Newsletter Spring 2004 - American Academy of Pediatrics

Section on
International Child Health
Newsletter
Spring 2004
Message from the Chair
Donna Staton, MD, MPH, FAAP
Dear Section Members:
Spring greetings to all SOICH members, especially those of you who are reading this in other
countries, and most especially to those of you working under difficult political or social circumstances.
I have heard from many of you over the past months, and hope that even more of our
membership from developing countries will use our section as a means to communicate ideas
and opinions, and to advocate for children who otherwise have little voice in matters that affect
their health and well being.
Over the past months, the SOICH Executive Committee has been quite busy via emails and
conference calls, following up on a number of projects and embarking on several more. Most of
you know we meet twice a year — at the AAP NCE every fall, and at the Pediatric Academic
Societies’ Meeting each spring, which was May 1-4 this year. I would just like to highlight in brief
a few of our current projects and issues, to let you know what the section is working on, and to
invite your input.
• One of the AAP’s most successful programs, Community Access to Child Health (CATCH),
provides grants to pediatricians to develop proposals for projects that increase health care for
children in their local communities. So far, this has been a domestic (US) program only. We are
working to pilot “I-CATCH,” a similar but International program for implementation with our
colleagues abroad. We are only at the beginning stages, but stay tuned!
• On a similar note, the AAP holds an advocacy training workshop each spring in Washington,
DC. Working with the AAP Washington office, and possibly the International Pediatric
Association (IPA), our section is proposing a parallel workshop for pediatricians in developing
countries to teach advocacy skills in general, and in particular, the skills and techniques needed
to successfully impact members of parliament, ministers of health, local government
officials, NGOs and other stakeholders regarding child health issues, policy and legislation.
Continued on Page 2
In this Issue . . .
Message from the Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
A Window on the World’s Children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Report for the Office of International Activities 4/28/04 . . . . . 5
International Pediatric Association (IPA) News . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Report on the 2003 NCE talks related to SOICH . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2004 NCE upcoming programs from SOICH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Volunteer Opportunities for Pediatricians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Pediatrician’s Update: The Situation in Haiti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Presentation of CHILDWATCH Africa to AAP Nov. 2003 . . . . 12
New and “Old” Member’s Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Practicing Pediatrics in Developing Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Uganda teaching/clinical work trip rewarding experience . 16
UIC — A Quarter Century of Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Management of Disasters: Focus on Children Training
program in India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Book Repository Receives Thank You Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Some Favorite Useful Websites for Internatioal Health Work 21
Upcoming Events of Interest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Current Section Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
New SOICH Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Executive Committee Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Copyright© 2004 by the American Academy of Pediatrics. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
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publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

Message from the Chair Continued from Page 1
• For those of you following the recent SOICH
listserve exchanges, you’ll recall the discussion
of the AAP’s (and pediatricians’ in general)
relationship with pharmaceutical and formula
companies that provide grants to help us with
educational activities. The issue is complex, and
it’s necessary to understand both sides of the
issue. However, our section at least has an
important role to play in educating the
pediatric community about the guidelines
recommended in the WHO International Code
of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, which
addresses in detail issues of advertising, free
samples to new mothers, promotion in health
care facilities, and many others. The code and
related articles can be found by searching the
WHO website, www.who.int.
• We continue to look for creative ways to
support pediatric residents interested in international
health. For several years, the section
has offered four $500 scholarships for residents
doing electives abroad in developing countries.
In an effort to expand such support, we are
currently encouraging each AAP state chapter to
offer a similar scholarship(s), and at least one
state has recently successfully implemented
such a program. You don’t have to reinvent the
wheel — contact me (dstaton@massmed.org)
or Ms. Cathleen Haggerty, chapter administrator
at the Massachusetts Chapter
(chaggerty@mms.org) for details on the
documents used to initiate this program. It’s
easy to do, and can truly make a difference in the
career of a young pediatrician.
• In an effort to improve section communications,
we are planning to launch our new section
website this spring, thanks to the hard work of
member Cliff O’Callahan, and a new section
brochure, thanks to June Brady. Also, Dr. Burris
Duncan, our former chair, is restructuring our
“Country of Interest” Group into an online
database for our website, so that section
members can easily find and contact other
members with experience or interest in the child
health issues of a particular region or country.
• SOICH is joining forces with the Programme for
Global Paediatric Research, an initiative started
by Dr. Alvin Zipursky, editor of the journal,
Pediatric Research. Many of you are aware of the
“10/90 Gap” which refers to the huge discrepancy
between the enormity of the disease
burden in the world and the allocation of
research funding. Roughly US$73 billion is spent
each year worldwide by public and private
sectors on health research. Yet less than 10% of
these funds support research on diseases or
conditions that account for 90% of the global
burden of disease. The Programme for Global
Paediatric Research held an inaugural
symposium and workshop at the PAS Meetings,
May 4-5, 2004, to encourage pediatric
researchers to address this gap, and many AAP
members are actively participating. (more on
the “10/90 Gap” at www.globalforumhealth.org)
I’d like to invite all our members to attend the IPA’s
24 th International Congress of Pediatrics, to be
held in Cancun, Mexico August 15-20, 2004
(English and Spanish). This event takes place every
three years, in a different region of the world. So
don’t miss this opportunity to hear lectures and
network with some of the world’s most knowledgeable
pediatricians!
