ImproveCareNow Shehzad_saeed


ICN Research Explained: the COMBINE Trial

What was the key study finding?

The COMBINE study compared the treatment of pediatric Crohn’s disease with an anti-TNF biologic alone versus an anti-TNF biologic combined with low-dose oral methotrexate.  The study found that adding methotrexate reduced the risk of treatment failure for adalimumab, but not for infliximab. Methotrexate did lead to more side effects, but these were mostly mild and rarely led to the stopping of treatment.


Welcoming new ICN care team members

Infographic with Clinical Director Shehzad Saeed. "What Excited you about ImproveCareNow? The ability to work with everyone to deliver superior outcomes, partnerships, research and discovery and learn from each other."

Once or twice a year, ImproveCareNow hosts an online training event called Immersion to welcome new care center staff to our community. Participants leave Immersion with a greater understanding of how ICN makes a difference; how their efforts at their care center matter; and how they can develop relationships and find support within our ICN Community.


ImproveCareNow featured in Healthcare Innovation article about co-production

ImproveCareNow was highlighted in a September 2021 article by Healthcare Innovation called Pulling Together Around the Patient Experience. In the article, author David Raths uses interviews with key network participants to characterize the ways in which patients and clinicians are working together to co-produce care pathways, outcome measures and clinical trials - and the impact these efforts are having.


Reflections, Resilience, Re-Energizing and Re-Chartering

We are well past the first month of the new year, which has me reflecting on some of the challenges and transitions that ImproveCareNow faced as a network and community over the past year. Twenty-twenty is like no other year that I can remember. And while it presented us with many new obstacles as we struggled together to navigate a global pandemic, it also shone a light on inherent disparities and highlighted some of the opportunities waiting to be addressed in our systems. 


ImproveCareNow Clinical Director – Shehzad Saeed, MD, FAAP, AGAF – in his own words

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou

I am a graduate of Dow Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan. I was the first in my family to seek medical education, having been inspired by the work of programs like Doctors without Borders. My plan for seeking postgraduate training drastically changed when I applied for and received my immigrant visa in the US lottery and came to the United States to seek residency and post residency training in pediatric gastroenterology.

I have had many blessings and learnings that I have had the good fortune of being exposed to in this great adopted country of mine. This is a very brief story of my journey to become involved with ImproveCareNow, beginning as a practicing pediatric gastroenterologist at a participating children’s hospital and leading to my present role as Clinical Director for ImproveCareNow.  


The COMBINE Study

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Chinese philosopher Laozi, 6th century BC

With great admiration, I have been witness to the strides that ImproveCareNow (ICN) has been making in our research efforts. As co-chair of the Research Committee, I am able to observe all of the wonderful ideas that the community puts forth for consideration. As with any learning curve, every step is not smooth, and we occasionally stumble and fall. Our colleagues are next to us ready to offer a helping hand though.


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