Gabrielle Hester,MD

Board certification
American Board of Pediatrics

Philosophy of care
The motto of my residency program was ’the child first and always.’ I’ve found this to be a great guiding principle, not only in medicine but also at home. By consistently making decisions that prioritize the child’s best interests, we will always be heading in the right direction.

Why Gabrielle went into medicine
My parents were both healthcare professionals, so I tried my hardest to explore options other than medicine. However, I kept coming back to it because it was a unique field where I could combine science and communication to assist individuals and families during times of significant stress and need in their lives.

Favorite advice to give patients
As a pediatric hospitalist, I often bypass screen-time limits and other important conversations that outpatient pediatricians excel at. Instead, I make an effort to connect with my patients by discussing their interests as a way to build trust during our time together. Being in the hospital can be incredibly frightening for children and their families. My favorite ways to connect are by telling amazing (or, according to my 9-year-old daughter, terrible) jokes, often medical puns, or by engaging in conversations about books.

Hometown
Wausau, WI

Hobbies
Duluth is the perfect place for me as I love nordic skiing (15 Birkies and counting!), hiking, mountain biking. Plus reading, baking, cats, costumes, and anything with my kids.

Additional Languages
Conversational French and Spanish

Awards

National Pediatric Hospital Medicine Award for Quality and Patient Safety (AAP Section on Hospital Medicine) 2023

Mitch Einzig Teaching Award, best clinical teacher awarded by Univ. MN Peds Residents, 2022

Publications
Hester G, Thornton A, Workman J. Time to Rebalance the Plane. The Journal of Pediatrics. Accepted for publication June 2023. Hester G, King E, Nickel A, Smedshammer S, Wageman K. Omphalitis Hospitalizations at a US Children's Hospital. Hosp Pediatr. 2022 Dec 1;12(12):e423-e427. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2022-006623. PMID: 36353854.

Lefchak B, Nickel A, Lammers S, Watson D, Hester GZ, Bergmann KR. Analysis of COVID-19-Related Croup and SARS-CoV-2 Variant Predominance in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Jul 1;5(7):e2220060. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.20060. PMID: 35796213; PMCID: PMC9250054.

Bergmann KR, Nickel A, Hall M, … Hester GZ. Association of Neighborhood Resources and Race and Ethnicity With Readmissions for Diabetic Ketoacidosis at US Children's Hospitals. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 May 2;5(5):e2210456.

Hester G., Nickel AJ, Watson D, Maalouli W, Bergmann KR. Use of a Clinical Guideline and Orderset to Reduce Hospital Admissions for Croup. Pediatrics. 2022 Sep 1;150(3):e2021053507. doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-053507. PMID: 35970819.

Maalouli W, Petersen A, Strutt J, Bergmann KR, Axelrod A, Lee G, Hester GZ. Prediction Model for Croup Admission Need. Hosp Pediatr. 2022 Aug 1;12(8):711-718. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2021-006389. PMID: 35788350.

Burns JE, Thurm C, Antoon JW, Grijalva CG, Hall M, Hersh AL, Hester GZ, Korn E, Reyes MA, Shah SS, Totapally BR, Teufel RJ. Medications and Adherence to Treatment Guidelines Among Children Hospitalized With Acute COVID-19. Pediatrics. 2022 Sep 1;150(3):e2022056606. doi: 10.1542/peds.2022-056606. PMID: 35701866; PMCID: PMC9444870.

Coon ER, Hester G, Ralston SL. Why Are So Many Children With Bronchiolitis Going to the Intensive Care Unit? JAMA Pediatr. 2022 Mar 1;176(3):231-233. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.5186. PMID: 34928316.

Hester, G. Z., Nickel, A. J., Watson, D. et. al Factors Associated with Bronchiolitis Guideline Non-Adherence at US Children’s Hospitals. Hospital Pediatrics Sept 7, 2021.

Hester, G. Z., Nickel AJ, Watson D, Swanson G, Laine JC, Bergmann KR. Improving Care and Outcomes for Pediatric Musculoskeletal Infections. Pediatrics. 2021 Feb;147(2):e20200118. doi: 10.1542/peds.2020-0118. Epub 2021 Jan 7. PMID: 33414235.

Neubauer, HC, Hall M, Lopez MA,… Hester GZ, et. al. Antibiotic Regimens and Associated Outcomes for Children Hospitalized with Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome. J Hosp Med. 2021 Mar;16(3):149-155..

Hester, G. Z., Nickel, A. J, Griffen K. Accountability Through Measurement: Using a Dashboard to Address Pediatric Health Disparities. Pediatrics. 2020;146(6)

Hester, G. Z., Nickel, A. J., Stinchfield, P. A., & Spaulding, A. B. Low Use of Vitamin A for Children Hospitalized for Measles in the United States. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2020 Apr;39(4):e45-e46.

Hester, G. Z., Watson, D., Nickel, A. J., Ryan, N., Jepson, B., Gray, J., & Bergmann, K. R. (2019). Identifying Patients with Kawasaki Disease Safe for Early Discharge: Development of a Risk Prediction Model at a US Children’s Hospital. Hospital Pediatrics.

Hester, G. Z., Nickel, A. J., Stinchfield, P. A., & Spaulding, A. B. (2019). Demographics, Complications and Resource Utilization for Patients Hospitalized for Measles across US Children’s Hospitals. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 1.

Hester, G., Barnes, T., O’Neill, J., Swanson, G., McGuinn, T., & Nickel, A. (2019). Rate of Airway Intervention for Croup at a Tertiary Children’s Hospital 2015-2016. The Journal of Emergency Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2019.06.005+

Hester G, Lang T, Madsen L, Tambyraja R, Zenker P. Timely Data for Targeted Quality Improvement Interventions: Use of a Visual Analytics Dashboard for Bronchiolitis. Appl Clin Inform [Internet]. 2019 Jan 6 [cited 2019 Mar 8];10(1):168–74

Hester, G., Nickel, A., LeBlanc, J., Carlson, R., Spaulding, A. B., Kalaskar, A., & Stinchfield, P. (2019). Measles Hospitalizations at a United States Children’s Hospital 2011-2017. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 38(6), 547–552.