Pediatric Surgery Trials and Outcomes Research Center

Overview

The Pediatric Surgery Trials and Outcomes Research Center (PSTORC) is a collaborative network of principle investigators, trainees and support staff focused on finding answers to clinical, institutional and policy questions that impact the health of our children and their communities. The center encourages and supports rigorous, hypothesis based research focused on improving care for pediatric patients and prioritizes training of the future leaders in clinical research.

Our Team

Director

• Cassandra Kelleher, MD

Member PIs

• Cornelia Griggs, MD
• Allan Goldstein, MD
• Cassandra Kelleher, MD
• Peter Masiakos, MD
• Danielle Cameron, MD, MPH

Staff

• Project Manager: Claudia Orlas Bolanos, MD

Consulting PIs

• David Chang, PhD, MBA, MPH
• Louis Nguyen, MD, MPH, MBA (Brigham and Women's Hospital)

Associate Clinical Researcher

• Yawen Chen, MD, MPH

Student Researchers

• Tommy Kim, UMass Medical School
• Raissa Li, Tufts medical School
• Amy Kaplan, University of Pennsylvania
• Sarah Komaiha, Harvard College
• Gaby Smith, Washington University, St. Louis

Resident Educational Experience

• Weekly meeting with PI
• Presentation at P-STORC meetings when assigned
• Three projects at beginning of 1^st year
  • Review article, metanalysis, or book chapter on topic to be determined prior to start of research time
    • Intended to familiarize resident and PI with current literature on the topic under study
  • Database analysis using previously structured data (Outcomes)
    • Resident coding expected
    • Proposed study presented to P-STORC with input from collaborators
    • Data collection, data evaluation, manuscript preparation
  • Prospective project (EPSN or other)
    • Willingness to take up ongoing prospective projects
    • Data collection, data evaluation, manuscript preparation
  • Presentation at national meeting

Selected Recent Publications

Danielle Cameron, MD, MPH

• Development and implications of an evidence-based and public health-relevant definition of complicated appendicitis in children. DB Cameron, SP Anandalwar, DA Graham, P Melvin, SK Serres, JL Dunlap, M Kashtan, M Hall, JM Saito, DC Barnhart, BD Kenney, SJ Rangel. Annals of surgery 2020; 271 (5), 962-968
• Leveraging the incidence, burden, and fiscal implications of unplanned hospital revisits for the prioritization of prevention efforts in pediatric surgery. DB Cameron, SK Serres, CC Glass, CE Milliren, DA Graham, S Anandalwar, H Thangarajah, AB Goldin, M Hall, SJ Rangel. Annals of Surgery 2020; 271 (1), 191-199
• Extended versus narrow-spectrum antibiotics in the management of uncomplicated appendicitis in children: a propensity-matched comparative effectiveness study. DB Cameron, P Melvin, DA Graham, CC Glass, SK Serres, MP Kronman, JM Saito, SJ Rangel. Annals of surgery 2018; 68 (1), 186-192
• Time to appendectomy for acute appendicitis: a systematic review. DB Cameron, R Williams, Y Geng, A Gosain, MA Arnold, YS Guner, ML Blakely, CD Downard, AB Goldin, J Grabowski, DR Lal, R Dasgupta, R Baird, RL Gates, J Shelton, T Jancelewicz, SJ Rangel, MT Austin. Journal of pediatric surgery 2018; 53 (3), 396-405
• Do all-cause revisit rates reflect the quality of pediatric surgical care provided during index encounters? DB Cameron, DA Graham, CE Milliren, S Serres, CC Glass, AB Goldin, SJ Rangel. Journal of Pediatric Surgery 2017; 52 (6), 1050-1055

Cornelia Griggs, MD

• Vanishing congenital lung malformations: What is the incidence of true regression? C Griggs, M Schmaedick, C Gerall, W Fan, C Orlas, J Price, L Simpson, R Miller, J DeFazio, S Stylianos, S Rothenberg, V Duron. Journal of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine 2022; 15 (1), 105-111
• Slipped capital femoral epiphysis and Blount disease as indicators for early metabolic surgical intervention. CL Griggs, NP Perez, MC Chan, JS Pratt. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases 2019; 15 (10), 1836-1841
• National trends in the use of metabolic and bariatric surgery among pediatric patients with severe obesity. CL Griggs, NP Perez, RN Goldstone, CM Kelleher, DC Chang, Fatima Cody Stanford, Janey S Pratt. JAMA pediatrics 2018; 172 (12), 1191-1192
• Sedation and pain management in burn patients. C Griggs, J Goverman, EA Bittner, B Levi. Clinics in plastic surgery 2017; 44 (3), 535-540
• Damage control and the open abdomen: challenges for the nonsurgical intensivist. C Griggs, K Butler. Journal of Intensive Care Medicine 2016; 31 (9), 567-576

Cassandra Kelleher, MD

• Do surgeons adjust clinical productivity after maternity leave? YW Chen, ML Westfal, CE Cauley, DC Chang, CM Kelleher. The American Journal of Surgery 2022; 223 (5), 900-904
• Contribution of unequal new patient referrals to female surgeon under-employment. YW Chen, ML Westfal, DC Chang, CM Kelleher. The American Journal of Surgery 2021; 222 (4), 746-750
• Underemployment of female surgeons? YW Chen, ML Westfal, DC Chang, CM Kelleher. Annals of Surgery 2021; 273 (2), 197-201
• Lack of data-driven treatment guidelines and wide variation in management of chronic pelvic pain in adolescents and young adults. YC Hung, ML Westfal, DC Chang, CM Kelleher. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology 2020; 33 (4), 349-353. e1
  Heller myotomy is the optimal index procedure for esophageal achalasia in adolescents and young adults. YC Hung, ML Westfal, DC Chang, CM Kelleher. Surgical Endoscopy 2019; 33 (10), 3355-3360

Peter Masiakos, MD

• Screening for Access to Firearms by Pediatric Trainees in High-Risk Patients. CN Li, CA Sacks, KA McGregor, PT Masiakos, MR Flaherty. Academic Pediatrics, 2019; 19 (6), 659-664
• Civilian Firearm-related Injuries: How Often is a Tourniquet Beneficial? YT Hsu, DC Chang, NP Perez, ML Westfal, CM Kelleher, CA Sacks, PT Masiakos. Annals of Surgery: 2020; 271(2) e12-e13
• Prediction of cervical spine injury in young pediatric patients: an optimal trees artificial intelligence approach. D Bertsimas, PT Masiakos, KS Mylonas, H Wiberg. Journal of Pediatric Surgery; 2019; 54 (11) 2353-2357
• The impact of broadening COVID-19 testing eligibility on communities of color – A lesson for overcoming structural barriers to health care. NP Perez, DC Xerras, LS. Aldrich, S Wilkie, A Tan-McGrory, JR Betancourt, PT. Masiakos. Preventive Medicine Reports; 2022 Apr 26,101744,
• Variability of Pediatric Cervical Spine Clearance Protocols: A Systematic Review. AS Letica-Kriegel, A Kaplan, C Orlas, PT Masiakos. Ann Surg. 2022 Jul 6 ahead of print