I had the opportunity to hear diverse perspectives on what inspires us about practicing pediatrics—watching our patients grow, making interesting diagnoses, building practices, teaching trainees, and advocating for policies to promote child health and well-being. At the same time, we shared stories of the challenges we face working within a complex healthcare system and responding to the winter surges of COVID, RSV, and influenza. I would like to thank everyone who participated in the event, with special thanks to our executive director Tomas Torices for planning and carrying it out.

 

We are hoping to host more events like this soon in every region of our chapter, one of the largest in the AAP. The next one will be held on February 11 in Ventura County; you can RSVP in the upcoming events section below. An event in Kern County will follow, tentatively scheduled for late March. Please email Tomas at ttorices@aapca2.org if you have any ideas for an event or would like to host with the chapter’s support!

 

In this month’s edition of The Quorum, Dr. Kamaal Jones, Chapter 2 legislative and policy analyst, recaps some of the hard-won legislative victories of 2022, as well as ongoing challenges and predictions for the coming year. Chapter 2 listens to its members when determining our legislative advocacy priorities. Please complete the 2023 Advocacy Survey to help us shape our legislative priorities for the upcoming year—this is a brief survey that should take less than five minutes.

 

Also in this month’s newsletter, Delesa Barnes, our new Reach out and Read Inland Empire Program Coordinator, recaps the successes of the program in 2022. RORIE distributed 117,455 books this year. Congratulations to RORIE! We’re looking forward to another great year in 2023!

 

The Resident Corner features an article from Kalei R.J. Hosaka, MD on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric trainees.

 

This month's member spotlight features Nirupama Madduri, MD, FAAP, who practices in Arcadia. Dr. Madduri is also a Chapter 2 Member-At-Large, as well as member of the newsletter editorial committee.

 

I would like to welcome our new chapter members and encourage them to get involved by joining a chapter committee. Information about our committees and other resources are available on our website, aapca2.org. Your support makes the work of this chapter possible!

 

Some other highlights and upcoming events in this month’s newsletter include:

 

I hope you have a wonderful month!

 

Best wishes,

 

Grant Christman, MD, MACM, FAAP

Visit the website: https://hcp.elsenutrition.com/products/baby-super-cereal

CA. Around 30 pediatricians attended and met new colleagues as well as reconnected with friends... Continue reading

2022 was a year of great policy progress here in California. In the last year we won healthier food options for our children and protected youth from harmful tobacco products. We saw new opportunities for mental health support and several bills to promote firearm safety. Continue reading

Each year AAP-CA2 looks to provide increased opportunities for chapter participation in advocacy efforts. This survey provides an opportunity for members to contribute to focus areas for the chapter, join the AAP-CA2 advocacy committee, or indicate other ways you'd like to participate.

The Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) program is a flagship initiative of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) which supports pediatricians to lead innovative, community-based projects that increase children’s access to optimal health or well-being. The Call for Proposals for funding through the CATCH program opened on November 1, 2022, with applications due on January 23, 2023. https://grants.aap.org/res/p/available-grant-applicati/ 

CATCH grants–including CATCH Planning, CATCH Implementation, and CATCH Resident grants— are open to AAP member pediatricians and resident trainees (medical students, residents, fellows) in US and Canadian AAP chapters. Pediatricians and residents with innovative ideas to plan or implement initiatives that address critical child health issues in their local communities may apply for $10,000 and $2,000, respectively. The Resident Call for Proposals guidelines also includes 12 targeted funding opportunities. Browse the Community Pediatrics Funded Project list to learn about more than 300 community-based projects funded from 2017 to the present and review over 30 recent CATCH projects’ impacts in the CATCH Poster Hall. Further information can be found at www.aap.org/catch 

All applicants are strongly encouraged to seek technical assistance by contacting Chapter 2 CATCH Facilitators Melissa Ruiz, MD (ruizmj@gmail.com) and Christine Thang, MD (CThang@mednet.ucla.edu).

“Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, we are suspending all clinical components of our third- and fourth-year medical student rotations... Continue reading

We are reaching out to invite pediatric trainees to contribute an article to our AAPCA2 monthly newsletter to be published in an upcoming month. The AAPCA2 Newsletter Editorial Board will help to review and edit all submissions prior to publication.  Read more...  

By Delesa Barnes

Reach Out and Read Inland Empire Program Coordinator

169,874 Well-Child Visits | 117,455 Books Distributed

With insightful reflection on our mission to give young children in Riverside and San Bernardino County a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together, it brings us great joy to share our 2021-2022 statistics and to set the stage for tremendous growth in the months (and years) to come. Read more ...

New Requirement to Submit Immunization Data to a California Registry 

AB 1797, a new California bill effective January 1, 2023, requires providers to enter immunizations they administer as well as a patient’s race and ethnicity into a California immunization registry (CAIR OR RIDE/Healthy Futures). For more information, see the California Department of Public Health’s AB 1797 Immunization Registry FAQs. 

Bring a Guest: Invite a pediatrician who is not a current Chapter 2 member and receive 10% off symposium registration for you and your guest.

Join us the first Tuesday of every month at 5 PM during the "Open Info Hours" to learn about COVID-19 vaccine topics. Brought to you by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and AAP-CA2.

Fridays at 8 AM

Contact Help Me Grow LA leadership via email: HelpMeGrowLA@ph.lacounty.gov. We look forward to working with you!

Please contact Denise Nunez, MD at dmnunez@mednet.ucla.edu for an application form or further information.

Signing up your entire practice (clinical and non-clinical staff) qualifies for a 20% discount on Chapter membership dues. Contact us for details.

Did you miss a lecture? . Please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

View https://aapca2.org/media/ to access all recordings.

The Immigrant Youth Task Force (IYTF) at UCLA and the American Academy of Pediatrics California Chapter 2 (AAP-CA2) invite you to visit The Los Angeles County Immigrant Youth Resource Toolkit, a website consolidating community resources in the greater LA area for immigrant youth and families. Our goal is to help professionals from all disciplines address the needs of their immigrant youth patients/clients with regards to health care, legal services, education, social services, and more. As our toolkit continues to evolve, we encourage you to explore and use it in your practice going forward.

Chapter committees are great opportunities to get involved in areas that interest you the most. Furthermore, if you are a Fellow member (FAAP), local involvement could position you for leadership opportunities at National AAP. To learn more about our various Committees and Sections, and to sign up, please visit aapca2.org/committees.

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If you are interested in advertising, please email the Chapter.

For the ninth year in a row, the AAP-CA2 is a recipient of the 2020 AAP Award of Chapter Excellence in recognition for its accomplishments during the 2020 calendar year. We would like to thank you, our members, for your loyalty as we advocate for children, pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists, bringing you opportunities for engagement and professional development.

Please visit our website: aapca2.org

Past issues of Peds@CA2 eNews: https://aapca2.org/publications/

Thank you to the 1,335 who follow us on Twitter! @AAPCA2