The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
My name is Stamatia (Sam) Alexiou and I am currently an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at The University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine and an attending physician in Pediatric Pulmonology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. During my fellowship, I obtained a 2nd and 3rd year clinical fellowship grant from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to investigate the function of a promoter protein called ERp29 and it’s function as a regulator or CFTR and F508-del. While I remain committed to treating patients with Cystic Fibrosis, my primary academic focus has been to care for patients requiring chronic mechanical ventilation, specifically those born prematurely and with congenital lung lesions.
As a member of the Bronchopulmonary Dyspasia (BPD) Collaborative, a multi-center group whose goal is to provide innovative care of patients with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (sBPD), I have contributed to the publication of numerous peer-reviewed publications identifying risk factors associated with long-term pulmonary sequellae of prematurity as well as risk factors contributing to the liberation from mechanical ventilation. In addition to the research I’m involved with as part of the BPD collaborative, I have been investigating the bedside utility of Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT). The innovative use of Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) to assess regional ventilation in real-time is particularly promising, as it could lead to more precise and personalized ventilator management for these vulnerable patients.
In my role as the pediatric pulmonology fellowship director and associate director of CHOPs Technology Dependence Center, I have the privilege of implementing various educational modules and fostering an environment of continuous improvement in the care of technology dependent children. To help address the home nursing crisis that COVID created, I helped lead the development of biannually held course for home care RNs and LPNs to expand on their knowledge of both invasive and non-invasive respiratory support. In addition, I partnered with respiratory therapists in our PICU to provide additional teaching to our fellows to improve their skills of tracheostomy care. I am currently working on a simulation course to complement clinical
instruction and provide additional training to fellows and faculty using scenarios that replicate ventilator and tracheostomy emergencies encountered in a clinical setting.
My long-term academic goals include improving clinical care and determining ways in which clinicians can intervene to optimize lung function and improve developmental outcomes and quality of life in infants requiring chronic mechanical ventilation.
DG16--Seeing More than CF, 2.0
Friday, September 27, 2024
7:45 AM – 9:45 AM ET