2016 - August Edition
 
Welcome to the August 2016 edition of our monthly e-Newsletter.
 
Edward Curry, M.D.  F.A.A.P.
President, AAP-CA2
I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. As we near the start of the new school year, most of us will be facing parents who may have personal expectations in regards to school mandated vaccinations. SB-277, the new State Law that eliminates personal belief exemptions, is already in effect. We had a meeting a few weeks ago with leadership from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Immunization Program, to collaborate in the development of a list of valid medical exemptions. The list is in development and will be made available to you as soon as it becomes finalized. Along those lines, last month's article was submitted by Eileen Yamada, MD, MPH, FAAP, Public Health Medical Officer for the California Department of Public Health. Her article referenced the upcoming changes to CAIR, the California Immunization Registry. Also, Dr. Yamada included a link with a guide on the catching-up schedule for children whose immunizations PBEs will expire in 2016 or 2017.  Most importantly, our AAP District IX has developed a form for documenting medical immunization exemption. We have left those items below for your reference, in case you had missed them last month.
 
As I mentioned last month, we are committed to the development of meaningful projects and programs that become both useful tools for your practice, and a source for obtaining maintenance of certification credit (parts 2 and 4). The AAP-CA2 Quality Improvement Team is almost ready to present an opportunity for practices to improve their HPV immunization rates in kids ages 11 and 12. Practice recruitment will begin in September. The project will entail two phases, one focusing on series initiation, and the other on series completion. Practices will be able to join either, or both.
 
Our feature article this month is on atopic dermatitis, by Minnelly Luu, MD and Peck Y. Ong, MD.
 
AAP-CA2 Immediate Past President, Paula Whiteman, MD, FACEP, FAAP, flew to Sacramento last week to represent the view of pediatricians in the face of the controversy surrounding how anesthesia is provided to children during some dental procedures. Please see her report below.
 
We are glad to publish a report from District IX SOPT Representative, Christine Thang, MD, in which she provides an overview of the activities and key players related to the Section On Pediatric Trainees. Please see her report in the Residents' Corner, below.
 
Please see the list of upcoming events. Member-at-Large Mona Patel, MD, FAAP received a grant through which she will provide three educational town halls in the area of developmental screening. The first of which will take place in Studio City on September 8, followed by two others in Santa Monica and Pomona. In October, Member-at-Large Ken Saul, MD, FAAP, will have his Town Hall in Woodland Hills on the influenza vaccine controversies, and the California Family Health Council will sponsor a Town Hall with speaker Diane Tanaka, MD, on the topic of sexual and reproductive health in primary care. Please see the details below and RSVP as required to attend. 
 
Last, but not least, please save the date for our 2017 Advances in Pediatrics Conference - April 22, 2017 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel.
 
Thank you for supporting our Chapter.  
Sincerely,
 
Edward Curry M.D.  F.A.A.P
President, AAP-CA2

Feature Article 
To Bathe or Not To Bathe in Atopic Dermatitis?
 
Minnelly Luu, MD
Peck Y. Ong, MD
Practices involving the use of bathing in atopic dermatitis (AD) vary widely among pediatricians and specialists.  These practices can be broadly divided into two camps: those who favor frequent bathing vs. those who restrict bathing in AD.  In fact, almost half of patients who have seen multiple providers for AD report receiving conflicting recommendations on bathing.  A recent survey study showed that pediatric dermatologists and allergist/immunologists are more likely to prescribe frequent bathing compared with primary care providers. Read More...

Last Month's Article - Did you miss it?
CAIR Is Moving To CAIR2:  It's bigger, better, faster!
Eileen Yamada, MD, MPH, FAAP
Eileen Yamada, MD, MPH, FAAP
Public Health Medical Officer
California Department of Public Health, Immunization Branch

An increasingly complex immunization schedule can be confusing for providers, schools and colleges, and individuals. Compounding this problem is the fact that immunization records are often scattered, making it difficult to assess whether a person is truly up to date.

An immunization registry is a secure, confidential, web-based database that stores the immunization records of children and adults. Registries help medical practices keep patients of all ages up to date on vaccinations by avoiding under-immunization or over-immunization...  Click to Read full article


State Advocacy

SB-277
Leadership from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LAC DPH) and AAP-CA2 met in Los Angeles on July 12, 2016 to collaborate in the development of a "valid medical exemptions" document to support pediatricians during the start of the school year, in September. AAP-CA2 will make this available as soon as it is released.

