Farmer first UC Davis Health faculty member appointed to a leadership role with the National Academy of Medicine
Diana Farmer, M.D., chair of the UC Davis Department of Surgery, has become the first UC Davis Health faculty member to be assigned to a prestigious leadership position within the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Farmer was appointed to the NAM membership committee, and will also serve as the Vice Chair of Section 6, which is one of 12 membership sections in the organization’s structure. The section Farmer will help oversee encompasses surgery, anesthesiology, ophthalmology, and radiology. The appointment is considered one of the highest honors in health and medicine.
PACU silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence
Our Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and Children’s Surgery Center PACU received a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). We are the only PACU on the West Coast to receive this honor. The Beacon Award for Excellence — a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments — recognizes caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. These standards are skilled communication, true collaboration, effective decision-making, appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition and authentic leadership.
Program linked to shorter hospital stays, declines in narcotic use
Among other findings, a UC Davis Children’s Hospital study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons showed that a Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program reduced surgical wait times, cut hospital stays, and significantly curbed narcotics use in children who had major operations for traumatic femur fractures. The results of the study represent the tremendous effort over the last decade to improve the care of traumatically injured children and exemplify the absolute best possible care for pediatric orthopaedic patients in Northern California.
Cleft and Craniofacial team receive national recognition
Our Cleft and Craniofacial Program earned Cleft Palate and Craniofacial team approval from the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (ACPA). The team is one of over 195 in the U.S. and Canada to be recognized for meeting the Standards of Team Care for Cleft and Craniofacial Teams. The ACPA team approval verifies that cleft and craniofacial care is provided in a coordinated and consistent manner; follows the proper sequence; and takes place within the framework of the patient’s overall developmental, medical and psychological needs
Farmer receives national research excellence award
Diana Farmer, M.D., received the esteemed Robert E. Gross Award for Excellence in Pediatric Research and Achievement from the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA). The award acknowledges exceptional contributions that have revolutionized the way pediatric surgeons approach a specific issue, and recognizes groundbreaking work that stands the test of time and is widely accepted as the gold standard in the field.
Farmer’s contributions have reshaped pediatric surgical practices, with her expertise encompassing treatment of birth defects both inside and outside the womb. She conceived the MOMS Trial in the early 2000s, which showed fetal surgery could reduce neurological deficits associated with spina bifida; she is now leading the world’s first *CuRe Trial (Cellular Therapy for In Utero Repair of Myelomeningocele) combining stem cells and surgery to treat the most severe form of the disease. Her accomplishments extend over two decades, during which she has made significant advancements as the first female fetal surgeon.
*CuRe Trial Phase 1 was completed and successfully passed all safety hurdles with the Data and Safety Monitoring Board. Phase 2 has begun.
