Alison S. Tothy, M.D

Childrens Safety

The power lawn mower is one of the most dangerous tools around the home. Each year, approximately 68,000 persons with injuries caused by power mowers were treated in emergency departments. More than 9,000 of the people hurt were younger than 18 years. Older children and adolescents were most often hurt while cutting lawns as chores or as a way to earn money.

Lawn mower injuries include deep cuts, loss of fingers and toes, broken and dislocated bones, burns, and eye and other injuries. Some injuries are very serious. Both users of mowers and those who are nearby can be hurt.

Dr.Alison S. Tothy, M.D, Medical Director; Pediatric Emergency Medicine Assistant Professor; Department of Pediatrics The University of Chicago Children's Hospital, comes on the show to discuss the AAP recommendations regarding childrens' safety around lawnmowers.

Alison Tothy, M.D. is board certified in both Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine. She obtained her BS from Brandeis University and her MD from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She completed both her residency and fellowship training at Children’s Memorial Hospital through the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. Dr. Tothy is an Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago and currently the Medical Director of the Pediatric Emergency Room at the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital. She is actively involved in the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics as the Chair of the Injury Prevention Committee. In that role she is focusing on bike helmet safety laws and prevention of childhood violence.

In 2007, Dr. Tothy co-created the Injury Prevention Consortium for Research and Education at the University of Chicago. Her research and educational interests include injury prevention, residential and day camp health and safety, sports medicine and adolescent care.

Melanie Cole, M.S.

5 / 26 / 2010