On July 6, AAP-CA emailed the recently developed  optional vaccine medical exemption form  to support you, our pediatrician members, in your record-keeping and in your ability to most easily provide schools and child cares  with  the information required by the state for a child to qualify for a medical exemption from one or more school/child care-entry mandated vaccines under California law. In case you've missed it, please look for that email for specific information from AAP-CA. The form is provided in the link below.

Resources:


(From left) Michelle T. Parra, PhD, Director, LAC DPH Immunization Program; Edward Curry, MD, FAAP, President, AAP-CA2; Franklin D. Pratt, MD, MPHTM, FACEP, Medical Director, LAC DPH Immunization Program; Laurel Fowler, MPH, Deputy Director, LAC DPH Immunization Program; Tomás Torices, MD, Executive Director, AAP-CA2.

Paula Whiteman
Paula J. Whiteman, MD, FACEP, FAAP   CFMC Representative, AAP-District IX
Immediate Past President, AAP-CA2 
AB-2235 (Thurmond) CA Dental Board Pediatric Anesthesia Study Report - Part 1 
 
Paula J. Whiteman, MD, FACEP, FAAP
CFMC Representative, AAP-District IX  
Immediate Past President, AAP-CA2 
 
Unfortunately in recent news, there have been reports of what may have been preventable deaths in children undergoing sedation associated with dental procedures.
In response to one such event is Assemblyman Tony Thurmond's bill AB 2235, also known as Caleb's Law. In response to this bill, the CA Dental Board created a 152-page document entitled the Pediatric Anesthesia Study. While comprehensive, the document does not support the position of having a second trained professional dedicated solely to being in charge of sedation and the patient's airway separate from the dentist or oral maxillary surgeon performing the procedure.

On Thursday July 28th, the CA Dental Board received public comments during a stakeholders' meeting. There were about 30 in attendance with only a few, including myself, providing testimony.
 
Also giving testimony were members of the California Society of Anesthesiologists (CSA), including Mark Zakowski, MD, president, and Mark Singleton, MD, past president. Dr. Zakowski presented a letter in advance of the meeting as did the AAP-CA. Dr. Singleton spoke repeatedly to address specific areas of concern in the document. Michael Mashni, DDS, who performs anesthesia for dentistry, spoke extensively about his specialty dedicated solely to the practice of providing sedation and anesthesia during dental procedures.

The Anesthesiologists spoke to the fact that procedural sedation is a continuum, and that one cannot predict the depth of sedation from moderate to deep levels. Therefore, when administering sedation in a dental office, the safest way would be with a trained provider dedicated to the airway separate from the dentist or oral maxillary surgeon performing the procedure.  These recommendations are part of the AAP-American Academy Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) joint statement that was revised and re-released in July, 2016 which specifically recommends:  "There must be one person available whose only responsibility is to constantly observe the patient's vital signs, airway patency, and adequacy of ventilation and to either administer drugs or direct their administration. At least one individual must be present who is trained in, and capable of, providing advanced pediatric life support, and who is skilled in airway management and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; training in pediatric advanced life support is required."

I spoke on behalf of the governing board of the AAP-CA emphasizing that this issue is a top priority for the AAP-CA. I mentioned how pediatricians have the unfortunate task of dealing with adverse outcomes long after an event has occurred. I stated how the AAP-CA has no financial stake in this with the AAP-CA's only interest being in the health and safety of the pediatric patient.

After the meeting, I was approached by many regarding my comments. All were extremely positive and thankful to our organization for speaking up.

Karen Sibert, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and president-elect the CSA, thanked the AAP-CA specifically for mentioning that we have no perceived financial interest in changes to the document other than the safety of children.

Sarah Huchel, Consultant, Senate Committee on Business Professions and Economic Development for the California legislature, was also very supportive.

Later this month, I will travel back to Sacramento to speak again on this topic, this time at the CA Dental Board board meeting.
 
You may view Sacramento's ABC 10 report, here.