Lastly, please mark your calendars now for our
full-day section program in San Francisco at this
fall’s NCE. We have an international speaker list for
the morning (see details in this newsletter). For the
afternoon, there will be a first-time-ever workshop
on children’s rights and their importance in
our every day practices, taught by national and
international experts in a train-the-trainers format.
Every participant will be given a syllabus and
PowerPoint presentation to take home and share
with colleagues and residents at their own institution
or hospital. That’s Sunday, October 10, 2004.
Please let us know what you think the section
should be doing. And please share with everyone
what you are doing related to international health.
I encourage everyone to use our listserve
ICHMEMBERS@listserv.aap.org (works only from
the email address we have listed for you), so please
make sure our section administrator, Anne
McGhiey, has your current email address
(amcghiey@aap.org).
Hope to see you this fall!
Donna Staton, MD, MPH, FAAP
dstaton@massmed.org
Page 2
Section on International Child Health

Section on International Child Health (SOICH)
A Window on the World’s Children
Core Values
The Section on International Child Health values and respects the
inherent worth of all children and families. It is committed to leadership,
advocacy and education regarding the rights of children and the shared
responsibility of pediatricians worldwide for the health and well being
of children. We belong to a global community; we value diversity and are
committed to learning by experiencing other world cultures.
Vision Statement
The members of the Section on International Child Health will possess
the knowledge, skills and tools to: 1) Educate colleagues, families and
society on the body of knowledge that exists in international child health;
2) Add to the body of knowledge through the gathering and dissemination of research; 3) Advocate for the health
and well being of the world’s children utilizing all contemporary methods and technologies of communication;
and 4) Facilitate the building of effective coalitions and partnerships necessary to fulfill the mission of
the Section. In fulfilling its missions the Section on International Child Health will provide invaluable service
support and counsel to the American Academy of Pediatrics and its constituencies.
Mission Statement
The Section on International Child Health is committed to improving the health and well-being of the world’s
children. This will be accomplished by addressing the needs of children and those who are dedicated to
improving their health and well being through education, advocacy, research, service and the facilitation of
global partnerships.
History
The Section on International Child Health was established in 1996. An earlier Committee on International
Child health, involved in Latin America, was discontinued in the early 1980’s. The Task Force set up in 1987 “to
support policies to protect the rights of children” recognized the tragic and unacceptably high morbidity and
mortality of children throughout the world, became the International Section in 1996. With over 1,500 members,
50% from other countries of the world, the Section is the 4 th largest in the Academy.
As a member of the Section on International Child Health you will:
• Receive a copy of “Working in International Child Health,” a manual with extensive resources and advice
for pediatricians wishing to work abroad
• Have access to the Directory of International Service Opportunities for Pediatricians
• Have access to the Section’s website and Fellowship directory
• Have the right to serve on the International Child Health Executive Committee
• Receive the Spring and Fall Section Newsletters
• Be part of the International Members Email List which provides important information for pediatricians
here and abroad
Continued on Page 4
Section on International Child Health Page 3

A Window on The World’s Children Continued from Page 3
The Section on International Child Health also supports:
• An Office of International Affairs at the AAP headquarters
• Travel grants for pediatric residents for electives in developing countries
• Child Disaster Network
• The International Child Health Network website
• Health Volunteers Overseas in their educational programs in Cambodia, Guyana, Malawi, St
Lucia and at the medical schools in Makerere and Mbarara in Uganda
• International Pediatric Association
• Ambulatory Pediatric Association’s International Health Award for pediatricians in developing
countries for research in primary health care. This work is presented at their Spring meeting
• On-line free access to Pediatrics, Pediatrics in Review and Neonatal Reviews to low income countries
• Pediatric Textbook Repository collecting and sending donations of recent journals and books
to developing countries
• Linkages and liaisons between AAP chapters and pediatric societies in other countries to
exchange ideas and faculty, and to collaborate in service or research projects
Section on International Child Health provides educational activities; these include:
• Courses on Management of Complex Humanitarian Disasters. These have been given in
Pakistan, Thailand, Ethiopia, Nicaragua and Panama and yearly in Cleveland. There are plans
for further courses in a number of other developing countries.
• Development of a curriculum for Child Advocacy
• An all day session on International Health at the Fall meeting of the AAP
• Christopherson Lectureship for major contributions to international child health. The lecture
is given at the fall meeting of the AAP.
