About Us

Quality Initiatives

The Department of Pediatrics is committed to continuous improvement in all domains and focuses on the Institute of Medicine's six domains of healthcare quality. We perform, support and train in improvement science and partner with Northwestern University for more comprehensive training. We will consider our program a success when we view everything as an opportunity for improvement.

Healthcare quality and safety initiatives are critical to providing optimal healthcare as well as reducing variations of care that will facilitate greater learning in all forms of research. Faculty involved in these initiatives help train medical students, residents and fellows in quality and safety.

The Department of Pediatrics is looking to expand the number of faculty members with healthcare quality and safety expertise. We offer several opportunities for faculty to expand their expertise in these areas:

Certificate Course for Improvement Scholars

This six-month course involves multidisciplinary faculty and participants including physicians. Scholars learn in didactic sessions and initiate an improvement project in their microsystem to accelerate their learning.

Journal Writing Club

We have initiated an Improvement Writers group that will advance optimal utilization of SQUIRE guidelines in September 2018. Graduates of this program are expected to submit healthcare quality and safety manuscripts, help teach the ensuing session and serve as mentors for other colleagues working in these areas.

Value in Healthcare

Faculty involved in quality and safety initiatives are currently developing a method for quantifying value in healthcare. This will enable the institution to prioritize work based on metrics that matter most to our patients and their families.

Seema K Shah

Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Advanced General Pediatrics and Primary Care) and School of Law

Seema K. Shah, JD, Associate Professor in Pediatrics at Northwestern University Medical School and an Associate Director of the Bioethics Program at Lurie Children’s Hospital, is an expert in the fields of pediatrics and global health research ethics, as well as on ethical issues in the determination of death. After attending Stanford University, Shah completed a fellowship in bioethics at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center. She then received legal training at Stanford and in a federal district court clerkship. Shah was previously on faculty at the University of Washington...

Shuai (Steve) Xu

Assistant Professor of Dermatology (Translational Dermatology Research), McCormick School of Engineering and Pediatrics (Dermatology)

As a physician-engineer, Dr. Xu is interested in the translation of breakthrough electrical engineering, materials science, and health information technology towards addressing major unmet clinical needs. As Medical Director of the Center of Bio-Integrated Electronics, he has expertise within flexible device platforms, specifically phototherapy systems, addressing a wide range of dermatological and non-dermatological clinical needs. Previously, he has developed several medical device technologies across multiple medical fields including dermatology, orthopedics, cardiology and patient non-adhe...

Erin M Augustine

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Emergency Medicine)

My clinical and academic interests involve medical education and healthcare delivery.

Mary L Kreiter

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Endocrinology)

I enjoy caring for children with disorders of growth, puberty and the adrenal, pituitary and thyroid gland. I also enjoy care of children with diabetes

Mary E Robbins

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Neonatology)

Mary E. Robbins received an B.S. degree in Biology from Wheeling Jesuit University and her M.D. at Georgetown University School of Medicine. She then completed both her General Pediatrics Residency and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at Nationwide Children's Hospital/The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. She joined the faculty here at Northwestern in August of 2014 following the completion of her clinical training. In addition to providing care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at both Ann and Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern Medicine's Prentice Wome...

Jill H Samis

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Endocrinology)

My clinical interests are in the care of children with long-term endocrine sequelae of childhood cancer, thyroid disorders, growth disorders, and disorders of puberty.

Virginia Hsu

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Hospital-Based Medicine)

I am a hospitalist working in General Medicine (inpatient service),Medical Observation Unit, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Sedation for Medical Imaging. I am involved in resident and medical student education during service time on General Medicine and Sedation.

Rebecca L Carl

Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Advanced General Pediatrics and Primary Care)

Dr. Carl completed her residency in Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin. She completed a fellowship in Non-operative pediatric orthopaedics at the University of Wisconsin and a fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine at Rush University.