA Infection: A Rare Condition in Children. Maine Osteopathic Association Midwinter Symposium, Virtual.

Utley, K., Dedekian, M., Wilson, J., & Chaleff, S.. (December, 2020). Choroid plexus adenoma without associated hydrocephalus presenting as precocious puberty Poster presented at: The International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology; Nagano, JPN.

Utley, K., Reuter, J., Lei, L. Evans, D., Wilson, J., & Chaleff, S.. (December, 2020). Novel NF1 mutations in two occurrences of GBM in a patient with constitutional mismatch repair deficiency syndrome Poster presented at: The International Symposium on Pediatric
Neuro-Oncology; Nagano, JPN.

Brown, A., Bennett, S., Hayman, J. (2020, November 5). Disseminated CA-MRSA infection with pericarditis and endocarditis: a rare condition in children. Society of Hospital Medicine District 1 Regional Meeting, Virtual.

Utley, K.D., Mcmahon, K.L., McElwaine, L.L. (2020, October). Rickets related to cultural issues. Poster presented at Society of Hospital Medicine District 1 Virtual Poster Competition Research Conference, Virtual.

L McElwain, S Hoffman, A Buczkowski, L McGovern, C Taylor: "Inpatient Strategies to Reduce Transportation Barriers Lead to Improved Attendance at Post-Hospitalization Appointments: An Interprofessional Quality Improvement Project," accepted as a Virtual Poster at the first-ever virtual AAP National Conference & Exhibition, at the Section on Hospital Medicine, October 2020

C. Ezzio, A Buczkowski, L McElwain. Clinical Conundrum mini platform: Lumps and bumps in an inflamed patient: not just another case of the terrible twos. Pediatrics Hospitalist Medicine Conference July 2020

C. Ezzio, A. Coates, C. Murray, J. Meserve. Clinical Conundrum: Recurrent Stridor in an 18-month-old. Pediatric Hospitalist Medicine Conference. July 2019

C. Ezzio, K. Deerwester, M. Bryden. Clinical Conundrum: Emesis and Hyponatremia in a 5-month-old with total colonic Hirschsprung’s disease. Maine AAP Spring Conference. May 2019

Stanley L, Hoffman S, Mallory L, Coppen S, Longnecker L, Correia R, Maloney E, Douglas A, Holmes R, McElwain L: “Do our patients have transportation barriers?” Poster session presented at: Region 1 APA Conference, 2019 Mar 18; Waltham, MA

C. Ezzio, A. Coates, C. Murray, J. Meserve. Clinical Conundrum: Recurrent Stridor in an 18-month-old. Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine Conference. February 2018

Fox L, Diminick N, Fey J, Crosby P, Cyr K, Youth B, Charron J, Stiles S, Tsai-Leonard D, Morin H, Bourque J, Dumais C, Hewitt W, and McElwain L: “Quality Improvement Project Leads to Improved Adherence to AAP Recommendations Regarding Supplementation of Vitamin D in Infants, Without Delaying Discharge from Newborn Nursery.” Poster session presented at: AAP National Conference and Exhibition; 2018 Nov 4; Orlando, FL

Jacobs E. and Wyatt C. Secondhand Nicotine Exposure in Pediatrics: A Pilot Study of Children and Parents Exposed to Electronic Cigarettes. AAP National Conference and Exhibition, November 2-6, 2018, Orlando, FL

Bryden M. Improving Safe Sleep Compliance in a Pediatric Inpatient Unit and Newborn Nursery Using Quality Improvement Methodology from the American Academy of Pediatrics Education and Safe Sleep Environment (EASE) Project. AAP National Conference and Exhibition, November 2-6, 2018, Orlando, FL.

Bateman JR, Hatfield LS, Morris L, Stepp KA, Kaufer DI. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory – Questionnaire (NPI-Q) in Clinical Practice: A Retrospective Review. American Neuropsychiatric Association Conference Poster Presentation, March 23, 2018, Boston, MA.

Fox L, Craig A, Deerwester K, Jacobs J, Evans S. “Feasibility of Maternal Holding during Therapeutic Hypothermia for Infants with Neonatal Encephalopathy.” Poster session presented at: 10th International Conference on Brain Monitoring and Neuroprotection in the Newborn; 2017 Oct 5-7; Killarney, IRE

Stepp KA, DiCesare D, Mallory L, and Hayman J. Provider Preferences for Communication About Medically Complex Patients. Pediatric Hospital Medicine Conference Poster Presentation; July 22, 2017, Nashville, TN.