• International Peds Chat weekly live on-line educational sessions
• Support for Neonatal Resuscitation Training Programs taught by AAP volunteers in developing
countries. This program has been translated into 14 languages.
To join:
On line: www.aap.org/member/memcat.htm
E-mail: membership@aap.org
Tel: 1-800-433-9016 ext 5897
• • •
International applicants should apply through their local Pediatric Society
Application forms: www.aap.org/member/internationalreq.htm
E-mail: membership@aap.org
Page 4
Section on International Child Health

Report for the Office of International Activities
April 28, 2004
Submitted by Alejandra G. Lule, International Activities Specialist
In August of 2002 the American
Academy of Pediatrics officially
opened its Office of International
Activities. It was a vision that
began with Dr. Errol Alden, at the
time the Deputy Executive
Director, and the Section on
International Child Health. With
technology making the world
smaller, it was the vision of this
group to establish an office to help
bring the various international
activities of the Academy together.
Although the office is nearing only
its second year in existence, many
activities with the Academy had
already been in place. The Section
on International Health is a perfect
example. They have been
working on the need of children
worldwide for various years, even
before 1996 when it officially
became a section. Publications,
Medical Journals, Life Support
Programs and Membership have
also been offered internationally
for quite some time, but the vision
of creating this office was to have
one contact point for the
Academy, to give international
activities a home.
As mentioned in the Fall 2002
newsletter, the mission of the
international office is to
• Enhance worldwide support for
the AAP’s overall mission of optimizing
child health and wellbeing;
• Foster relationship building and
the development of a worldwide
community of pediatricians
engaged in international scientific
exchange.
• Improve the capacity of
Academy members to make a
positive impact internationally;
and
• To obtain information and perspectives
that will enable pediatricians
to better serve the
changing needs of their patients
in the US.
Since then, I have provided small
updates on our activities in this
newsletter. Although our office is
still a baby, we have had great
accomplishment in programming
while assisting the various areas
of the Academy. The AAP is the
largest pediatric organization in
the world, not just in membership,
but also in education, publications
and pediatric medical
journals.
In helping our mission, we have
worked with departments at the
Academy to provided free on-line
access to non-profit organizations
of our journals to 64 countries,
and we have provided complete
free access to 69 countries of
RedBook ®. This is our way of
organizing to optimize child
health and well-being and take
into account the country needs by
not charging for the service.
In building a worldwide community
we have established ties with
our neighbors to the south and
now have direct contact with the
pediatric societies of the
Americas. This was done with the
assistance of the Latin American
Pediatrics Association, a pediatric
organization comprised of 26 of
the countries in Latin America.
Through ALAPE, and the assistance
of Case Western University
and the Helping the Children
Initiative, we were successful in
presenting a Course in Humanitarian
Emergencies in Panama
City, Panama in the fall of 2003.
We have also had wonderful assistance
from various fellows, as well
as international members, of the
Academy. Many have volunteered
their time in programming we
have done internationally. In
March 2004 we had a joint symposium
with the Mexican Association
of Pediatrics in Mexico City.
Six AAP fellows, (Monica Federico,
Carlos Morales Mateluna, Fima
Lifhitz, Carlos Lifschitz, Sarah
Parker, and Matilde Irigoyen) participated
as guest speakers in the
topics of Immunization, Nutrition
and Allergies/Asthma, and Dr. E.
Stephen Edwards, past president
provided a welcome speech. In
addition we had 6 speakers (Steve
Berman, Judith Hall, Carden
Johnston, Nancy Krebs, Fernando
Stein, and Robert Schwartz) that
represented AAP at the Latin
American Pediatric Association
Congress in November of 2003. We
have also had invitations for participation
in National Congresses
for Dr. Alden, Dr. Edwards, and Dr.
Johnston from various countries,
among them England, Japan,
Australia, Netherlands, and
Mexico. The Neonatal Resuscitation
Program has also allowed us
to have our members participate
abroad. For this program we have
been lucky enough to count on,
not just US members, like Wally
Carlo, Susan Niermeyer, Bill
Keenan, and Cliff O’Callahan, but
also International Members like
Oscar Segreda and Oswaldo
Revelo.
The National Conference and
Exhibition, that is held every fall,
has also provided a great opportunity
for relationship building. We
have taken this opportunity to
invite presidents and key representatives
of other pediatric
Continued on Page 6
Section on International Child Health Page 5

Report for the Office of International Activities Continued from Page 5
organizations. Every year there are
at least 10 International guests.
They have an opportunity to participate
in our Continuing Medical
Education programs, as well as
network with other pediatricians.
We are barely scratching the surface
in potential of office growth
and international contribution.