In The Community




The local chapter of the Council of Foster Care, Adoption and Kinship Care met on June 29 at La Serenata Di Garibaldi in East Los Angeles for an evening of delicious food and interesting conversation, hosted by local chair Dr. Janet Arnold-Clark, MD, FAAP.
Susie Baldwin, MD, the Associate Medical Director of the Los Angeles County of Public Health Division of HIV and STD Programs, and president of the board of  HEAL Trafficking, led a lively discussion on the response we as pediatricians can give to the Commercially Sexually Exploited Children in our community. 

If you'd like to be part of the Council, contact Dr. Arnold-Clark at jarnoldclark@gmail.com for more information.


HPV QI Project
The AAP-CA2 Quality Improvement Team met on June 12 in Pasadena to continue with the planning phase of the upcoming MOC Part 4 Quality Improvement project aimed at improving HPV vaccine series completion in patients ages 11 and 12. Practice recruitment is expected to begin in September, with the first learning session being scheduled for November.


(From left) Megha Shah, MD, FAAP; Gifty-Maria Ntim, MD, MPH, FAAP; Edward Curry, MD, FAAP; Melissa J. Ruiz, MD, MPH, FAAP; and Ozlem Equils, MD, FAAP.


Community Partnership: PUSD, Young & Healthy, AAP-CA2

Leadership from Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD), Young & Healthy, and AAP-CA2 met once again at PUSD District Offices on July 27, 2016, to continue the planning of a project designed to   deliver the importance of a medical home to parents whose children attend Pasadena public schools. Community Pediatrics Fellow, Melissa Ruiz, MD, FAAP, received a CATCH grant for this project. Parent education will take place during various Parent/Teacher Association (PTA) meetings in five selected schools. During this meeting, staff from the PUSD Office of Family & Community Engagement presented their robust curriculum aimed at helping students succeed by empowering parents through a series of lectures (technology module, social/emotional health module, to name a few). AAP-CA2 will incorporate its part into five select schools where health disparities are most prominent.

(From left) Suzanne Berberian PUSD District Community Liaison; Hilda Ramirez Horvath, PUSD Coordinator, Communications, Family & Community Engagement; Elizabeth Palomares, PUSD District Community Liaison; Liz Arnold, Y&H Volunteer & Dental Education Coordinator; Whitney Harrison, Y&H Program Director; Melissa Ruiz, MD, MPH, FAAP; and Tomás Torices, MD, AAP-CA2 Executive Director.

Residents' Corner
The New Section on Pediatric Trainees (SOPT)!  
Christine Thang, MD  
AAP District IX SOPT Representative
Christine Thang, MD
AAP District IX SOPT Representative

For those of you who have not met me, my name is Christine Thang, a second-year pediatric resident at UCLA. I am the District IX Representative (DR) for the AAP's Section on Pediatric Trainees (SOPT), formerly known as the Section on Medical Students, Residents and Fellowship Trainees (SOMSRFT)... we like the shorter name too!
 
I have been working alongside Mehreen Iqbal, a third-year pediatric resident at Stanford, and the District IX Assistant Representative (ADR), building on the excellent work pediatric trainees have done in the last few years to improve the health and wellbeing of children.

This year, SOPT is excited to reveal its new governance structure that will be implemented at the National Conference and Exhibition (NCE) in San Francisco. With new executive coordinators and work group leaders, this structure expands our approximately 20 pediatric trainee leaders to more than 70! 


Photo: New SOPT Governance Structure.


Closer to home, each training program has elected or appointed its own set of program delegates to serve as liaisons to the larger AAP. For a list of District IX program delegates, please click here. Something new we have started this year within our district is the position of chapter liaison, one trainee per chapter to connect our pediatric residents with current events at the chapter level. Our Chapter 2 Resident Liaison is Alexandra Mihalek from CHLA! She will touch base with the Chapter 2 leadership before each of our conference calls and share upcoming events with our resident members. 
 
SOMSRFT Photo from NCE 2015

We look forward to working within AAP-CA2 to collaborate on our annual advocacy campaign (2014-2016 was FACE Poverty; 2016-2017 next year's campaign will be introduced at the NCE) and build networking and mentorship opportunities. We have many trainees eager to get involved at the chapter and district levels!
 
If you happen to come across any trainees (medical students, residents, or fellows), please encourage them to get involved with the AAP!   Here , you will find our SOPT infographic that was distributed at the start of this academic year.
 
