With July, We Amplify
With July, we amplify
Our welcome to new leaders
And thanks to past leaders
Who have propelled us forward by many meters!
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President's Column
Nelson Branco, MD, FAAP
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This July marks the beginning of PGY-27. Over the past 26 years I have had many new starts, interesting and challenging jobs and have worked with countless dedicated, smart, generous and kind colleagues. I’m excited for my new role as AAPCA1 President and I know that the next two years will be filled with challenges, opportunities and supportive and inspiring colleagues and friends.
We begin our chapter meetings by acknowledging the original inhabitants of the land where we live and practice. In the same way, I must acknowledge and thank all of the chapter leaders who have come before me - I won’t list you all, but know that I appreciate your leadership and mentoring, as well as your ongoing work and advice. I especially appreciate and thank Dr. Raelene Walker for her leadership over the past 2 years as president of our chapter, as well as the years she served as Vice President and Member-at-Large prior to that. I met Dr. Walker 26 years ago when we were both interns at Children’s Hospital Oakland, and I’m glad that our divergent paths brought us together again to work on behalf of our colleagues and the children and communities we all care for. I appreciate that she will be there to help keep me on track over the next two years.
Looking forward, I am excited that I get to work with our newly elected chapter VP, Dr. Nikki Webb. Over the past 2 years, I’ve gotten to know Dr. Webb through her work with our chapter as well as at Valley Children’s Hospital and on national AAP committees. Her passion, expertise and commitment are going to serve us well. I’m looking forward to learning from her and working side by side to make sure our chapter is helping all of you with your important work.
Many of you have heard me say that my guiding principle for the success of AAPCA1 is “What have we done for you lately?”. As chapter president, I am committed to answering that question. Together with our chapter Executive Director Isra Uz-Zaman, I want to be able to connect you to resources, colleagues and the information you need to care for your patients, advocate for children and pursue your passion within our profession. By working together within our chapter and with our colleagues across California and nationally, we will help ensure the brightest future for all of the children in our communities.
In this monthly newsletter, I hope to highlight some of the work being done by our chapter colleagues locally and nationally, and I hope to point out ways that you can get engaged and involved with our chapter, with AAP California, with AAP District IX and with National AAP. This is our organization. If you have an idea for how to improve it, or use the skills of the AAP to help pediatricians and children, we want to help connect you with the right people and resources.
In the Fall of 2001, after I had returned to California from working on the Navajo Nation, I received a phone call from Dr. Mika Hiramatsu inviting me to join the newly formed Young Physicians Committee. That was my first “real” engagement with our chapter. I’ve had many different roles and experiences since, and I have always appreciated my friends and colleagues and our relationships most of all. I look forward to working with you all and I will do my best to lead and serve our organization well over the next two years!
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Complete our Vital Signs Check! |
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California Chapter 1, AAP has been working hard to address pediatricians' needs throughout the year as we adapt to the changing landscape. We'd like to get your feedback on how we are doing so that we can plan accordingly in the future! |
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Incoming Members-at-Large |
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Lena van der List, DO, FAAP
Sacramento Valley Member-at-Large
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I am thrilled to join the AAPCA1 Board as the newest MAL for the Sacramento region. I am a newly minted outpatient pediatrician who stayed on with UC Davis after completing my residency training here in 2020. My interests include advocacy, using media for patient and family education, adolescent medicine and creating a medical home for kids with complex medical needs. I co-host a bi-monthly parent oriented podcast called Kids Considered. I have worked closely with the AAP since I started my pediatrics training, serving as the California resident representative and as a planning committee member for the Advocating for Children Together Conference.
My goal for this position is to work closely with Sacramento pediatricians to provide them with all of the amazing educational and career advancing resources that come with being an AAP member. I hope to re-engage members and support their needs as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and build a network of peers that can lean on each other for support and collaboration. I would love to help create educational workshops and materials centered around op-ed writing, media training, podcasting and engaging trainees in advocacy.
I look forward to working with all of you and serving as your newest Sacramento MAL. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me by email [email protected] or on twitter @DrLenaDO.
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Omoniyi Omotoso, MD, MPH, FAAP
Contra Costa/Solano Counties Member-at-Large
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Warm greetings from Northern California! I am Niyi Omotoso, the newly elected Member-At-Large (MAL) proudly representing both Contra Costa and Solano counties. Since completing residency and Infectious Diseases fellowship training at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, I’ve been providing primary care in Region 11. In addition, for the past 4 years, I serve as the Associate Medical Director for Pediatrics at LifeLong Medical Care. LifeLong is a FQHC with primary care and school-based clinics in both Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Aiming to be more involved with our local AAP chapter, I currently participate in the ASHEW QI Learning Collaborative and just completed a 1-year stint with ACEs Aware Communications grant Think Tank.