Stepp KA, Folker C, Tanzer M, Reynolds T, Hayman J, and Mallory L. Autoimmune Channelopathy Presents as Catecholamine Excess. Pediatric Hospital Medicine Conference Poster Presentation, July 20, 2017, Nashville, TN

Sedney S. Two Month Old with Fever and a Rash. Poster Presentation; vignettes. Society of Hospital Medicine Annual Meeting. Las Vegas, NM. May 2017.

St. Onge I. Fever and irritability in a 16 day old Infant. Poster Presentation; vignettes. Society of Hospital Medicine Annual Meeting. Las Vegas, NM. May 2017.

Bryden M, Lord M. Improving the Pediatric Medication Discharge Process: a multidisciplinary approach. Oral Presentation, Children’s Hospital Association Quality & Safety Conference, Orlando, FL. March 22, 2017.


Doctor, D. “Treating Adolescent ADHD with Medication.” ADHD in Adolescents: A Comprehensive Guide, edited by Alison Schonwald, Springer, 2021, pp. 27–36.

Coffey, Rachel; Melendi, Misty; Cutler, Anya K.; and Craig, Alexa K. (2022) "Telemedicine Consultation to Assess Neonatal Encephalopathy in Rural Community Hospitals and Tertiary Care Centers," Journal of Maine Medical Center: Vol. 4 : Iss. 1, Article 7. https://doi.org/10.46804/2641-2225.1115

Sagaser A, Pilon B, Gheller A, Lemon M, Craig A. (2022) Parent Experience of HIE and Hypothermia: A Call for Trauma Informed Care, American Journal of Perinatology: 13;10.1055/a-1739-3388. doi: 10.1055/a-1739-3388.

Kusari, A., Reiley, H. and Seiverling, E. (2021), A lesion on the abdomen in an infant. Pediatric Dermatology, 38: 117-118. https://doi.org/10.1111/pde.14725

Brown, A., Chaleff, S. (2021). Anaplastic astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma presenting as simultaneous primary brain tumors in a pediatric patient: The first known report of a rare condition. Neuro-oncology, Volume 23, Issue Supplement_1, June 2021, Page i41. https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noab090.166.

Brown, A., Bennett, S., Hayman, J. (2021). Purulent pericarditis in the setting of disseminated community-acquired methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus infection: a rare condition in children. SHM Converge 2021. Abstract 759. Journal of Hospital Medicine. https://shmabstracts.org/abstract/purulent-pericarditis-in-the-setting-of-disseminated-community-acquired-methicillin-resistant-staphylococcus-aureus-infection-a-rare-condition-in-children/.

Craig, A; Deerwester, K; McAllister, L; Noubary, F; Hourihan, M. A Pilot Randomized Control Trial of Safety and Feasibility of a Delayed Rewarming Intervention for Infants Following Cardiopulmonary Bypass Surgery. Pediatrics and Neonatal Medicine, 2021 (pre-publication status).

Hoffman, S; Buczkowski A; Mallory, L; McGovern L; Porter, S; Douglass, A; Correia, R; Long, L; Taylor, C; Homes, R; Poulin B, McElwain, L. Addressing Transportation Insecurity Improves Attendance at Post-Hospitalization Appointments. Pediatrics, 2021 (pre-publication status).

Newborn with Hemorrhagic Skin Reaction. Katherine Redford and Gina M. Trachimowicz. NeoReviews 2020; 21;e49. DOI: 10.1542/neo.21-1-e49

Craig A, Deerwester K, Fox, L, Jacobs J, Evans S. Maternal holding during therapeutic hypothermia for infants with neonatal encephalopathy is feasible. Acta Paediatrica, 2019 Sep; 108(9):1597-1602.

Mallory L, Diminick N, Bourque J, Bryden M, Miller J, Nystrom N, Lord M, McElwain L. Pediatric Patient-Centered Transitions From Hospital to Home: Improving the Discharge Medication Process. Hospital Pediatrics, 2017 Dec; 7 (12) 723-730.

Stepp A, Folker C, Tanzer M, Hayman J, Reynolds T, Mallory L. Autoimmune voltage-gated potassium channelopathy presenting with catecholamine excess. Ped Neurology, 72 (2017); 86-89