Pulmonary & Critical Care Division Newsletter

Leadership Update

Dr. Hannah Smith has been appointed as the incoming PCCM Chief Fellow. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine–Pediatrics at The Ohio State University and began her PCCM fellowship with us in July 2025. She is also enrolled in the Medical Education Track.
Hannah brings strong leadership experience to this role and will join Dr. Muthanna Shadid and Dr. Medha Cherabuddi in leading the fellowship program.

First Place at the System Research Forum

Please join us in congratulating two of our Critical Care Medicine fellows on earning first place at last week’s system-wide research forum.
Dr. Courtney Kein – The Teaching Assessment Committee: A Novel Approach to Trainee–Faculty Feedback
Dr. Melissa Doan – Impact of In Situ Simulations on Improving Sepsis Care
Outstanding work — well deserved.

Recent publications

Rabah AM, Jennings JH, Cherabuddi MR, et al.
Impact of ICU vs General Ward Monitoring on Length of Stay in COPD Patients After Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction
Annals of Thoracic Medicine, published March 30, 2026

Why it matters: In 240 BLVR patients, ICU admission did not reduce length of stay or complications compared to pulmonary ward monitoring. With appropriate protocols and nursing education, ward-level care may be a safe alternative—challenging routine ICU utilization after BLVR.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Jennifer Swiderek has been appointed Medical Director for Rapid Response. In this role, she will partner closely with the Rapid Response team and oversee clinical operations to ensure timely, high-quality critical care across the Henry Ford Hospital campus.

Dr. Swiderek is an attending physician in pulmonary and critical care medicine and has been with Henry Ford Hospital for 25 years. Most recently, she served as Medical Director of the MICU, leading a multidisciplinary team focused on high-acuity, evidence-based care.

In addition to her clinical leadership, Dr. Swiderek serves as Chair of the Institutional Critical Care Committee and the System Critical Care Policy Subcommittee. In these roles, she has helped shape systemwide policies, advance quality improvement initiatives, and strengthen standards across the continuum of critical care.

She also serves on the Hospital Quality Committee and the Sepsis Steering Committee, where she is the critical care sepsis champion, contributing to key patient safety and quality outcomes.

Lung Cancer Screening Planning with Our Joint Venture Partners

Work is underway with our Ascension joint venture partners to align lung cancer screening and pulmonary nodule management across systems. The goal is to create a more coordinated and consistent approach to care while ensuring patients and families can continue to receive care at the location of their choice.

This effort involves a multidisciplinary team working across clinical and operational levels to identify challenges and develop a practical, balanced model as we expand regionally. Additional updates will be shared as processes are finalized.
The Lung Cancer Screening Team continues to contribute data to AMGA’s Lung Cancer Early Detection and Diagnosis Quality Improvement Measures Study. First quarter 2026 data will be submitted by April 30.

Ongoing Research

Cindy Lambdin, RN, MS and Mallory Lueck, CNP will represent the program at the AMGA Lung Quality Improvement Meeting in Chicago in May 2026 to share lessons learned and collaborate with other participating centers.

Challenges (CCM)

The Lung Cancer Screening Team is experiencing a sustained increase in demand following integration of the MOSAIC CIN measures, with referrals doubling from 2024 to 2025 and remaining high into 2026. This growth is placing ongoing strain on the team’s ability to maintain timely access to screening.

The team continues to prioritize patient-centered access and meet patients where they are, but further expansion is expected with the addition of Ascension site referrals. Work is underway with system partners and administration to determine how best to manage this increasing volume.