It’s critical to have your input as fellow pediatricians who possess first-hand knowledge of the issues our patient-families face. My role is to champion and advocate together with you on providing socially responsive and culturally appropriate trauma-informed care while advocating for local and timely access to specialty services for early development and social determinants of health (SDoH) resources. I believe we continue to build on the trusting relationship between our medical homes and our patient-families. Collaborative partnership fosters family empowerment and in tandem with child advocacy engagement is the way to achieve health equity. Do reach out via email at [email protected] with your successful pilots and concerns as well as creative solutions on how we can further pediatric primary care in our counties.
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Become a Newsletter Editor! |
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Interested in getting involved with our Pediatric Insider News Editor Team? Look no further! Our team is currently looking to recruit an editor! As an editor, your main task will be to review the monthly newsletter draft and provide feedback on the articles we receive. Additionally, you will also be tasked with reviewing the final newsletter draft on Constant Contact to provide formatting suggestions. Interest or experience in journalism and writing is helpful but not required. To secure your spot as an editor or to learn more about the position, email [email protected].
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The ACEs screening tool and initiative to address childhood trauma is a small step in a long history of pediatric research and programs on understanding how children thrive, and how we can support them.
This month's article focuses on the powerful impact of positive parenting in decreasing the risk of childhood developmental, social or behavioral delays.
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Pediatric Perspectives: Identifying ACEs |
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Identifying Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) to Prevent Chronic Health Conditions
By Dr. Renee Wachtel, MD, FAAP
Chair, Committees on Development and Behavior and School Health
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Pediatricians are often the first to identify stressors in families that impede their ability to provide the supportive environment that children need to thrive. Yet, we are frequently overwhelmed with the idea of trying to intervene, especially when we are so busy delivering the health care that is required in the short time available in each appointment. However, we should take a step back and think about how we can make a long term impact upon the children in our practice by identifying ACEs early, before they can cause long term health consequences through physiological mechanisms such as the Toxic Stress Response. Our chapter’s ACEs Aware project has been working all year to convey these messages to AAP Chapter members, and celebrated our work together. |
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AAPCA1 & Project Firstline |
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Project Firstline Conclusion |
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Thank you for tuning in to our Project Firstline blog posts. While our posts have concluded, we urge you to continue to utilize our discussion form for any questions you may have. We also encourage you to check out our past blog posts by visiting the link below. Additionally, all of our content is linked on our primary Project Firstline page, which outlines the goal of the initiative and AAPCA1’s contributions.
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Support AAPCA1 While You Shop! |
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Adolescent Health Conference Recordings are Available to View! |
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Visit the page linked below to view our Adolescent Health Conference recordings from earlier this year. Before viewing, we ask that you consider donating $10 to our foundation. |
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Dr. Richard Greene’s Passing
Harvey Kaplan, MD, FAAP
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Dr. Richard Greene died at his home in Larkspur. Rich was in retirement after a long and distinguished career in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology at PAMF and Stanford. He was a founding member of the Vintage Docs and a long time good friend since our residency days at Stanford. He will be greatly missed by all of us who had the pleasure of calling him friend and colleague.
Below are links to his obituary in the SF chronicle and his web page full of great pictures and remembrances of his life. There is an opportunity to add your own thoughts and comments on this site.
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National AAP News
E-Cigarette Chapter Champion Position Available
Kristen Kaseeska, MPH
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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) aims to identify one pediatric “Champion” in each chapter to lead local advocacy and educational initiatives related to youth e-cigarette prevention and addiction support. Candidates for this volunteer effort will be selected by Chapter leadership and make a commitment of 12 months (August 2021 – August 2022). Last year’s chapter champions were Drs. Seth Ammerman, MD, FAAP and Valerie Gribben, MD, FAAP.
Benefits of being an E-cigarette Chapter Champion
- First access to new Academy resources related to youth e-cigarette prevention and cessation.
- The ability to network and collaborate with tobacco control experts across the country.
- With the help of AAP staff, identify sustainable strategies to engage chapter members in activities to address the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use.
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Check out this video on AAP’s Ready for This campaign, which aims to promote COVID-19 vaccination among teens! Feel free to share the video below with your networks! |
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The SGA Side
Your Key to State Government Affairs
Nora Pfaff, MD, FAAP and Zarah Iqbal, MD, MPH, CFAAP
SGA Chapter Representatives
The SGA committee is currently reviewing and signing on to bills.
