UF Jacksonville and Wolfson Children’s Hospital Pediatrician Receives Prestigious National Award

A University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville pediatrician and hospitalist at Wolfson Children’s Hospital has been selected as the Paul V. Miles Fellow in Quality Improvement for 2017 by the American Board of Pediatrics.

Matthew D. Garber, M.D., F.H.M., FAAP, a UF professor of pediatrics, was chosen for his work on quality improvement in community-based hospitals, as well as launching and sustaining new pediatric quality improvement programs. The award is given to a mid-career pediatrician dedicated to improving quality of care for children.

“I am truly honored to receive this recognition on behalf of all of those involved with improving the lives of children through focused care,” said Garber. “The collaboration in Jacksonville among pediatric physicians and hospitals dedicated to their care is a tremendous asset, and I am grateful to be a part of it.”

The ABP says it recognized Garber in part for his help in founding the Value in Inpatient Pediatrics Network, a grass-roots group that was created to improve hospital-based care for children, especially at small hospitals and at children’s hospitals located within adult hospitals. That group is now part of a larger one within the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“Matt has spearheaded important quality improvement projects about the management of some common pediatric illnesses, such as bronchiolitis and community-acquired pneumonia, that have required collaboration between emergency medicine and hospital pediatrics,” said Mark Hudak, M.D., chair of the department of pediatrics for the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville. “As a result, many children will benefit. We are pleased that he is continuing this work in Jacksonville by guiding an initiative to define the best clinical management of young infants who present to the emergency room with fever.”

Jerry Bridgham, M.D., chief medical officer for Wolfson Children’s Hospital, said: “Matt’s work will have a significant impact on the children we serve, both in our Wolfson Children’s Emergency Centers and in our children’s hospital, and at hospitals across the country. We congratulate him on his latest honor.”

Garber is chair-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Hospital Medicine. In addition, he is one of the founders and medical director of the Value in Inpatient Pediatrics Network, part of the AAP’s Quality Improvement Innovation Networks. The goal of the VIP Network is to improve the value of care delivered to pediatric inpatients by helping providers implement clinical practice guidelines and other best practices, with a special focus on eliminating harm and waste caused by overutilization. The network comprises pediatric hospitalists, and seeks to ensure the 70 percent of children hospitalized at non-children’s hospitals receive similar access to collaborative data and quality of care found in dedicated children’s hospitals.

“We are delighted that Dr. Garber will be able to share with the ABP the insights he has gained as he has ignited and expanded the commitment to quality improvement, especially in community settings,” said Virginia Moyer, M.D., M.P.H., vice president, maintenance of certification and quality at the ABP.

Garber joined the University of Florida in June 2016. He received his medical degree from the University of South Florida and completed a pediatrics residency at the University of South Carolina. He is board-certified in pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics. He has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and has given more than 10 national presentations on pediatric hospital medicine and quality improvement.