We still have a challenge of providing
better information and perspectives
that will enable pediatricians
to better serve the changing
needs of their patients in the
US. As more families in the US
become multi-cultural, through
immigration and international
adoption, there will be a great need
for this type of educational
exchange. The Department of
Community Health has already
begun working with disparities
within the US, and we believe that
some of the contact we have made
will help in reducing the gaps that
many of the children in the US face.
As with any area of the Academy,
our work is never done. We greatly
appreciate the interest the section
has had in International Activities
and the assistance the members
and committee have offered.
Without them, we would be hard
pressed to accomplish anything.
International Pediatric Association (IPA) News
Come one, come all! The 24th International Congress of Pediatrics of the International Pediatric
Association will be held in Cancun Mexico from Sunday, August 15 - Friday, August 20, 2004. We hope
that many representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics will join us to enjoy the fellowship
of their pediatric colleagues from over 100 countries of the world.
A full and comprehensive program throughout the week will feature world experts addressing key
child health issues of interest and importance to pediatricians everywhere. In addition, we will highlight
the major vital global child health issues such as:
• Child Survival, Child Health, Child Development
• New Born Survival and Newborn Health
• Environmental Health for Children
• Essential Medicines for Children
• Universal Immunization
• HIV/ AIDS in Children
• Child Health in Sub Sahara Africa
Featured Speakers include:
MS. Carol Bellemy, Executive Director of UNICEF; Dr. Joy Phumaphi, Head of Family Medicine and Child
Health, WHO Geneva; the Leadership of the Pan American Health Organization; the leadership of the
International Pediatric Association; and leading pediatricians from all regions of the world.
There will be many special sessions on special topics, such as a one-day course given by the IPA committee
on Children’s Environmental Health and the World Health Organization to teach pediatriciansabout
key issues in environmental health for children (Saturday, August 14), and special sessions to be
presented by the International Organization of Pediatric Chairs which will address issues of teaching
of child health to medical students, teaching and training of residents, and pediatric research in different
regions of the world.
Our Mexican Colleagues have arranged fine accommodations at a number of hotels throughout Cancun
making available the pleasant and extraordinarily beautiful beaches and surroundings of this unique
region of Mexico, which is close to Mayan and other historical sites. We hope you will join with the more
than 5,000 pediatricians from all regions of the world who will be with us! More information and application
forms can be obtained through the Congress website at www.icp2004.com or through the IPA
website at www.IPA-world.org.
Page 6
Section on International Child Health

Report on the 2003 NCE talks related to
the Section on International Child Health
Cliff O’Callahan, MD, FAAP
We were honored to have such good speakers and fascinating talks
last November in New Orleans. The Meeting began with Dr Betsy
Lozoff’s talk at the Monday morning’s plenary session. She spoke
about iron deficiency and its impact on the growth and development
of children in developing countries. Dr. Lozoff is the director of the
Center for Human Growth and Development and a professor at the
University of Michigan,
A few miles away (or so it felt as we ran from the convention center
to the hotel) we transitioned to our section program. I will briefly
describe our program and in a few months the actual PowerPoint
talks of our speakers will be on our presently gestating new website!
Dr Laura Guay, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Pathology at Johns Hopkins, started us off.
Laura is the PI of the HIV Prevention Trials Network at the Kampala unit. She began working on HIVrelated
research in Uganda in 1988 after completing her residency. She has worked in HIV research
for the past 15 years, with more than 10 years on site in Uganda. Laura gave a wonderful mini-course
talk on HIV work in general, recent research and treatment guidelines, and some perspective on her
experiences in Kampala, Uganda.
Dr David Norton followed with an exciting presentation of his work with Interplast. He is a pediatrician
at Mary Lane Pediatric Associates in Amherst, Massachusetts. As a practicing pediatrician
he found that he could be of great service to the groups of plastic surgeons of Interplast making their
periodic trips around the world to provide surgical services. He is now the Chair of the Interplast
pediatric committee and has made 11 trips over the past nine years to such countries as Mexico,
Honduras, Dominican Republic, Peru, El Salvador, and Vietnam. He models one of the many ways
to be involved in international health while maintaining a practice and family in the United States.
Dr Caroline Dueger concluded the morning with an inspiring account of her working travels
around the world as part of Health Volunteers Overseas. She had practiced general pediatrics in
Concord, New Hampshire for 27 years. Upon retiring she went to London and got a DTMH from
the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and then set off with her husband doing mostly
short-term volunteer work since 1993. They have been to India, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, South
Africa, Nigeria, Latvia, Brazil, Cambodia, St Lucia, and Guatemala. She has also been the program
director for Pediatric Overseas in Cambodia since its inception in 1999.
We then gathered for a lunch and welcomed a number of distinguished visiting pediatricians: Dr
Jessy Colimon Adrien, the Director of Pediatrics at the National Medical School in Port-au-Prince,
Haiti; Dr Mohamed Cherif Rahimy, the President of the Union of African Pediatric Societies and
Associations (UNAPSA), from Benin, West Africa; and Dr Joseph Mbuthia, the Secretary General of
UNAPSA, from Kenya.
