Cure 4 The Kids Foundation Names New Chief Medical Officer and
Announces Additional Promotions
Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, the parent organization of the Children’s Specialty Center of Nevada and Hemophilia Treatment Center of Nevada, has named Alan Ikeda, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer.
In this position, Dr. Ikeda is responsible for all clinical and standards practices within the organization’s two clinics, as well as oversight of staff performance and training, patient care, and adherence to policies that ensure continued accreditation of both clinics by The Joint Commission. Dr. Ikeda joined the Children’s Specialty Center in 2010 as one of the clinic’s Pediatric Hematology-Oncology providers, but has also served as Director of Oncology and Interim Medical Director during his tenure.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity and have tremendous faith in our team’s ability to continue to promote the mission and vision of our organization,” said Alan Ikeda, M.D.
Additional promotions announced by Cure 4 The Kids Foundation include:
Kanyalakshmi Ayyanar, M.D., was named Director of Oncology at the Children’s Specialty Center of Nevada. In her new position, Dr. Ayyanar is responsible for oversight of all oncology staff and providers, management of all clinical oncology practices, patient care, as well as related clinical trials.
Dr. Ayyanar joined Cure 4 The Kids Foundation in 2015 and is the state’s only full-time physician with training in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology. Prior to moving to Nevada, Dr. Ayyanar was Director of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Although board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, as a Pediatric Neuro-Oncologist, Dr. Ayyanar has special training in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care of brain and spinal cord tumors. Brain tumors are the second most common type of cancer for pediatric patients.
Danielle Bello, Ph.D., was named Director of the Long-Term Follow-Up (LTFU) Clinic for childhood cancer survivors. Dr. Bello, a licensed Psychologist and Neuropsychologist, joined the foundation in 2015. In addition to responsibility for the LTFU Clinic, she leads the Children’s Specialty Center’s Neuropsychology program, which provides understanding of brain-behavior relationships, and also assists patients who are in need of school services and therapies as a result of their medical treatment. Since many childhood cancer survivors can be affected by “late effects” from some therapies, Dr. Bello’s oversight provides additional benefit and expertise for LTFU patients.
Waseem Alhushki, M.D. is now lead physician at the LTFU Clinic. Dr. Alhushki joined the foundation in 2013 as a Pediatric Hematology-Oncology provider, receiving his board certification in 2014. As lead physician, Dr. Alhushki will coordinate all medical care for childhood cancer survivors and evaluate each LTFU patient. Prior to joining the foundation, Dr. Alhushki was part of the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. While at CHLA, he completed his fellowship research which focused on the role of weight loss in improving outcome for obese children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Arlene Bayreder, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP), is now coordinator of all aspects in our growing electronic health records program. This includes implementation of our platform allowing for electronic ordering of medications, and eventually, chemotherapy orders, which will add another layer of patient safety and efficiency.
In September of 2016, Nik Abdul Rashid, M.D. was named Director of the Sickle Cell Treatment Center of Nevada. Although sickle cell disease patients have been treated at the Children’s Specialty Center of Nevada since it opened, the Sickle Cell Treatment Center brings a much more comprehensive approach to patient care than was previously offered.
Under Dr. Rashid’s directorship, all sickle cell patients will undergo an annual comprehensive clinic where each patient is seen by a multi-disciplinary team, including Pediatric Hematologist, Pediatric Neuropsychologist, palliative care specialist, social worker, patient advocate and educator, clinical research associate, physical therapist and registered nurse.
Since 2007, a combined 40,000 patients have been treated at the Children’s Specialty Center of Nevada and Hemophilia Treatment Center of Nevada. As part of the mission of Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, no patient is ever turned away from treatment for financial reasons. Cure 4 The Kids Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
About Cure 4 The Kids Foundation
The Children’s Specialty Center of Nevada and the Hemophilia Treatment Center Of Nevada are funded, in part, by Cure 4 The Kids Foundation. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization was founded in 2007 to ensure children with life-threatening illnesses received proper medical attention regardless of their family’s income or presence of health insurance. To date, more than 40,000 patients have been treated by physicians and medical staff at the Children’s Specialty Center and Hemophilia Treatment Center. The Children’s Specialty Center provides medical treatment to children facing devastating diseases such as cancer, rheumatology and genetic conditions, sickle cell disease, as well as rare and ultra-rare diseases. All our providers are board certified in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. The Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) of Nevada is the only federally recognized HTC in the state. It is one of 140 HTCs around the country which provides individual services to children and adults with inherited bleeding disorders. Studies show people with Hemophilia, who are treated at federally recognized HTCs have lower overall healthcare costs, lower hospitalization rates, and lower mortality rates than non-HTC users. Cure 4 The Kids Foundation’s Charity Care plan ensures patients at The Children’s Specialty Center and the Hemophilia Treatment Center receive medical treatment regardless of family income or presence of medical insurance. www.cure4thekids.org
