Injury Prevention Program
Introducing the Injury Prevention Program Team
The multi-disciplinary team comprising the Injury Prevention Program at Children’s Hospital Boston draws from all over our hospital. While the Injury Prevention Program is at home in the Trauma Center, employees from many departments are committed to the mission of the program.
Left to right: Margie Munoz; Jill Zalieckas, MD, MPH; Heidi Almodovar, PNP-AC/PC; Maria McMahon, PNP-AC/PC; David Mooney, MD, MPH; Deirdre Farrelly; Evan Priestley, MPH; Barbara Digirolamo, MEd.; Lindsey Elliott, RN, BSN
Heidi Almodovar, PNP-AC/PC, Trauma Nurse Practitioner
Heidi Almodovar is a Trauma Nurse Practitioner in the Department of Surgery. Heidi has also practiced as a Nurse Practitioner in the Emergency Department and the Department of Surgery at The Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado. While working as a Trauma Nurse Practitioner at Denver Children’s Hospital, Heidi was intimately involved with the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute (KPTI) and contributed to injury research, prevention and outreach education.
In her role at Children’s Hospital Boston, Heidi provides continuity of care for pediatric trauma patients and serves as an advanced clinical and educational consultant to colleagues at the hospital and in the Greater Boston community. Heidi actively contributes to the Injury Prevention Program through patient review, program development and program evaluation. Heidi trained at the University of Iowa’s College of Nursing, as well as at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Heidi is currently a member of the Society of Trauma Nurses, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates and Practitioners and the Acute Care Special Interest Group.
Barbara DiGirolamo, MEd, Injury Prevention Specialist
Barbara supports the Injury Prevention Program as a full-time Injury Prevention Specialist. In this role, Barbara delivers ThinkFirst programming to area youth through high school and elementary school assemblies and acts as the elected Secretary for the National ThinkFirst Organization. Barbara is also invested in the Injury Free Coalition for Kids (IFCK). As a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, Barbara coordinates car and booster seat installations through inpatient programming and community events. An educator at heart, Barbara brings new ideas and enthusiasm to the Injury Prevention Program and is particularly interested in the prevention of brain and spinal cord injuries.
Lindsey Elliott, RN, BSN, Injury Prevention Specialist/Outreach Educator
Lindsey joined the Injury Prevention Program at Children’s Hospital Boston after growing her injury prevention expertise at Children’s Mercy Hospital. With a background as a surgical nurse, Lindsey provides education, training and follow up to health care providers in the community. Within the Injury Prevention Program, Lindsey has focused her attention on the development and success of the Child Passenger Safety Program.
Deirdre Farrelly, BA, Administrative Associate IV
Before joining the Trauma Center staff, Deirdre worked for seven years as the Surgical Coordinator for the Department of Urology at Children’s Hospital Boston. Deirdre ensures communication between the Trauma Center and the Injury Prevention Program, coordinates in-patient updates and helps to prepare training and educational materials. Deirdre enjoys the fast pace of the Trauma Center and the opportunity to contribute to injury prevention efforts.
Dr. Lois Lee, MD, MPH, Injury Prevention Program Emergency Department Liaison
Dr. Lois Lee is an attending pediatric emergency medicine physician at Children’s Hospital Boston and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. She received her MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and completed her internship and residency in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She did her fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston. She received her MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. Her clinical and research interests are in pediatric trauma care and injury prevention. She also practices injury prevention at home with her 8-year-old son and her 5-year-old daughter.
Maria McMahon, RN, MSN, PNP-PC/AC, EMT, Trauma Program Manager
Maria has been a valued member of the Children's Hospital Boston family for 15 years. She began her time at Children’s in our Medical/Surgical Intensive Care Unit (MSICU), and then as part of the Critical Care Transport Team before becoming the Trauma Program Manager in 2006. Maria provides strong leadership to the clinical nurse specialists, injury prevention specialists and administrative support staff, in addition to ensuring the successful development, implementation and evaluation of the Trauma Program. She demonstrates her advanced clinical skills while providing exceptional patient care on a daily basis. Maria’s compassion, clinical knowledge and attention to detail make her an asset to our team.
David Mooney, MD, Director of the Trauma Center
Dr. David Mooney is the Director of the Trauma Center, an attending in pediatric general surgery and an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. His research interests focus on evaluating and improving pediatric trauma care, in addition to exploring the causes and outcomes of injuries among children and adolescents. Dr. Mooney received his MD from St. Louis University School of Medicine. He completed an internship and residency at the Medical Center Hospital in Burlington, VT, and a fellowship at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.
Dr. Mooney earned a Masters of Public Health degree from Harvard University in 2006. Dr. Mooney is a member of the Massachusetts State Trauma Committee and the Verification Review Committee of the American College of Surgeons' Committee on Trauma. He is a past-chair of the Trauma Committee of the American Pediatric Academy Association and is a member of the Section on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Michelle Parker, MS, CPNP, Injury Prevention Program Brain Injury Center Liaison
Evan Priestley, MPH, Injury Prevention Program Coordinator
Evan oversees public health efforts in the Injury Prevention Program and coordinates community collaborations for SafeKids Massachusetts. Before joining the Injury Prevention Program as the Program Coordinator, Evan grew her experience as an administrator working with children with life-threatening medical diagnoses at Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Association of Camps. Evan earned her Masters of Public Health from Boston University in 2011 and serves on the Childhood Injury Prevention Working Group for the MassPINN (Massachusetts Prevent Injury Now Network). Evan’s focus in the field of injury prevention is to grow the scientific evidence supporting community-based interventions and to improve program monitoring and evaluation.
Mark Proctor, MD, Injury Prevention Program Brain Injury Center Liaison
Dr. Proctor is a full-time staff physician in pediatric neurosurgery at Boston Children’s Hospital, with additional staff appointments at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Proctor is the director of the Brain Injury Center and the sponsoring surgeon of the local Boston chapter of Thinkfirst. He just finished a two-year term as Chairman of the Board of the ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation. Dr. Proctor also has an active practice in sports-related injuries, in addition to his clinical commitment to Children’s Hospital Boston’s Brain Center.
Dr. Proctor is the neurosurgical representative on the Trauma Executive Committee and is a member of the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Proctor received his Bachelor of Arts in Medicine at Dartmouth College and his Medical Degree from Columbia University.
Jill Zalieckas, MD, MPH, Injury Prevention Program Attending Surgeon
Dr. Zalieckas attended the College of the Holy Cross as an undergraduate, earned her medical degree at Albany Medical College and her MPH at Boston University School of Public Health. Her surgical residency was completed at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center in Burlington, MA. Dr. Zalieckas also completed a Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at Children's Hospital Boston and a Pediatric Surgery Fellowship at Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian. Her areas of interest include pediatric trauma, critical care and injury prevention.
