Dr. Christina Luz L. Cifra, MD, MS

Research

Dr. Cifra is a health services researcher focusing on patient safety in pediatric critical care. She has performed work on improving the Morbidity and Mortality conference as a vehicle to improve quality of care in the PICU. Her current work centers on diagnostic safety and team diagnosis in the pediatric intensive care environment.

Education

BS, Basic Medical Science, Integrated Liberal Arts Medicine (INTARMED) Program, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines
MD, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines
MS, Translational Biomedicine, University of Iowa

Resident, Pediatrics, University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines
Resident, Pediatrics, University of Maryland, Balitmore, Maryland
Fellow, Resident Scholars Program, Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Fellow, Pediatric Critical Care, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland

Licensure and Certifications

Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Board Certified
Iowa Medical License
American Board of Pediatrics, Board Certified

Awards and Accolades

Cifra Wins Award at National Conference

Congratulations to Dr. Christina Cifra for her recent award. She was co-author on a poster presentation "Diagnosis documentation of critically ill children on admission to a pediatric intensive care unit", which was awarded the Best Scientific Abstract at the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine Conference held virutally this year from October 19-21. Congratulations, Dr. Cifra!

Date: 

Monday, October 26, 2020

Sonali Ramesh, MB, BS

Education

PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Tamil Nadu, India.

Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, Iowa, USA.

Residency, Pediatrics, BronxCare Health Systems affiliated to Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, USA.

Experience

In the short time I spent doing qualitative- diagnostic errors related research with Dr. Cifra, my eyes were opened to aspects of medicine that I didn't even knew existed. Like for example, I have been a part of initial patient interaction- doing admissions and discharges, but never really paid attention to how diagnoses are conceptualized and communicated among physicians or to the patients. This has pushed me to practice (and teach medical students!) more patient-centered, high-quality medicine.

Libby Beaman, Student

Education

4th Year B.S Public Health Student at the University of Iowa

Minor in Global Health Studies

Student Research Assistant, Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, Iowa, USA.

Experience

Working with Dr. Cifra has been beneficial in countless ways. Through this research I have developed skills in medical terminology, hospital work flow, and development of research projects. Everything Dr. Cifra has taught me has aided my education and contributed to my success as a college student. As a Public Health student, I have had the opportunity to experience the development of new protocols and see first had how the methods of surveillance are used to develop new studies. 

Victoria Vivtcharenko, BS

Education

I am currently an M2 medical student at University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, with passions for research, service, and leadership. I graduated from Luther College with degrees in Biology and Chemistry. 

Experience

At Carver College of Medicine, I knew I wanted to continue my involvement in research and am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Cifra. By broadening my experiences from pure bench work to clinical and qualitative research, I have gained several new skills that will allow me to pursue research in my future career as a physician. Furthermore, the knowledge gained from studying clinical documentation will also be immensely helpful to me in my educational journey and later, career,

Research Team in Michigan, USA