Pediatric Chair Passing The Torch—

From One Newtowner To Another

Newtown resident and pediatric endocrinologist Raul A. Arguello, MD, was recently appointed as the new chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Danbury Hospital. Dr Arguello succeeds fellow Newtown resident Jack S.C. Fong, MD, who served as chairman of the Department of Pediatrics until his retirement.

Dr Fong continues to serve as an attending physician in the Danbury Hospital Department of Pediatrics, and as medical director of Wellness On Wheels, a mobile, community-based public health initiative that provides physicals, immunizations, and testing to patients who otherwise would have no access to a formal health care system, including the uninsured and the underinsured.

Board certified in pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology, Dr Arguello, comes to Danbury Hospital from Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, N.Y., where he was an attending pediatric endocrinologist and served as chief of the Pediatric Diabetes Program since 2004.

Dr Arguello also was chief of pediatric endocrinology at South Nassau Communities Hospital from 1999 to 2004, where he also served as chairman of pediatrics from 2000 to 2004.

Dr Arguello earned his medical degree from the faculty of medicine at Evangelical University of El Salvador, and served as director of the San Jose Villanueva Department of Health-El Salvador Health Center. He served a neurology research assistantship at the University of Minnesota at St Paul Ramsey Medical Center in St Paul.

Dr Arguello was appointed pediatric chief resident and completed a pediatric residency and pediatric endocrinology fellowship at Winthrop University Hospital.

The author and co-author of numerous publications in medical peer review journals, Dr Arguello is a member of the El Salvador Medical College, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Diabetes Association.

“We were recruiting for a top quality administrator as well as a highly trained physician. We are delighted that Dr Arguello’s qualifications and experience speak to both, and we welcome him to Danbury Hospital,” said Frank Kelly, president and chief executive officer of Danbury Hospital. “His specialty in endocrinology will help us make strides in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of obesity and diabetes for children in our region.”

“We know Dr Fong leaves big shoes to fill, but we are very confident Dr Arguello will continue Dr Fong’s legacy of championing children’s causes across western Connecticut,” added Dr Kelly.

Dr Arguello resides in Sandy Hook with his wife and two daughters.

Jennifer Papa Kanaan, MD

In other medical news, Sandy Hook resident Jennifer Papa Kanaan, MD, is now seeing patients in the Division of Pulmonary Medicine and at the UConn Sleep Disorders Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center.

Dr Kanaan, who graduated from the UConn School of Medicine, sees patients with both pulmonary and sleep disorders. Her areas of interest include sleep disorders in women, children, and teens, as well as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Dr Kanaan completed a fellowship in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston. She did her residency and internship training at Rhode Island Hospital through the Brown University School of Medicine. She is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine and critical care.

 

Ashlar’s Angels

Mary Finn, RN, MSN, a nursing supervisor at Ashlar of Newtown, Masonicare’s skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility on Toddy Hill Road, was awarded a Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing at a statewide awards program held recently. Barbara Vernale, LPN (not pictured), another Ashlar nursing professional, was also recognized at the event.

The pair were among 14 nurses nominated by Masonicare, the state’s leading not-for-profit provider of senior health care and retirement living. Ashlar of Newtown is an affiliate of Wallingford-based Masonicare.

The Nightingale Awards program recognizes nurses throughout Connecticut for their dedication, commitment, and generous contributions to the field of nursing. The program is open and inclusive of all health care settings — hospitals, home health care, health centers, schools, health departments, long-term care, nursing schools, agencies, and medical practices.

This year, at the eighth annual Nightingale Awards presentations, nurses from throughout Connecticut were honored at four concurrent award dinners held in Groton, Stamford, Hartford, and Wallingford.

Ms Finn is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. Ms Vernale is a graduate of Grace New Haven School of Nursing.

Medical Affairs

Frederick Browne, MD, MBA, was recently appointed director of medical affairs at New Milford Hospital, where he has served as an infection control physician and as the staff epidemiologist since 2006.

Dr Browne has accepted increasing responsibility for driving quality initiatives with the hospital’s medical staff, chairing the Infection Control Committee and serving on the Medical Executive Committee, the Quality Steering Council, the Board Quality and Oversight Committee, and a dozen other critical hospital committees. Dr Browne also serves as the hospital’s liaison to the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System for infection control and coordinates many quality initiatives with the hospital’s Center for Clinical Excellence.

With this new title, Dr Browne will assume responsibility for the medical staff office, its employees and operations, to address the increasing scope and complexity of its operations, while remaining the infectious diseases physician at the hospital.

Board certified in infectious diseases and internal medicine, Dr Browne completed a fellowship in infectious diseases at Yale University School of Medicine, following postgraduate education in Pennsylvania at Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Abington Memorial Hospital. He earned a master of business administration from the University of New Haven, a medical degree from American University of the Caribbean, and completed undergraduate studies at the University of Connecticut.

New MIS Director

Stephen C. Burrows, DPM, MBA, of Stratford was appointed as assistant director of management information systems (MIS) at New Milford Hospital. Dr Burrows is also a podiatric physician, practicing since 1997 with Fairfield Podiatry Associates, and in clinical adjunct faculty roles at California College of Podiatric Medicine and Veterans Administration Medical Center-Clinical Campus, West Haven.

Dr Burrows brings extensive expertise in MIS, specifically in improving the collection, access, and utilization of health care data for clinicians delivering health care.

Most recently, his experience in the development and implementation of clinical applications was as a manager of information technology for Qualidigm, a health care quality improvement company in Middletown, from 2005 to 2008. There, he managed many initiatives, including quality and electronic medical record implementation projects, and was a team leader for the computerized physician order entry initiative.

During 2001–2005, Dr Burrows was a graduate research assistant at Sacred Heart University, College of Business, Fairfield; a senior product manager at Dictaphone Corporation, Stratford; and a clinical systems specialist at Bridgeport Hospital. He is a member of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.

Dr Burrows earned an MBA from Sacred Heart University, a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine, Miami Shores, Fla., and a bachelor’s degree in health and nutrition sciences from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York .

 

Hospice Nurse Appointed

Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut has announced that Deborah Witt Sherman, PhD, has joined the agency’s clinical team as palliative care nurse practitioner and educator. As part of the agency’s Palliative Care Initiative, Dr Sherman will be offering palliative care consults to residents of area skilled nursing facilities as well as in-service education to health care professionals.

Dr Sherman is well known as a palliative care and end-of-life care educator. She is a tenured associate professor at New York University, where she developed and implemented the first palliative care nurse practitioner program in the country. Dr Sherman earned a PhD in theory and research development in nursing science from New York University in addition to a master of science degree in nursing from Pace University and bachelor of science degree in nursing from Mount Saint Mary College.

Dr Sherman received the prestigious Project on Death in America Fellowship from the Soros Foundation to advance the specialty of palliative care nursing and was funded to develop the National Palliative Care Advanced Practice Credentialing Examination.

Dr Sherman has numerous publications, including a seminal textbook, Palliative Care Nursing: Quality Care to the End of Life. She serves on several editorial boards and is a frequent presenter at national and international palliative care conferences. As faculty for the End of Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC), she educates nurses, social workers, and other health professionals in palliative and hospice care.