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For the most up to date information on AAP California bill positions, letters & outcomes from the 2021 CA Legislative year, go to aap-ca.org/bill
- For latest organizational advocacy updates follow @AAPCADocs on twitter
If you have questions and/or are interested in knowing more about a certain legislation, reach out to our State Government Affairs Chapter Representatives Nora Pfaff, MD, FAAP and Zarah Iqbal, MD, MPH, CFAAP at [email protected].
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Opportunities for Your Benefit |
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Call for Applications: SODBP National Conference & Exhibition Scholarship Due July 23, 2021
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics is offering up to five scholarships for SODBP members to attend the AAP National Conference & Exhibition October 8-12, 2021. Each recipient will be awarded a scholarship to support virtual-only conference registration and will have access to all live and on-demand conference materials. SODBP offers this scholarship opportunity in an effort to identify, mentor, and support rising and future leaders and to promote engagement in section activities. If you are interested in this opportunity, complete a short application by July 23, 2021. Your application will be reviewed by members of the SODBP Executive and Selection Committee.
Don’t MISS the Signs of MIS-C
Join the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and pediatric specialists from across California for two FREE webinars providing the latest information and clinical guidance on MIS-C. The first webinar will provide up-to-date state-wide data, statistics and trends identified through CDPH’s surveillance of MIS-C. Additionally, pediatric specialists will share experiences in treating patients with MIS-C, provide clinical recommendations and share strategies on how to determine diagnosis and hospital admission using an algorithm.
Register for the first webinar today! Space is limited. More information about the second webinar will be provided in early August. One (1) Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit will be provided at each webinar for eligible participants. Please email [email protected] for any questions or accommodation requests. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.
Project Avary
Submitted by Michelle Pepitone, MD, FAAP, chapter member from San Francisco:
Project Avary is a nonprofit dedicated to serving children of incarcerated parents (CIPs) through online support groups. We realize there is a stigma around the subject of incarceration for families, but one of the nice things about our program is that everyone who is a part of it (counselors included) have had an incarcerated parent, which makes for an instant judgment free zone. Our online support groups allow us to provide a community of support to CIPs (ages 10-18) across the country. The program is free for the child to attend and groups are FUN. We have spots available for our upcoming sessions in July and October. I’d encourage you to watch this short video to see what these youth have to say about our program.
I would also encourage you to visit our website, https://www.projectavary.org/onlineprogram or review the links below to get a quick snapshot of our program and to see what criteria youth will need to meet in order to join our groups. The link above also contains our easy to access application for youth/guardians to apply to when they are ready. Please forward this link to anyone that you feel would benefit from our services. You may also consider printing the flyer out and posting in your offices.
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July 8: Building Stronger Connections & a Safe Space for Undocumented Patients - REGISTER!
November 18-21: The 42nd Annual Las Vegas Seminars at Caesars Palace - SAVE-THE-DATE!
December 4: 6th Annual Pediatric Puzzles CME Conference at O’Connor Hospital (NOTE: NEW LOCATION - SOUTH BAY!) - SAVE-THE-DATE!
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Add our social media accounts to get the latest chapter updates!
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Donate to AAPCA1 on Amazon Smile, Now Available on Mobile! |
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Your shopping makes a difference. Amazon donates to California Chapter 1, American Academy of Pediatrics when you shop through smile.amazon.com.
AmazonSmile is now available in the Amazon Shopping app. Here's how to activate it:
- Open the Amazon app on your phone.
- Select the main menu (=) & tap on "AmazonSmile" within Programs & Features.
- Select "AAP California Chapter 1 Foundation" as your charity.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to activate AmazonSmile in the mobile app.
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Your membership makes a difference for children in California, thank you!
The AAPCA1's ability to advocate on behalf of children is only as strong as the support we receive from our members. Encourage your colleagues to join today by visiting the AAPCA1 website.
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Our mission is to promote the optimal health and development of children and
adolescents of Northern California in partnership with their families and communities, and to support the pediatricians who care for them.
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Executive Committee:
President: Nelson Branco • Vice President: Nicole Webb
• Secretary: Janice Kim • Treasurer: Nivedita More • Past President: Raelene Walker
Executive Director: Isra Uz-Zaman
Board Members:
North Valley MAL: Thiyagu Ganesan • Sacramento Valley MAL: Lena van der List • Central Valley MAL: Deborah Shassetz • South Valley MAL: Vacant • San Francisco MAL: Vacant • Santa Clara MAL: Meera Sankar • San Mateo MAL: Neel Patel • North Coastal MAL: Jeffrey Ribordy • Monterey Bay MAL: Graciela Wilcox • Alameda MAL: Reshem Agarwal
• Contra Costa/Solano MAL: Omoniyi Omotoso
Pediatric Insider News Editors:
• Mika Hiramatsu • Deborah Shassetz • Alyssa Velasco
Staff:
• Executive Assistant: Sabah Elias
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