Not Your Ordinary Ambulance
Vehicle Geared for Transport of Children, Babies

A new pediatric critical care transport ambulance at Inova will allow sick babies, children and parents in the region to receive intensive care in a mobile setting.

The only vehicle of its kind in the region, the four-door Pediatric/Neonatal Critical Care Transport Ambulance contains specialized care capabilities, including an on-board lab, large amounts of oxygen and medical air, and a generator. Its large size — 31 feet long, 8 feet wide and 11 feet tall — allows for the transport of two children or a mother and a child with complex conditions. The ambulance will be based at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children.

The vehicle was purchased by Physicians Transport Service and the Auxiliary of Inova Fairfax Hospital, notes Heather Russell, RN, MS, FABC, Administrator, Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children.
The reason for the purchase was “to provide state-of-the-art transportation for the pediatric patient population across the region,” she says.

The vehicle began doing specialty pediatric transports in January. A nurse, paramedic and respiratory therapist accompany the EMT driver.

Operation Women’s Cancer
Women’s Health Integrated Research Center Studies Gynecologic Disease

A research center at Inova is dedicated to the study of gynecologic cancer.

The Women’s Health Integrated Research Center, a 6,000-square-foot laboratory, represents a partnership between the Department of Defense and Inova. Here, uniformed trainees in gynecologic cancer from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center undergo part of their fellowship training. Investigators from Inova and Walter Reed work with the trainees and a team of scientists to perform their research.

The Center helps the trainees become adept in molecular biology, specifically genomics and proteomics. That area of research is key as healthcare moves toward personalized medicine, explains G. Larry Maxwell, MD, Chairman of the Department of OB-GYN at Inova Fairfax Hospital Women’s Center.

“What we’re doing is on the cutting edge of being able to improve our understanding of the molecular alterations that characterize gynecologic cancers,” he says. “Once we understand the tumor and process in a more detailed and more accurate way, it allows us to either guide the way we treat people today or provide targets for preventive or therapeutic options for the future.”
Learn more about women’s gynecologic cancer services here.

Ask the Experts Please join us for our Women’s Spring Lecture Series:

Scott Rose, MD Gynecologic Oncologist Cervical Cancer: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention Learn about the latest advances in cervical cancer treatment. Scott Rose, MD Tuesday, May 1, 7 p.m. Great Falls Library 9830 Georgetown Pike Great Falls, Va. Karen Maser MD Obstetrician/ Gynecologist Management of Fibroids and Menstrual Disorders What are fibroids and how are they treated? Learn about the latest treatment options for abnormal menstrual bleeding. Karen Maser, MD Thursday, May 10, 7 p.m. Richard Byrd Library 7250 Commerce St. Springfield, Va. Walter von Pechmann, MD Gynecologic Oncologist What Do You Do When Things Don’t Work Right ‘Down There’? Learn treatment options for urinary incontinence. Walter von Pechmann, MD Wednesday, May 23, 7 p.m. Centreville Regional Library 14200 St. Germain Drive Centreville, Va.