We look forward to working more closely with AAP-CA2! Thank you for your support!

For kids,
Christine Thang

Contacts:

Christine Thang, MD
AAP District IX SOPT Representative
cthang@mednet.ucla.edu
 
Alexandra Mihalek, MD
AAP District IX, SOPT Chapter 2 Liaison

District IX Chapter Forum Management Committee
Paula Whiteman
Paula J. Whiteman, MD, FACEP, FAAP   CFMC Representative, AAP-District IX
Immediate Past President, AAP-CA2 
Chapter Forum Management Committee (CFMC)
Paula J. Whiteman, MD, FACEP, FAAP
CFMC Representative, AAP-District IX  
Immediate Past President, AAP-CA2 
 
Did you miss last month's report on writing resolutions?

If you are passionate about a particular idea or topic that you feel should be a priority for the National AAP, then please consider writing a resolution. Here's how!!!


Please Click here to view the full report, including Submission Deadline (November 15, 2016), Sponsorship, and Late Resolutions.

Coming Events - Save the Dates!
September 8, 2016 - Town Hall in Studio City
Developmental Screening and Early Detection of Autism for General Pediatricians
Larry Yin, MD,MSPH, FAAP


Please join AAP-CA2 Members-At-Large, Daniel Bruckner, MD, and Mona Patel, MD, FAAP, as they host an educational session on the topic of Developmental Screening. 

This event is to promote the use of validated, standardized screening measures to identify children at risk for developmental delay and autism, as well as an overview of community resources to address identified developmental delays. It will be an exciting overview of validated screening measures that can be easily incorporated into the general pediatrics visit.
  1. Pitfalls of using non-standardized developmental screening tools
  2. Overview of available developmental screening measures
  3. Review of American Academy of Pediatrics developmental screening guidelines
  4. What to do if your patient screens positive? 
  5. Review of community resources available to address developmental delay and autism
Presented by Larry Yin, MD, MSPH, FAAP.  Dr. Yin studies disparities among the underserved populations, developmental disabilities, screening and intervention at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Bistro Garden, in Studio City
RSVP required. Please  email the Chapter to save your seat.

September 19-23, 2016 in Chicago - Specialty Review in Pediatric Cardiology

Sponsor | American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Cardiology & Cardiac Surgery in collaboration with Society of Pediatric Cardiology Training Program Directors
For more information, go to: pediatriccardiology2016.com

September 23 & 24, 2016 - Kaiser Permanente 58th Annual Pediatrics Symposium

Location:  Hotel Del Coronado, San Diego, CA.
More details will be provided in our next issue.

Click to view the AGENDA     Click to visit the event WEBSITE

October 5, 2016. - Town Hall in Woodland Hills, with host, AAP-CA2 Member At Large, Ken Saul, MD, FAAP - Sponsored by Sanofi.
Ken Saul, MD, FAAP
Member-At-Large
 
Topic: Influenza, and influenza vaccine controversies
Speaker: TBA

Location: Maggiano's , in Woodland Hills. 
Time:  6:30 PM

RSVP: Please  email Dr. Ken Saul  to save your seat. 
Please note:  We are back at Maggiano's.




October 13, 2016 - Town Hall in Los Angeles,  with speaker Diane Tanaka, MD.
Diane Tanaka, MD



AAP-CA2 and the California Family Health Council (CFHC) invite you to an evening of professional development in the area of sexual and reproductive health. Dinner will be provided. Please be sure to RSVP for this fabulous event.

Topic: Integrating Sexual + Reproductive Health into Primary Care
Date & Time: Thursday, October 13th, 6:00 PM-8:00 PM
Presenter:  Diane Tanaka, MD - Children's Hospital Los Angeles

  Location:   Radisson Midtown at USC ( 3540 South Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA, 90007)

What will you learn?
This presentation will provide evidence-based clinical and operational strategies for integrating quality sexual and reproductive health services into primary care. Participants will learn how to identify and address the unique sexual and reproductive health needs of patients, with an emphasis on STD screening and treatment, during a primary care visit. Dr. Tanaka will also discuss strategies for adapting clinic workflow processes, including elements of billing practices, to maximize efficiency and reimbursement. Current national sexual and reproductive health guidelines, practical tools, and resources will be discussed and utilized throughout.

