Inaugural Department of Pediatrics quality improvement award recipients announced

Four faculty earn Excellence in Clinical Leadership and Improving Pediatric Care awards

The University of Louisville School of Medicine (SOM) Department of Pediatrics launched the annual Excellence in Clinical Leadership and Improving Pediatric Care awards to recognize outstanding contributions to quality improvement. These peer-nominated recognitions celebrate faculty who demonstrate leadership in advancing clinical practice and elevating pediatric care. 

The Excellence in Clinical Leadership award honors a pediatric faculty member whose leadership advances pediatric care, strengthens team culture and elevates the academic mission that creates a lasting impact for children, families and care teams within the Department of Pediatrics and Norton Children’s Hospital. 

The 2026 recipient is Deanna Tzanetos, professor of pediatrics. Tzanetos is the medical director of cardiac critical care and executive medical director for subspeciality pediatrics at Norton Children's. Her colleagues nomination noted Tzanetos leadership improving pediatric cardiac intensive care through strengthening the CICU team through collaborative and intentional partnership across all team members. Beyond Norton Children’s and UofL SOM, she invests her time in national organizations including the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society which advances care for patients across the country. 

The Improving Pediatric Practice award recognizes faculty who lead a project or program that produces meaningful, measurable and sustained improvements in pediatric care. Matt Kinney, Maria Kahn and Erin Owen received the 2026 honors. 

Kinney serves as associate professor of pediatrics and SOM and medical director of the Norton Children’s Medical Group academic general pediatrics practices. His peers described him as a trailblazer improving outpatient safety leadership whose work has now improved care at more than 25 community practices. Examples include incorporating data-driven decisions with collaborative care and leading vaccine safety initiatives and standardizing high-frequency hearing screenings for adolescents. 

Kahn, a pediatric gastroenterologist, was nominated for her leadership with initiatives to improve IBD care, including launching pre-visit planning meetings that she expanded with population management meeting that expedites patient care and ensures they have support during their transition from adolescent care to adult needs.

Owen is the director of pediatric fellowships and serves as the director of patient safety and quality improvement education for the pediatric residency program in addition to her role as a pediatric intensivist. Her nominators noted her pioneering of Quality Improvement work and education at all levels.

About the University of Louisville Department of Pediatrics: The University of Louisville (UofL) Department of Pediatrics, part of UofL’s School of Medicine, aims to provide inclusive excellence in clinical care, medical education, pediatric research and community advocacy to meet the health-related needs of children. The faculty are researchers who explore innovation in pediatric medicine, serve on local, regional and national committees and organizations while helping set standards of care and formulate new models of treatment. They are educators, focused on training the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. In addition, our faculty serves as pediatricians who provide services of Kentucky and the region through our affiliation with Norton Children's Hospital. For more information, visit the department website.