Pulmonary & Critical Care Division Newsletter

June 2025

Welcome to the June 2025 edition of our division newsletter. Below you’ll find updates from each department including research highlights, clinical news, social updates, and more.

Overview

Welcome to the inaugural edition of our Pulmonary & Critical Care Division Newsletter!

Going forward, this newsletter will be published monthly to help keep everyone in our division informed about key updates across our various programs and services. You’ll find highlights from our clinical teams, research groups, education efforts, and administrative updates.

We hope this will serve as a helpful way to stay connected, celebrate achievements, and share important information. Many thanks to everyone contributing content for this first issue — and we welcome your feedback as we continue to shape this newsletter over the coming months.

Fellowship

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2025!
PCCM

• Megan Fisher, M.D. (Northwest Community Hospital / Bronson Methodist Hospital)
• Alexandra P. Gastesi, D.O. (Henry Ford Health)
• Adam Kudirka, M.D. (Trinity Health - Grand Rapids)
• Adam Ladzinski, D.O. (SSM Health)
• Javardo McIntosh, M.D. (Northern Alabama Medical Center)
• Ivanna Muravytskyy, M.D. (Henry Ford Health - Warren)
• Omar Srour, M.D. (Henry Ford Health)

CCM
• Peter Boshara, M.D. (University of Illinois Chicago)
• Nicholas Brement, M.D.
• Craig Laufenberg, M.D. (Aurora Medical Center - Summit)
• Jia (David) Liu, M.D. (Mayo Clinic Arizona)
• Javad Najjar Mojarrab, M.D. (Aurora West Allis Medical Center)
• Stefani Thompson, M.D. (The Queens Medical Center)
• Kevin Wang, D.O. (Blessing Health)
• Katherine Joyce, M.D. (University of Pittsburgh Physicians / UPMC)

Ongoing Research

Congratulations to Javardo McIntosh, Medha Cherabuddi and Sulmaz Zahedi for their presentations at this year's ATS in San Francisco.

ICU

MICU includes our 68 beds over 6 pods and covered by 4 teams. Information updates include topics from our MICU Collaborative meeting (monthly involving MICU leadership and ancillary staff leads), Institutional Critical Care Committee (ICCC; monthly meeting for all adult ICUs at Henry Ford Hospital), and System Critical Care Committee (SCCC; monthly meeting for all Legacy ICUs at Henry Ford Health).

Clinical Updates

Candida auris update:
Candida auris is a multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen that can cause nosocomial outbreaks and severe invasive disease in hospitalized patients. Patients may be colonized with C. auris even though they are asymptomatic. By identifying patients who are colonized, we can take steps to limit the spread of C. auris within the hospital.

Who requires testing?
1. ED patients: All patients from a facility, including SNF, LTAC, or IPR who require admission
2. Inpatient transfers: All transfer patients from other hospitals, including other Henry Ford Health business units, or a facility (e.g., SNF, LTAC, IPR). The System Command Center (formerly ATMO) screens transfer patients for C. auris risk factors prior to bed placement. Those who screen positive for the following risk factors require testing and are placed in private rooms:
• Invasive/indwelling devices (tracheostomy, central venous catheters, indwelling urinary catheters, PEG tube, j-tube, cholecystostomy tube, other drains)
• Chronic or nonhealing wounds/ulcers
• MDRO or CRE colonization or infection
Note: Patients transferred from other EDs do not require testing if they present from home.
When testing is required, an OPA will fire prompting the provider to order Candida auris, PCR and Contact Isolation.
• If the OPA is dismissed, a hard stop will fire when orders are being signed, requiring the provider to order the test and isolation.

Announcements

There is a new infiltration/extravasation order set in EPIC. This was made after a sentinel event on P5 where infiltration of an IV was not noticed. The order set contains a Link to Tier 1 Guidelines for Extravasation Management, appropriate antidotes and warm or cold compress suggestions, nursing interventions (neurovascular checks and elevation are pre-selected), and antidotes and consults available to order if needed.


ILD

Our ILD program offers a wide range of research opportunities. If you are interested in getting involved in a project, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

Ongoing Research

A. Clinical Trials –
A1. An Open-label Extension Study of Inhaled Treprostinil in Subjects with Fibrotic Lung Disease. Enrollment is complete.
A2. Rein Therapeutics RENEW Phase 2 trial of LTI-03, a novel, multi-pathway, Caveolin-1-related peptide for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Site selection is complete. Screening and recruitment anticipated to begin end of June 2025
B. Investigator-initiated studies -
B1. Impact of Introducing a Home Monitoring Program in Interstitial Lung Disease – A prospective study to study the impact of implementation of a remote monitoring program in ILD patients. The study protocol is currently being finalized. Supported by ..
B2. Deep Learning-Based Radiomics to Improve Screening of Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs) - Objective is to develop and validate a DL-based radiomics model using CT imaging to detect ILAs and to compare its performance to radiologist-determined visual interpretation of ILAs. The study protocol is currently being finalized. Supported by HFH Physician Scientist grant
C. Retrospective cohort studies -
C1. Granulomatous lymphocytic interstitial lung disease (GLILD): A Retrospective review. Manuscript currently being finalized
C2. Retrospective study of patients with Myositis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease (M-ILD). Data collection completed and currently in statistical analysis phase
C3. Utility of Early Sjogren's Panel in Interstitial Lung Disease
C4. Association of Poor Air Quality and Socioeconomic Status in Metro Detroit with Severity and Prognosis of Interstitial Lung Disease: A Retrospective Study

Transplant

The lung transplant program celebrated its 30th year of transplant in October of 2025! Our recent SRTR release from January 2025 is amazing and includes a review of the last 28 patients showing a 90-day graft survival of 97.10% with expected 90-day survival at 93.66%. Our 1-year survival is 92.8% with expected survival of 92.4%. These are excellent results given our cohort of transplants with 16% being transplanted of ECMO.

Ongoing Research

Title: Impact of total psoas muscle area and serum albumin in outcomes after Lung Transplantation submitted as ana abstract by Dr. Franco with the following conclusion.
In the present study of LT recipients, higher TPA and albumin levels were associated with shorter length of hospitalization. On multivariate analyses, albumin remained independently associated with survival. TPA but not albumin was associated with post-transplant pulmonary function tests.

Clinical Updates

We are seeing lung transplant candidates at 8 centers throughout Michigan including Lansing, Grayling, Jackson, Flint, Grand Blanc, Saginaw, Columbus Center, Bloomfield Township, and Sterling Heights.
Our program is pairing with the Obesity management Program to offer support in weight loss to allow obese patients addition weight loss support.

Social & Community News

Our Transplant Volunteer Corp called Transplant Living Community mans a volunteer station on K16 as patients check into clinic. They offer patient education on transplant and sign-up Gift of Life Volunteers. We also have a very active virtual and in person monthly transplant support group that cover a monthly topic to education and support or patients.

Education

We have fellows rotating on our service from 4 fellowship programs. A part of the monthly rotation includes a journal club presentation for each fellow supported by Dr. Olexsey.