Shehzad Saeed, MD, has been appointed Vice President, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics for Dayton Children’s Hospital and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics for the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, effective July 29.

Previously, Dr. Saeed served as Associate Chief Medical Officer for Medical Specialties, Physician Chief of Clinical Excellence and Physician Lead for Patient and Family Experience at the hospital. While serving in these roles, he led quality improvement initiatives, enhanced patient experience and fostered a culture of excellence and collaboration.

Dr. Saeed is an accomplished and nationally known pediatric gastroenterologist and serves as the Clinical Director for the international quality improvement collaborative, Improve Care Now, which aims to improve the health and care of children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease. He brings a wealth of experience with him from prior roles at the Medical University of South Carolina, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Cincinnati Children’s and as Professor of Pediatrics at Wright State Boonshoft School of Medicine.

He has been a national thought leader in the care of children with inflammatory bowel disease. He has served in a leadership role on several national committees on the treatment of children living with this condition including the committee for the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. He has published more than 90 articles in peer-reviewed journals, helped author 10 book chapters and served on the editorial board of several pediatric journals. He is an internationally known speaker and has served in a leadership role in education at all levels including medical students, residents and fellows.

In his new role as Chair of Pediatrics, Dr. Saeed will oversee the hospital’s academic, research and innovation programs. He will work closely with clinical and operational leaders to advance the hospital’s strategic goals and priorities and continue the hospital’s mission of the relentless pursuit of optimal health for every child within its reach.

“Some kids grow up dreaming of the five, primary-colored, interlaced Olympic rings their entire life… holding 3.35 pounds of pure gold in the form of a medal while standing on the Olympic podium.

For Maria Scavuzzo, qualifying for the Olympics wasn’t a life-long dream, but the result of running 75-miles a week in 10-degree winter elements on top of working 40 hours as a clinical dietitian at Dayton Children’s Hospital.

Maria qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials in Atlanta this Saturday after finishing third in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon with a time of 2:37.52. Columbus was her first marathon.

A marathon consists of 26.2 miles; Maria qualified by averaging 6:01 a mile in Columbus last October. There are two qualifying standards set by the U.S. Olympic Committee. Runners must finish the marathon in 2:37:00 or less time for A-standards or 2:45:00 for B-standards to qualify for the Olympic trials this Saturday. 

Maria trained for more than a year when she qualified. “Running has taught me how to never ever give up, how to always live fearlessly and pursue your dream,” she shares.

Even though qualifying for the Olympic Trials wasn’t a life-long dream, working for Dayton Children’s was after she volunteered at the hospital two years ago.

“I was hooked after volunteering and dreamed of working at Dayton Children’s full-time,” Maria explains.  “This is truly my dream job, and it’s incredible to grow, learn and be inspired from others who work here.”

Her unique role – both on and off the track – equip her to be a better dietitian for her patients.

“As runner and a dietitian, I’ve learned so much about nutrition….about iron, complex carbohydrates, calcium and the critical role that the right food plays to help athletes be their absolute best,” Maria says.  

Maria will be one of 450 women across the U.S. looking for a ticket to Tokyo this weekend. She explains that she’s excited to compete, but she’s running for much more than just herself. “I’m running for all the amazing people who helped me get to the starting line… my parents, my fiance, my coach, my friends, my co-workers, my hometown of Medina and my new home in Dayton.”

“My advice to younger athletes is to never limit yourself to what you think you can accomplish in sports, school, work and life,” she says. “I’ve had many failures in my running career. Embracing those failures and not being afraid to fail has allowed me to run freely.”

Air Force retiree brings decades of experience to focus on making care easier for families

J.D. Whitlock joins Dayton Children’s as the new chief information officer (CIO) with the goal of increased focus on making care easier for families.  “Most often, the parents of our patients are millennials and they have high expectations for customer service,” says J.D. “They are tech savvy and want to take advantage of new automation and communication technologies. That’s an IT guy’s wheelhouse!”

With over 20 years of experience in practice management, hospital administration, healthcare IT and analytics, .J.D. has significant depth and breadth of operational and technical health care experience. He managed system operations at Wright-Patterson Medical Center, held various roles in healthcare informatics at the Air Force Medical Service HQ in Falls Creek, Virginia and most recently served as the Vice President of Enterprise Intelligence at Mercy Health.

He’s excited about the road ahead of him at Dayton Children’s. “Information technology is an essential enabler of improving quality of care, improving patient and provider experience, and reducing the cost of care. Whether it be making it easier to connect with your child’s doctor through MyKidsChart or making clinical work flow better for clinicians, technology teams connect all those dots.” 

J.D.’s information technology background is supported by a deep commitment to population health.  “I started out in health care with a public health degree so I am passionate about improving the health status of all children, not just those in the hospital.  I want to help build up Dayton Children’s Health Partners – a collaboration between Dayton Children’s and community pediatricians – in order to keep our kids out of the hospital and emergency department to the extent possible.  This requires a whole new level of partnership between doctors, the hospital, and insurance companies, and this partnership requires a whole new level of IT support. I’m excited to help make that happen.”

J.D. is also happy to be working in Dayton, three miles from home instead of commuting to Cincinnati. “I am one of those Air Force retirees that moved back to Dayton after having been stationed at Wright-Patt previously. This is a great place to raise a family: Not too big, not too small. Low cost of living. Four seasons, zero hurricanes. Downtown renaissance. The most microbreweries per capita in Ohio. Rust belt chic with a culture of innovation. What’s not to love?”

At a luncheon held at Dayton Children’s on May 22, past and present members of Dayton Children’s Women’s Board and hospital leadership celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the first auxiliary board of its kind in the Dayton region. Over the last five decades, the Women’s Board has raised over $3.3 million dollars for different hospital functions, to include the Pediatric Cancer Care and Blood Disorders Endowment, the NICU, the ER, and the ICU.

Formed in 1964, the Women’s Board of Dayton Children’s Hospital has a membership of 40 women whose major fundraising project is the biennial CHA-CHA dinner and auction. The Women’s Board administers the HELP Fund, an ongoing program that supports various projects at Dayton Children’s. The Women’s Board also hosts a Careers in Health Care seminar for high school students annually and volunteers in the hospital’s child life program.

“The legacy of the Women’s Board is filled with years of hard work, dedication and a conviction that a few women can indeed change a community,” says Deborah Feldman, CEO of Dayton Children’s. “The Women’s Board has always been a driving force behind the belief that Dayton needs a freestanding children’s hospital. We are grateful to all past and present Women’s Board members for their philanthropic efforts that we need at this hospital and for their continued advocacy.”

The current Women’s Board is an all-volunteer organization representing women from counties throughout the Dayton region from various professional and community volunteer backgrounds. It is and always has been a women-only, fiscally sound organization, making it a unique nonprofit to the Miami Valley.