MADERA, Calif., July 2, 2024 – For the first time ever, Valley Children’s pediatric specialists are traveling to Armenia as part of an ongoing formal partnership with Wigmore Women’s & Children’s Hospital in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. Six physicians including medical directors and a registered nurse from Valley Children’s are attending the trip in support of the partnership’s purpose of elevating pediatric healthcare in Armenia.
During the visit, Valley Children’s pediatric specialists will work together with Wigmore's medical team and staff to exchange experience and knowledge of specialized pediatric healthcare. In addition, members of Valley Children’s Neuroscience team will participate in a neurosciences conference aimed at sharing some of the latest information and techniques in the field with pediatric neurologists, neonatologists and pediatricians in the Yerevan region.
“This exchange represents an important next step in the commitment we made with Wigmore Women’s & Children’s Hospital to support transformative change in the healthcare landscape of Armenia,” said Valley Children’s President & CEO Todd Suntrapak. “As a Top Children’s Hospital in the U.S., we believe we have an important role to play in helping to elevate children’s healthcare around the world. This collaborative exchange of ideas will uplift lives, and we look forward to many years of partnership to come.”
The partnership between Valley Children’s Healthcare and Wigmore Women’s & Children’s Hospital began in 2023. Since its inception, physicians from Wigmore Women’s & Children’s Hospital have traveled to Valley Children’s, spending weeks learning from - and collaborating with – pediatric specialists in Madera. Following the success of this exchange, both healthcare networks engaged in discussions to establish a formal long-term partnership.
Among those representing Valley Children’s on this trip are:
- Dr. Patricia Clerkin, medical director, Pediatric Neurosurgery
- Dr. Karen Dahl, vice president, Medical Affairs and Physician Health and Development
- Dr. Steven Ehhreich, pediatric neurologist
- Dr. Stephanie Jones, pediatric surgeon
- Amy Mauk-Fisher, RN, critical care charge nurse
- Dr. Julianna Sahoria, pediatric emergency medicine physician
- Cesar Santos, medical director, Neurosciences
For a link to an electronic media kit – including b-roll, still pictures and soundbites recorded during the visit - please email ZArboleda@valleychildrens.org. Note: Assets will be available on July 15.