April is a fantastic month.
It is Celebrate Diversity Month - an entire month to recognize, honor and learn about all of the diversity around us. Many of the months of the year now have a designated heritage to celebrate:
February ........African American History Month
March ..............National Women’s History Month
............................Irish-American Heritage Month
April .................National Deaf History Month
............................Autism Awareness Month
May ...................Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
............................Older Americans Month
.............................Jewish American Heritage Month
June ..................Gay Lesbian Pride Month
September .....National Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month
October ...........National Disability Employment Awareness Month
November ......National Italian American Heritage Month
.............................National American Indian Heritage Month
One important point to make is that each of us brings a bit of diversity to the table – diversity that we need to recognize and respect. It is our difference and the inclusion of all these differences that will make us stronger and more productive. Especially during difficulty or stressful times, as we are in now, we need to remember respect for one another and our differences.

Our Asian friends are facing two pandemics, that of COVID-19 and that of bigotry. There have been many instances of coronavirus-related racism aimed at the Asian population. We need to be supportive of our Asian colleagues and at the same time abhor hate, racism and blame. 

April itself is a great example of religious diversity as people celebrate Easter, a Christian holiday recognizing Jesus’s return from the dead after the crucifixion, Passover, a Jewish eight day holiday commemorating the emancipation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt, and Ramadan, a month-long Muslim holiday of fasting, abstaining from pleasures, and prayer to renew their focus on spiritual life and its practical application in daily life.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Martin Luther King, Jr

- Stuart H. Gold, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Resources shared in the Physician-in-Chief Message
NEW! Taking Care of Our Own
  • We are seeing an increased need for formal mental health services. Therefore, to better assist our physician faculty connect with mental health services effective immediately, FP Physician Faculty can access UNC Taking Care of Our Own Program AND use their UNC health care insurance and FP supplemental wrap around.  

  •  We believe this will be a great improvement. This is now offered via TELE-PSYCHIATRY services. The entire UNC outpatient psychiatry program is now via telehealth.

  • While this has been planned for some time, it is being rolled out now to respond to the distress associated with COVID-19. (Note: House staff have always been able to use their insurance and all policies around them are unchanged).

NEW! Other UNC Support Resources
  • In addition to the Taking Care of Our Own Program for physicians, we have developed an extensive number of emotional support services to serve ALL UNC Health employees broadly - described here on the UNC Well-Being Program. 

  • This includes completely free of charge telephone support, hotline and a long list of resources (app based, web-based and other).


  •  Please let me know if there are specific needs you are encountering or if you have any questions.  We want to be as responsive as possible to help those who need emotional support during this most difficult time. 
NEW! Articles, Podcasts, and Webinars
  • Psychologists say that what a lot of us are feeling these days is, in fact, a form of grief. Here's how to honor that feeling and regain equilibrium as we face an unknown future.
 
  • NPR's Michel Martin shares her thoughts on coping with the grief people are feeling over their losses big and small because of the coronavirus.
NEW! Parenting Strategies for Challenging Times
  • The WCM/NYP Youth Anxiety Center and Pediatric OCD, Anxiety and Tic Disorders Program (POCAT) at Weill Cornell Medicine have put together a series of free webinars to help parents during this challenging time.
 
  • It is open to the general public, but the program wants to ensure that families currently receiving services through the pediatrics department have the opportunity to attend. 
 
  • Please visit the POCAT website for more information and registration details.
  • Scheduled on these dates from 8:00-8:45p, topics include:
................. 4/1: Parenting Strategies for Healthy Coping
......... ......... 4/2: Creating Structure During Unstructured Times
................. 4/6: Incorporating Validation into Parenting
................. 4/7: Coping and Conflict Management
................. 4/8: Making Meaning of Difficult Times
 
  • Please feel free to pass along to families you are working with!
Learning from Our Own

