Pediatric Oncology: Multi-Disciplinary Panel Discussion

Hosted by Pediatric SIG

Virtual 

Contact hours awarded

This will be a virtual panel discussion focused on multi-disciplinary management of pediatric patients with cancer diagnoses. The following is a brief biography of each presenter:

Rachel Sadnisky is a full time, pediatric inpatient physical therapist at CT Childrens. She has been working at the hospital for 5 years this July. She was initially full-time outpatient and transitioned to inpatient care. She has always had a love for the oncology population and completed her last clinical rotation as a student at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She received her PCS in 2021. She is one of the physical therapists in the hospital's hemophilia and bleeding disorder clinic and have worked in the weight management and medical and mental wellness clinics in the past.

Lauren Van de Bergis a full time pediatric acute care PT at CT Children's who has worked with children with cancer as a PT for 7 years, and as a camp counselor for the SeriousFun network since the age of 19. This is a field she is highly passionate about. She has worked with cardiology and oncology to establish a role for PT in CT Children's outpatient cardio-oncology follow up clinic and have participated in the neuro-oncology clinic as well.

Adam graduated from the University of Hartford in 2014 with his Doctorate in Physical Therapy. He started his career at Montowese Rehabilitation Center in North Haven, CT. Following a year in the skilled nursing facility, Adam spent 6 years at Connecticut Children’s in the outpatient PT department where he has worked with various patients with oncology diagnoses. He recently moved into the school setting with Area Cooperative Educations Sevices – Extension Therapy Services (ETS), working with children from Pre-K up to age 22. He currently services the West Haven and Seymour school districts.

Katie Robbins is a certified child life specialist (CCLS) working at Connecticut Children’s since May of 2015. Receiving her Masters of Science degree in Child Life and Family Centered Care from Wheelock College, Katie has a strong foundation of child development theories and understands the major stressors that patients and their families face during inpatient admissions and treatment. As a child life specialist of a 28 bed inpatient unit, Katie primarily serves the Oncology and Hematology population working closely with patients of all ages and their families during stressful admissions. In addition to helping patients understand new diagnosis information in a developmentally appropriate manner, Katie also helps this population cope with long admissions throughout treatment. Katie’s current interests are focused on providing interventions and opportunities for patients and their siblings to normalize the hospital environment, developing programs for socialization and processing major stressors with the goal of helping to create the least traumatic experience possible.

Lyn Balsamo is a clinical psychologist and member of the Yale School of Medicine faculty for over 14 years. She is embedded in the Section of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and provides direct care to pediatric oncology patients and their families across their treatment journey. Her responsibilities include consultation to the medical staff, psychotherapy and resilience building, and neuropsychological testing. Lyn is also a long-time member of the HEROS team, Yale’s pediatric cancer survivorship clinic.