Section on International Child Health Page 7

2004 NCE upcoming programs from
the Section on International Child Health
Cliff O’Callahan, MD, FAAP
October 9-13, 2004 in San Francisco approaches quickly. Therefore I will
whet your appetite for our program. Start setting aside Sunday 10/10/04 to
be with us all day. Our International Reception will be on Monday night
10/11/04 from 6pm-7pm because the President’s reception occurs on
Sunday.
Our Christopherson Lecturer, speaking at the plenary session, will be Dr
Michael Katz, the Senior VP for research and global programs for the March
of Dimes.
Our Section’s Sunday October 10 th morning session will consist of three speakers with challenging topics
of great concern to all of us:
• Dr Eric Hoskins, President and General Manager of War Child Canada speaking on the impact of armed
conflict on children.
• Ellen ‘t Hoen, Director of the Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, a project of Medecins sans
Frontieres, discussing how the access, or lack thereof, affects the well being of children in developing countries.
• Dr Emmanuel D’Harcourt, senior child survival technical advisor of the International Rescue Committee
overseas program addressing innovations in the use of local and regional community mortality surveillance
to improve programs that in turn improve the lives of children.
Lunch is open to all (tickets available through registration) and we will have a section meeting and exchange
announcements and introduce visiting pediatricians.
The afternoon program is a condensed course on Using Children’s Rights as a Framework for Advocacy:
Pediatricians and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This is a train the trainers course which
will allow those of us participating to bring “home” a six-hour curriculum for educating others. The course
directors are Dr Sofia Gruskin from the Harvard School of Public Health, London-based Gerison Lansdown,
author of “Children’s Right to the Best Possible Health,” Dr Jeff Goldhagen from the Duval County Health
Department in Florida where he is director, and Dr Jane Schaller, the past president and new executive director
of the International Pediatric Association. This is a rare opportunity and we welcome you to participate.
Remember to return on Monday night for our International Reception and bring your compatriots along!
2004 AAP National Conference & Exhibition Section on International Child Health
Schedule at a Glance
Sunday, October 10, 2004
8:40 - 9:00 am Christopherson Lecture – Dr. Michael Katz, March of Dimes
9:30 - 10:15 am The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children –Dr. Eric Hoskins
10:15 - 11:00 am Access to Essential Medicines in Developing Countries –Ellen ‘ t Hoen
11:00 - 11:45 am Community Mortality Surveillance – Data for Action – Dr. Emmanuel D’Harcourt
12:00 - 1:30 pm Lunch (tickets available through registration) and Section Business Meeting
1:30 - 5:30 pm
Monday, October 11, 2004
Using Children’s Rights as a Framework for Advocacy:
Pediatricians and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Dr. Sofia Gruskin, Gerison Lansdown, Dr. Jeff Goldhagen, Dr. Jane Schaller
6:00 - 7:00 pm International Child Health Reception
Page 8
Section on International Child Health

Volunteer Opportunities for Pediatricians
A long list of organizations can be found at:
http://www.aap.org/cgi-bin/overseas/aapartcl.cfm
Each newsletter we’ll try to highlight a few:
• Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO): Sponsored by
the AAP, the Pediatrics Division of HVO now has six
sites for volunteer pediatricians. Assignments are
from 2-4 weeks in duration, and emphasize teaching
medical students and residents, though some
sites involve clinical work as well. Opportunities
exist in:
St. Jude Hospital, St. Lucia, West Indies
Georgetown Public Hospital, Guyana, South
America (English speaking)
Mbarara University Teaching Hospital, Mbarara,
Uganda
Makerere University and Mulago Hospital,
Kampala, Uganda
Angkor Hospital for Children, Siem Reap,
Cambodia
University of Malawi College of Medicine and
Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Malawi, East
Africa
Contact HVO: www.hvousa.org (Click on Programs).
• Commonwealth Health Center, Saipan, Northern
Mariana Islands (Pacific): This 72 bed general hospital
has a NICU and ICU, and serves about 65,000
people. The staff of 3 pediatricians is looking for an
additional long-term colleague, or pediatricians
who can volunteer for 3-4 weeks or longer. The
island has many developing world problems, but
the hospital is modern. Kapiolani Children’s
Hospital in Honolulu provides phone consults and
accepts patients for sub-specialty care. Contact:
Robin Shearer, Medical Affairs, via hospital operator
at 670-234-8950.
• Roatan Volunteer Pediatric Clinic (RVCP): On the
Honduran island of Roatan, the RVPC is located
within the public hospital of Roatan. Accessible to
any and all children, at no additional charge. Clinic
is staffed year round with volunteer pediatricians,
including 3 rd year residents, rotating on a 1-month
(or longer) basis. Volunteers utilize internet-based
“curbside” consults from San Francisco Bay Area
academic physicians. Spanish helpful but not necessary.
