UPMC Children’s IBD Expert Elected to ImproveCareNow™ Board of Directors
April 7, 2022
Sandra C. Kim, MD, director of the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center was elected to the Board of Directors of ImproveCareNow™ for the 2022 term.
ImproveCareNow is a national Learning Health Network dedicated to transforming care, health and costs for all children and youth with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (Inflammatory Bowel Diseases or IBD) by building a sustainable collaborative chronic care network. The organization enables patients, families, clinicians and researchers to work together in a learning health care system to accelerate innovation, discovery and the application of new knowledge.
“As a pediatric gastroenterologist and patient advocate, I am constantly reminded that we MUST do better for our children and teens with IBD as they face the daily challenges of a chronic inflammatory disease that impacts so many aspects of their lives. Through my involvement in ImproveCareNow since its inception 15 years ago, I have seen the importance of working with a patient-centered collaborative quality improvement network that includes all stakeholders – patients and their families, health care team, quality improvement specialists, and researchers – to change how medical care is delivered to our patients. Our patients deserve no less from us.”
More About Dr. Kim
Dr. Kim is a nationally recognized expert in pediatric and adolescent inflammatory bowel diseases. In addition to leading the UPMC Children’s IBD Center, Dr. Kim is also associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Kim’s clinical and research interests focus on pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases, including adolescent transitioning and quality improvement in pediatric IBD and the impact of the gastrointestinal microbiota in IBD. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. She has authored numerous studies on pediatric and adolescent inflammatory bowel diseases.
Dr. Kim served as a past chair of Pediatric Affairs and Government Affairs/Advocacy for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (CCF) nationally. She currently serves as President - Board of Directors, for the Western Pennsylvania/West Virginia Chapter of the CCF. In addition, she serves on the Physician Leadership committee and Community Council and co-chairs the DEI Committee for Improve Care Now. She also serves on the Medical Advisory Committees for the Crohn’s and Colitis Young Adult Network (CCYAN) and Flying Horse Farms. As a reflection of her dedication to her profession, Dr. Kim was awarded the 2011 and 2018 Rosenthal Awards for her leadership in patient education and advocacy by the CCF. In addition, she was one of the Foundation's 2020 Uniting to Care and Cure recipients.
Learn more about the IBD Center at UPMC Children’s.
Read the press release from ImproveCareNow about its new Board of Director additions.