Many of us identify with multiple backgrounds, lifestyles, practices, or groups that help add to our character and individual stories. The Pediatrics D&I committee aims to recognize how the differences that distinguish us as individuals add value to our talented community of faculty and staff at UNC Children’s .  The goal is to learn from each other in effort to breed an environment of inclusiveness and understanding.
Below are five questions about your experiences considering the backgrounds, lifestyles, practices, or groups with which you identify. Please focus your responses on one such characteristic per submission; if you would like to discuss an additional characteristic, please submit a separate response to peds_diversity@med.unc.edu   

  1. Which background, lifestyle, practice, or group would you like to share about today?
  2. What aspects of your background, lifestyle, practice, or group are you most proud of?
  3. Are there any myths that you would like to dispel about said background, lifestyle, practice, or group?
  4. What are things that other members of the UNC Pediatrics community can do to improve inclusivity of those with your background, lifestyle, practice, or group, whether with coworkers or with patients?
  5. What is the most rewarding part of your day-to-day work?
 
Thank you for agreeing to share your experience! We value your time and your thoughts. If you agree in advance, your responses may be published in our monthly Diversity Memo.
How can I increase my awareness of important dates
across various faiths & cultures?
Access the UNC Pediatrics Diversity Calendar! 
View it Online...
Easily link to your Outlook calendar .
Follow the instructions found here.

Recruiting for Summer 2020

April Dates to Note

April 2: World Autism Awareness Day
Created to highlight the need to help improve the lives of children and adults who suffer from the Autism so they can lead full and meaningful lives.
April 2: Ram Navani
The birthday of Rama is celebrated in literature, music, and art throughout India and Southeast Asia. This holiday is observed with sanctity and fasting. Temples are decorated and parts of the Ramayana are recited at home.
April 5: Palm Sunday
The Sunday before Easter, Christians remember Jesus' last entry into Jerusalem, when his way was strewn with palms by those gathered to see him. Churches, therefore, are decorated with palm. Palm Sunday begins Holy Week, the most important week of the Christian year.
April 8-16: Passover
The celebration of Passover is an eight-day festival which celebrates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. Passover begins the previous evening with a Seder, a meal during which the story of Passover is read from the Haggadah. The menu includes a number of traditional foods such as  matzoh, or unleavened bread, which recalls the unleavened bread eaten by the Israelites in the desert.
April 9: Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday)
The Christian holiday commemorating the Last Supper, at which Jesus and the Apostles were together for the last time before the Crucifixion. It is celebrated on the Thursday before Easter.
April 10: Good Friday
Good Friday is celebrated by Christians to commemorate the execution of Jesus by crucifixion, and is recognized on the Friday before Easter. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum.
April 12: Easter
Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after he was crucified and died in Jerusalem. It is Jesus' suffering and death on the cross, often referred to as the "passion," followed by his resurrection that is central to Christian faith. Easter is a joyous holiday, marking for Christians the fulfillment of the Biblical prophecy of the coming of the Messiah.
April 13: Vaisakhi (New Year)
Also known as Baisakhi, Vaisakhi is a historical and religious festival which celebrates the Solar new year based on the Vikram Samvat calendar. For many Hindus, the festival is their traditional solar new year, a harvest festival, an occasion to bathe in sacred rivers such as Ganges, Jhelum, and Kaveri, visit temples, meet friends and take part in other festivities.
April 22: Earth Day
On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new way forward for our planet. In response, the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts were created, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This year’s theme is climate action.
April 24 - May 23: Ramadan
This begins the first day of the Islamic month of Ramadan, a month of fasting and the holiest month of the Muslim year. The fast of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, and mandatory for every Muslim who has reached puberty except those who are ill, pregnant, or on a journey. During this month, no water or food may be taken from sunrise to sunset. Worshipers eat a light meal, called  suhoor , early in the morning prior to daybreak. After sunset, Muslims break the fast with the evening meal called the  iftar .
Stuart Gold, Committee Chair
Christian Lawrence
Robin Howard
Jennifer McElroy
Nina Jain
Jessie Feudale
Hadley Kifner
Kenya McNeal-Trice
Benny Joyner
Jennifer Gutierrez-Wu
Zachary Pettigrew