Contact: Dr. Arup Roy-Burman, P.O. Box
2166, Orinda, CA 94563, arup@itsa.ucsf.edu. See
www.roatanclinic.org
• Health Frontiers, Laos. Pediatric position available
as early as January 2004 and Internal medicine position
available Spring/Summer 2004 in Laos. Health
Frontiers, a small all-volunteer NGO, began faculty
development projects at the Lao medical school in
1990. In 1997, a pediatric residency training program
was inaugurated in Laos. This training program
has now graduated 14 pediatricians and 19 are
currently in training with six new trainees entering
the program each year. In 2002, an internal medicine
residency program was begun. Health
Frontiers, in conjunction with Case Western Reserve
University (CWRU), has provided a full-time volunteer
pediatrician in country since 1992 and a fulltime
volunteer internist since 2002 to work with the
Lao medical faculty to coordinate these programs.
Additional faculty support is provided by Khon
Kaen University in northeast Thailand and shortterm
volunteers from other industrialized nations.
The pediatrician and internist sought for these positions
will be responsible for assistance to Lao colleagues
in directing the residency training
programs, for providing clinical teaching to the Lao
residents, and for facilitating the teaching done by
short-term volunteer faculty. Most of the work is
based in Vientiane, Laos, although it is hoped that
the person in this position will visit graduates of
the program now based in provincial areas of Laos.
Travel costs, a living stipend, and housing are provided.
CWRU will provide adjunct faculty appointments
for qualified individuals.For further
information please email Kristine Torjesen, MD,
MPH, Health Frontiers Program Director for Laos,
at bramson@pobox.com.
• Microbiologist in Cambodia; A volunteer is required
to teach diagnostic medical microbiology techniques
to laboratory staff at Angkor Hospital for
Children, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Angkor Hospital
for Children is a paediatric teaching hospital funded
by a non-profit organization called Friends Without
A Border. It is situated in the town of Siem Reap,
Cambodia, near to Angkor Wat. The hospital has 44
in-patient beds and sees up to 300 out-patients per
day. The laboratory has 5 Cambodian staff and performs
on average 2-3000 tests per month. Until now,
microbiological facilities have been limited to
microscopy and Gram and Ziehl-Nielson stains.
Continued on Page 10
Section on International Child Health Page 9

Volunteer Opportunities for Pediatricians Continued from Page 9
However a culture laboratory is in the process of
being built and the hospital should have the capacity
to perform culture and sensitivities from June
2004. The operating language of the hospital is
English. The laboratory technicians are competent
in all the procedures they currently perform and
maintain a high level of quality assurance. More
details and pictures of the hospital can be found at
www.fwab.org.
Qualifications: BSc in Medical Laboratory
Science/Technology (major in microbiology) or
equivalent.
Experience:
• At least 3 years working in a diagnostic medical
microbiology laboratory.
• Experience in other disciplines such as
Haematology, Blood Transfusion Medicine, Clinical
Chemistry and Immunology, desirable but not
essential.
The successful applicant will be required to:
• Teach staff how to prepare media for culture,
including selective, enrichment and identification
purposes.
• Establish protocol for quality assurance of media.
• Establish protocols for bacterial identification procedures
for specimens received in the laboratory for
culture. (Excluding TB)
• Establish protocols for susceptibility testing of
antibiotics for the appropriate organisms.
• Training and supervision of laboratory staff in
microbiological diagnosis on a daily basis.
• Identify consumables required to maintain all of
the above and establish regular suppliers.
Time: A minimum of 3 months from June 2004, but 6-
12 months commitment would be desirable. The volunteer
will receive food and lodging at the AHC
volunteers’ house, which is situated very close to the
hospital in Siem Reap town. Siem Reap has a lively
tourist and expatriate community and there are many
amenities, restaurants, hotels and bars within walking
distance of the volunteers’ house.
Enquiries and CV’s to: Robyn Devenish, Laboratory
Director at rld@iinet.net.au or Dr Rathi Guhadasan at
rathi@angkorhospital.org.
Page 10
Section on International Child Health

Pediatrician’s Update:
The Situation in Haiti
Between December 5, 2003 to February 29, 2004, Haiti experienced a period of political crisis,
including widespread violence, leaving no group in public life safe. Pediatricians were not spared.
Those working in the public sector were afraid to go in the streets because doctors, even those
aboard ambulances, were attacked. And those in the private sector were also afraid to venture
out, because of cars robberies and hold-ups, as well as crimes on hospital premises.
As Head of the Pediatric Services, we were greatly distressed to send home sick patients because
there was no way for the hospitals staff to care for them and to see to their safety. We could not
even take care of many emergencies. There was wide-spread terror, and a time of great frustration.
