The cystic fibrosis patient care programs run by Carla A. Frederick, MD, left, and Danielle M. Goetz, MD, have been recognized by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
CF Foundation Recognizes WNY Patient Care Teams
By Dirk Hoffman
Published November 6, 2025
The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Center of Western New York, whose pediatric and adult patient care programs are led by Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences faculty members, has been recognized by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
The pediatric care team led by Danielle M. Goetz, MD, clinical associate professor of pediatrics and director of the Cystic Fibrosis Center of Western New York at Oishei Children’s Hospital, and the adult care team led by Carla A. Frederick, MD, associate professor of medicine and adult director of the Cystic Fibrosis Center, were both honored as 2025 recipients of the annual CFF’s Quality Improvement Award: Recognizing Outstanding QI Processes and Accomplishments.
The CFF’s QI award acknowledges centers and programs that demonstrate exceptional dedication to improving care for individuals with CF.
The award highlights efforts in optimizing clinical outcomes, involving patients and families, and implementing innovative strategies to enhance care processes and overall patient experience.
Using Clinical Outcomes Data to Enhance Care
As part of the CFF’s Quality Improvement Network there are learning environments called innovation laboratories, Goetz says. Nineteen sites from across the country are involved and Goetz is a co-leader of the innovative lab for mental health.
“The goals are to come up with different ways to deal with a problem and then all of the sites share ideas,” she says. “We conduct virtual meetings, and we review what each center is working on. We then advise and combine efforts when possible.”
One recent QI project focused on mental health and screening for depression and anxiety.
“We already know we are supposed to screen as part of our CFF guidelines, but the lab project focused on first making sure we were screening everyone, but then also making sure we are responding to those screens,” Goetz says. “So, if the screenings are positive that we are doing some kind of actual treatment or referral to help them get care.”
Another recent QI project focused on cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators, the newer treatments designed to correct the malfunctioning protein made by the CFTR gene.
“These are newer drugs, so we are screening for physical side effects from them. For example, if a patient’s liver enzymes are elevated their liver might be having an issue so we are making sure to keep track of that and responding appropriately,” Goetz says. “That could involve adjusting the dose of the medicine, changing to a different medicine, or referring them to a GI specialist.”
It is an example of using clinical outcomes data to enhance care, which is one of the key aspects of the CFF’s QI efforts.
Actively involving patients and families in the planning and execution of QI initiatives is another crucial aspect of the award criteria.
“We currently have one patient and two parents on our QI team, and they meet with us every month in a virtual meeting,” Goetz says.
“For any project we are undertaking we get their input to make sure we are doing what they think would be needed from the patient end of things. They give their take on everything as to the processes we are trying to put into place.”
Adult, Pediatric Care Teams Share Members
Goetz says one of the reasons she was first drawn to CF patient care is that the teams are very interdisciplinary in nature.
In addition to physicians, the pediatric care team in Buffalo includes registered nurse coordinators, respiratory therapists, nutritionists and social workers.
The Buffalo adult and pediatric care teams share members, with the exception that on the adult side a physician’s assistant takes the place of the nurse.
Goetz says that continuity of care in transitioning a pediatric patient to adult care is essential, and that team members are also instrumental in coordinating care with other health care providers.
She cited a recent example where a 19-year-old patient was out of the area and went to an out-of-network hospital after experiencing stomach pains.
“The adult team physician’s assistant was on the phone, coordinating with the hospital to make sure it was doing things that were consistent with CF care when treating this patient,” Goetz says.
Goetz and Frederick accepted the awards on behalf of their teams at the U.S. Centers and Program Director’s meeting at North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference 2025 Oct. 25 in Seattle.
Goetz sees patients through UBMD Pediatrics and Frederick sees patients through UBMD Internal Medicine.