Rounding@Iowa Podcast: “Challenges in Transitioning Seriously Ill Patients from Pediatric to Adult Systems of Care”

I listened to the Rounding@Iowa podcast of February 11, 2025, “Challenges in Transitioning Seriously Ill Patients from Pediatric to Adult Systems of Care.”

95: Making Sense of MASH – Rounding@IOWA

MASH is often called a silent disease, but its impact can be significant. Join Dr. Gerry Clancy and University of Iowa liver specialists Dr. Marta Tejedor Bravo and Dr. Alan Gunderson as they explore risk factors, screening, disease progression, and emerging therapies that are reshaping care for patients with metabolic liver disease. Liver Wellness | The University of Iowa Iowa Liver Wellness Symposium: Cirrhosis Care in Motion 2026 5k Race – Run for Your Liver, Run for Your life (and last year's video Run for Your Liver, Run for Your Life) Episode Transcript CE Credit Available Host: Gerard Clancy, MD Senior Associate Dean for External Affairs Professor of Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine Guests: Alan E. Gunderson, MD Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine-Gastroenterology and Hepatology University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine Marta Tejedor Bravo, MD, MSc, PhD Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine-Gastroenterology and Hepatology University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine Financial Disclosures: Dr. Clancy, Dr. Tejedor Bravo, and the members of the Rounding@IOWA planning committee have disclosed no relevant financial relationships. Dr. Gunderson has disclosed the following relationships: CymaBay Therapeutics, Inc.; GigaGen, Inc.; LISCure Biosciences, Inc. – Sponsored Research Relevant financial relationships have been mitigated. Nurse: The University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine designates this activity for a maximum of 1.00 ANCC contact hour. Pharmacist and Pharmacy Tech: The University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine designates this knowledge-based activity for a maximum of 1.00 ACPE contact hours. Credit will be uploaded to the NABP CPE Monitor within 60 days after the activity completion. Pharmacists must provide their NABP ID and DOB (MMDD) to receive credit. JA0000310-0000-26-058-H01 Physician: The University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Other Health Care Providers: A certificate of completion will be available after successful completion of the course. (It is the responsibility of licensees to determine if this continuing education activity meets the requirements of their professional licensure board.) References: Rinella ME, Neuschwander-Tetri BA, Siddiqui MS, Abdelmalek MF, Caldwell S, Barb D, Kleiner DE, Loomba R. AASLD Practice Guidance on the clinical assessment and management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Hepatology. 2023 May 1;77(5):1797-1835. doi: 10.1097/HEP.0000000000000323. Epub 2023 Mar 17. PMID: 36727674; PMCID: PMC10735173. European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL); European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD); European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO). EASL-EASD-EASO Clinical Practice Guidelines on the management of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). J Hepatol. 2024 Sep;81(3):492-542. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2024.04.031. Epub 2024 Jun 7. PMID: 38851997. Younossi ZM, Zelber-Sagi S, Lazarus JV, Wong VW, Yilmaz Y, Duseja A, Eguchi Y, Castera L, Pessoa MG, Oliveira CP, El-Kassas M, Tsochatzis E, Fan JG, Spearman CW, Tacke F, Castellanos Fernandez MI, Alkhouri N, Schattenberg JM, Romero-Gómez M, Noureddin M, Allen AM, Ong JP, Roberts SK, Shubrook JH, Burra P, Kohli R, Kautz A, Holleboom AG, Lam B, Isaacs S, Macedo P, Gastaldelli A, Henry L, Ivancovsky-Wajcman D, Nader F, de Avila L, Price JK, Mark HE, Villota-Rivas M, Barberá A, Kalligeros M, Gerber LH, Alqahtani SA. Global Consensus Recommendations for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease and Steatohepatitis. Gastroenterology. 2025 Oct;169(5):1017-1032.e2. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2025.02.044. Epub 2025 Apr 11. PMID: 40222485. Mladenić K, Lenartić M, Marinović S, Polić B, Wensveen FM. The "Domino effect" in MASLD: The inflammatory cascade of steatohepatitis. Eur J Immunol. 2024 Apr;54(4):e2149641. doi: 10.1002/eji.202149641. Epub 2024 Feb 5. PMID: 38314819. Harrison SA, Bedossa P, Guy CD, Schattenberg JM, Loomba R, Taub R, Labriola D, Moussa SE, Neff GW, Rinella ME, Anstee QM, Abdelmalek MF, Younossi Z, Baum SJ, Francque S, Charlton MR, Newsome PN, Lanthier N, Schiefke I, Mangia A, Pericàs JM, Patil R, Sanyal AJ, Noureddin M, Bansal MB, Alkhouri N, Castera L, Rudraraju M, Ratziu V; MAESTRO-NASH Investigators. A Phase 3, Randomized, Controlled Trial of Resmetirom in NASH with Liver Fibrosis. N Engl J Med. 2024 Feb 8;390(6):497-509. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2309000. PMID: 38324483. Sanyal AJ, Newsome PN, Kliers I, Østergaard LH, Long MT, Kjær MS, Cali AMG, Bugianesi E, Rinella ME, Roden M, Ratziu V; ESSENCE Study Group. Phase 3 Trial of Semaglutide in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis. N Engl J Med. 2025 Jun 5;392(21):2089-2099. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2413258. Epub 2025 Apr 30. PMID: 40305708.

This was a very interesting presentation about the challenges of helping persons with life-limiting conditions (for example, hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia and more) transition from pediatric to adult systems of care. Most of the discussion was about the difficulty in finding doctors who would be willing and able to assume care of patients who had survived to adulthood who had been previously seen in pediatrics throughout childhood.

I listened very carefully to the whole podcast, waiting to hear about what the role of mental health care professionals would be in this kind of transition. There was no mention of it, not even after one of the presenters described a patient who was starting to have hallucinations.

My role as a consulting psychiatrist in a general hospital was mainly to see those with chronic diseases who were being treated by colleagues during a bout of cystic fibrosis or sickle cell crisis. I remember they were young adults, struggling with emotional distress and disruptive behavior.

I was surprised at the lack of discussion about the role of mental health assessments, diagnoses, and treatment including psychotherapy during transitions from pediatric to adult health care. Not that I would have had much to offer other than questions about how mental health professionals could be helpful regarding transitions—but I think they would have not been out of place.

I took a quick look at the resources provided. One of them was a University of Iowa website, the Iowa Center for Disabilities and Development: Transition to Adulthood Clinic For Teens and Young Adult Ages 14-30. Even here, the role of a psychologist was to evaluate learning problems.

One of the discussants mentioned a program called Got Transition, which has a very comprehensive website. There was a section for Special Populations and a list of resources and research when I searched the site using the term “mental health.” It was hard to find a section specific to the population under discussion in the podcast. On the other hand, it was very comprehensive.

In this podcast, discussants talked about the importance of a team approach to transitions. I wonder if there’s a place on the team for psychiatry.

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