During this period many of our babies were born at home without assistance. A pediatrician told
me he had to care by telephone of a child suffering from severe pneumonia, because the road leading
to his home was blocked for ten days. The public hospitals were not attended because of shortages
of supplies and lack of security.
This political crisis has severely affected the care pediatricians can give their patients. Soon it will
not be possible to vaccinate children. An important stock of vaccine has been lost because of no
electricity, due to a shortage of fuel. The cold chain could not be maintained.
The economical situation is becoming worse, because of all the robberies and lootings, the loss
of the spending power, and the precarious sanitation conditions. Because of a lack of access to
safe drinking water, we expect an increase in the rate of malnutrition and diarrheic diseases.
As of March 4, the General Hospital (HUEH) has restarted its activities with the assistance of organizations,
such as UNICEF, OMS International, the Red Cross, and many others. However the afore
mentioned conditions still exist; no warm blankets for newborns, only four functioning incubators,
just a few suction units, and little oxygen, for example.
Because of the violence in our country, some of the residents have left to seek a better living elsewhere.
We are experiencing a ravaged and devastated country, and this is the year of our bicentenary!
Even though we are in the midst of a terrible storm there is a little glimmer of hope. The hospitals
are beginning to function again. And the schools and the universities are now open, in spite
of little equipment and material .But in view of the failure of the economy, it is necessary to reorganize
the infrastructure, including the sanitary system and our main Hospital, HUEH, which
trains the residents in all specialties, and welcomes patients coming from Port-au-Prince and the
provinces.
Unity with our neighboring countries would be greatly appreciated.
Jessy Colimon Adrien, MD
Head of the Pediatrics Service
sucad54@yahoo.com
Section on International Child Health Page 11

Presentation of CHILDWATCH Africa to AAP Nov. 2003
by S. Rahimy and J. Mbuthia
WATCH is an acronym which stands for “ Working All
Together For Child-health in sub-Sahara Africa”. It
was formed in February 2002 as an initiative of the International
Paediatric Association (IPA), the Union
of African Paediatric Societies and Associations
(UNAPSA), UNICEF and WHO. The background was
the recognition that African children continue to suffer
disproportionate disease and disadvantage
despite advances in medical science. The right to the
highest attainable standard of health is a fundamental
right of all the children, set forth in the international
human rights treaties including the Convention
on the Rights of the Child. All African governments
(save Somalia) have ratified this Convention, and the
African Union has adopted an additional African declaration
of children’s rights. We know and should be
ashamed that each year millions of children in sub-
Sahara Africa continue to die from or to be afflicted by
conditions which are either preventable or easily
treatable. Such conditions include needless newborn
deaths, acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, vaccine-preventable
diseases, malaria, tuberculosis,
HIV/AIDS, malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies,
chronic physical and mental impairment, war, violence
against children, psychosocial disorders and
neglect of fundamental human rights.
UNAPSA, backed by IPA would like to bring its voice
and expertise to address these issues of poor health
and lack of health equity for African children.
UNAPSA has existed for the last 25years and has 34
member countries and a total of about 4 000 individual
paediatricians. This is a valuable resource of professionals
whose careers are dedicated to
child-health.
Although UN agencies, notably UNICEF and WHO,
and numerous non-governmental organizations have
been working for years in various African countries,
few formal ties have been forged with the paediatric
community. Indeed the paediatric community has
not been routinely involved in discussion, planning,
or implementation of child heath programs on
national or regional levels. The member societies and
paediaricians of UNAPSA seek to establish working
relationships with other child health stakeholders on
the African continent. Developing integrated programs
which can successfully address child health
issues in a coordinated and community based manner
and with a continent wide scope is of enormous
interest to paediatricians, and of crucial importance
Page 12
to the health of children of Africa.
To address these issues UNAPSA, in collaboration
with the IPA, UNICEF, WHO, and joined by World
Bank, Johnson and Johnson among others held a conference
in Nairobi between 4 th and 6 th . February 2002.
The goals of this very successful conference were:
• To establish a common goal of attaining the highest
attainable levels of health for the children of
sub-Sahara Africa.
• To design, implement, and sustain programs to
achieve this common goal.
• To define acceptable levels of health standards for
the children of sub-Sahara Africa.
• To mobilize paediatricians and other child health
workers and strengthen their capacity to act effectively
for child health in the region.
• To create a framework for ongoing collaboration of
major stakeholders in African child health.
At the conclusion of the conference it was agreed that
each UNAPSA member society would establish a
CHILWATCH committee to include ministries of
health, UNICEF, WHO and any other stake holders in
child heath. The main task for the country committees
was to identify the major causes of infant and child
mortality and morbidity at national levels. Based on
that information the committees were to identify
areas of priority and recommend appropriate interventional
programs. The committees would also be
expected to monitor the commitment of their governments
in reducing infant and child mortality rates
and to lobby for adequate budget allocation to child
health.
