Three Pediatric Pulmonologists Join the Division
The Division of Pulmonology welcomed three new faculty members in 2022. Duncan Keegan, MD, Melissa Cole, MD, and Mfon Udoko, MD, see patients in both general and specialty pulmonology clinics and conduct research in their various areas of interest.
Cole to Investigate Asthma Social Determinants of Health, CPAP Adherence and Sickle Cell Disease
Cole, a pediatric pulmonary and sleep medicine specialist, devotes most of her time to the management and examination of pulmonary issues that impact children. She is specifically interested in the health disparities in asthma, barriers to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) adherence in children with obstructive sleep apnea, and sleep disorders in adolescents. She also plans to help investigate pulmonary function and sleep patterns seen in children with sickle cell anemia.
She earned her medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine and completed a pediatric residency and pulmonary fellowship at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Most recently, Cole finished a sleep medicine fellowship with Narong Simakajornboon, MD, director of the Cincinnati Children’s Sleep Disorders Center. As a faculty member, she plans to continue her research work and leverage it with her clinical responsibilities.
“I am excited to take part in the usual pulmonary inpatient clinical responsibilities, including managing patients on the pulmonary floor, working with the Transitional Care Center, and consulting throughout the hospital,” she says. “I am also excited to join the inpatient bronchopulmonary disease team, a growing program that is involved in assisting the neonatal intensive care unit with the management of neonates with pulmonary issues.”
Cole is looking forward to joining Cincinnati Children’s, which she says is an institution rooted in “camaraderie, collaboration, understanding and respect.” She will see patients in the division’s general and specialty clinics located on the Burnet, Liberty and Northern Kentucky campuses.
Udoko Will Continue Investigations into Social Determinants of Health Affecting Asthma
Udoko is also joining the faculty as a pulmonology and sleep medicine specialist. She received her medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and completed her internal medicine-pediatrics residency at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Most recently, she concluded her pediatric pulmonology fellowship at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Throughout her medical training, she has focused her research efforts on investigating and addressing the social determinants of health that affect children with asthma. Not only did she work to improve screening efforts, but she also tested a school-based asthma program designed to reduce exacerbations and limit missed school days.
“Low-income children face a variety of social determinants of health that put them at greater risk for asthma exacerbation,” she says. “I look forward to working with my Cincinnati Children’s colleagues to continue to address and improve these disparities.”
Udoko will see patients in clinics on the Burnett and Liberty campuses.
Keegan Joins General Pulmonary and Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Teams
Keegan is joining the faculty to continue his work on long-term ventilation with newborns. He earned his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine and completed both his pediatric residency and pulmonary medicine fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s. Now, he’s pursuing a master’s degree in bioethics and health policy from Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Health Care Leadership at Loyola University.
“After completing my residency and fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s, one of the things that’s most exciting to me is getting to continue these long-term relationships that I’ve made with physicians and people in other positions across the hospital,” he says. “I’ve worked with the interdisciplinary ventilator care team as a fellow which involves working with palliative care. I’m looking forward to continuing to collaborate with them.”
He plans to use his bioethics training to develop future research efforts around decision-making for parents facing long-term mechanical ventilation for their children.
In addition to his ventilator care work, Keegan also contributes to the bronchopulmonary dysplasia team. Currently, he sees patients in specialty and general pulmonology clinics on the Batesville, Burnet and Green Township campuses.