RSVP required. Please email the Chapter to reserve your seat.

April 22, 2017

 

Other Training Opportunities
Sexual and Reproductive Health
California Family Health Council  
CFHC offers Sexual and Reproductive Health training opportunities. 
AAP-CA2 members can use the code AAP2016 when registering for any of the online courses or live webinars to receive 25% off. The code does not apply to in-person trainings or on demand webinars (which are only $10). The code is good until 12/31/2016. 

Please see below, or visit their website, CFHCLearning.org 

 Featured Trainings

Aug 17
LIVE
Webinar
Infertility Evaluation + Treatment: An Overview for Providers
This webinar will cover basic infertility assessment, causes, treatment options, patient resources and how to discuss infertility and related paths forward with patientsRegister Now!



Sept 19 + 20
Los Angeles   

Family Planning Health Worker
Certification Training
 2-day certification training for health care staff and educators who  want to provide high-quality contraceptive counseling or education

"This is a very complete and interactive program. I highly recommend it to anyone who counsels others or teaches about birth control, STDs and sexual health."

Register for a course near you or book a private training for a group






New Online
Courses
 
Best Practices in Pregnancy Options Education*
Review interactive teaching techniques for pregnancy options education that school and community health educators can implement. Includes a comprehensive Educator's Toolkit with FREE lesson plans and resources plus free CEUs. Register Now!

Encouraging Family Communication About Healthy Sexuality*
On-going communication between parents and youth allows for more open and honest discussions about harm-reduction topics of STD, abuse and pregnancy prevention and a broader range of sexuality and relationship topics. This online course covers strategies for how educators can encourage family conversations about healthy sexuality. Includes free CEUs. Register Now!

*See other trainings in our new Course Catalog:
Recommended Courses for Sexuality + Health Educators and Teachers



On-Demand
Webinars
Gender-Based Violence + STIs: Intersections and Implications for Providing Quality Clinical Care
This FREE on-demand webinar outlines the intersection of gender-based violence and STI/HIV transmission and describes how providers can respond to violence and support the safety of their patients through the use of evidence-based educational resources and harm reduction strategies. Watch Now!

LARCs and More: A Comprehensive Contraceptive Update
This on-demand webinar reviews the latest developments in contraceptive practice, including a description of FDA-approved methods and emergency contraception. It covers how to utilize a tiered effectiveness counseling approach when introducing patients to all of their contraceptive options in a time-sensitive manner. Watch Now!



 

CDC Updates & LAHAN Alerts
Join the CDC Listserv
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is happy to offer a free email subscription service, which allows CDC.gov users to receive alerts by e-mail when new information is available. With a subscription profile, you get the updated information on the items of interest to you automatically without having to return to the Web site and check for changes. Click to Subscribe 

Join the LAHAN Listserv  
To receive communications from the Health Alert Network, Sign-up here.
It takes less than two minutes to sign up.  
 
Visit the LAHAN website.

Submitting Articles for Publication in Our Newsletter


 

Have you written original clinical work you would like to share?

Do you have any news that you would like to publish in our newsletter?


AAP-CA2 invites you to submit your ideas, accomplishments, news, pictures...

For article submission guidelines, please click here.

 

Advertise in Our Newsletter

AAP-CA2 invites you to advertise in our newsletter
AAP-CA2 publishes its electronic newsletter, Peds@CA2, which is emailed to its 1,700+ members on the first weekend every month. Chapter members and non-profit organizations receive a 50% discount. Please follow the link below for more information.

For advertisement rates and guidelines, please   click here.
If you are interested in advertising, please  email the Chapter.
Charitable Donations
AAP-CA2 is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please consider a tax-deductible charitable donation to one of our many programs
  • The Medicine-Biological Sciences Scholarship Program, which awards scholarships to exceptional high school students each year.
  • The Committee on Service, Education, and Mentoring, which awards scholarships to pediatric residents for outstanding research projects. 
  • The S. Michael Marcy Memorial Lecture, which helps sponsor a portion of our annual Advances in Pediatrics Conference in his honor.

New AAP-CA2 Video: We Are The AAP-CA Chapter 2 -  2016


Thank you for your support
Sincerely,
AAP-CA2
PO Box 94127 Pasadena, CA 91109
(818) 422-9877
Please visit our website at  http://aapca2.org/