A steering committee to oversee the implementation
of the conference recommendations was formed. It
was agreed to pilot the program in five countries
namely Nigeria, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Uganda and
Kenya. Each of these countries was to get a start-up
fund of $ 10 000. Benin would get more money in
order to set up centre that would coordinate all
CHILDWATCH activities. This has been a huge success
and the pilot countries have all got active committees.
Some have already started on some programs
for example Benin is following up a group of 600 newborns
for one year in order to identify prospectively
the causes of infant morbidity and mortality. Nigeria
is monitoring immunization activities in six zonal
Continued on Page 13
Section on International Child Health

Presentation of Childwatch Arfica to AAP Nov. 2003 Continued from Page 12
hospitals with a view to identify reasons for low
immunization coverage. Kenya on the other hand has
been involved in the local IMCI program helping in
adaptation of training materials and in training. It is
also planning to actively participate in the revival and
monitoring of Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. Its
other goal is to lobby the Kenya Government to
declare primary immunization free and compulsory
and a necessary requirement at enrolment for the
free primary school national program. Members of
the Kenya Paediatric Association have been invited to
join several committees of the Ministry of Health and
are actively contributing to policy and implementation
of programs.
The steering committee has identified priority areas:
• Child survival
• Newborn survival
• ARI
• Diarrhoea
• HIV/AIDS
• Malaria in the affected countries
• Tuberculosis
• Vaccine- preventable diseases
• Malnutrition
• Environmental issues – water, sanitation, air
pollution
It is to be noted that malnutrition and environmental
issues are cross cutting and affect all the other
child health issues. Others are poverty and inequity.
Child protection issues to be focused on include:
• Street children
• Child abuse
• Children and war
• Child labour and exploitation
• Violence and crime.
* Annual live births stand at 1million.
* GNI per capita is $340 while 27% of the population
lives below $1 a day.
* GDP per capita annual growth rate was 2.3%
between 1960 and 1990 but fell to -0.6 in 1990-2001.
* 76% women have access to antenatal care but only
44% of them have skilled attendant at birth.
* The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in adults between 15-
49 years is 15%. There are 2.5million people living
with HIV/AIDS approximately 20% of them children
below 15years.
* An estimated 50 000 newborns are infected with
HIV annually.
* Under-5 mortality rate 122 per thousand. This was
205 in 1960 and had gone down to below 100 in the
1990s. Infant mortality rate was 122 in 1960 and is
currently at 78per 1000 live births which is unacceptably
high by any standards. The recent rise in
the rates is due to HIV/AIDS and deteriorating
national economy. HIV/AIDS contributes to about
half of under 5 mortality and takes up more than
50% of available hospital beds.
* Life expectancy at birth is 50 years.
* 9% infants are of low birth weight. In the under fives
23% are underweight and 37% stunted.
* Safe drinking water is only available to 57% of the
population. 87% of the population uses adequate
sanitation facilities.
* Only 76% of children are fully immunized according
to the local EPI vaccine schedule.
UNAPSA welcomes the AAP to join in the CHILD-
WATCH Africa initiative and assist in any way possible
to help UNAPSA realize their dream of healthy
children for sub-Sahara Africa. We should all work
together!
It is hoped that with sufficient funds and capacity
each UNAPSA member country will form a CHILD-
WATCH committee and keep a finger on the pulse of
the children’s health throughout the region.
Data on Kenya was presented to illustrate the typical
problems facing sub-Sahara countries. Kenya has a
population of 31million people almost half of them
under 15years of age. Children under 5 years are
4.6million or 15% of the population.
Section on International Child Health Page 13

New and “Old” Member’s Column
We extend a warm Welcome to some of our new members.
Let us hear your story and how and why you became interested in international child health.
I am a pediatric cardiologist
and a clinical assistant professor
of pediatrics at Duke University
Medical Center in Durham, North
Carolina. My focus is in outpatient
consultation, pediatric echocardiography,
fellowship training and
administration. I am also the
medical director of Duke
Children’s Consultative Services
of Raleigh, a multi-specialty pediatric
outpatient practice staffed
by specialists in all areas of pediatrics
and pediatric surgery.
I first became interested in
issues of international child health
as my wife and I were in the
process of adopting a child from
South Korea almost four years
ago. I have been providing free
medical consultation for two
adoption agencies since that
time, assessing the medical
issues of international children
awaiting adoption. More recently,
I have agreed to partner with a
local pediatric practice which
has a well-established adoption
medicine clinic in order to provide
integrated consultation for
their patients with cardiovascular
issues.
I am looking forward to working
with the Section.
Angelo Milazzo, M.D., FAAP, FACC
Assistant Clinical Professor of
Pediatrics/Cardiology
Medical Director, Duke Children’s
Cardiology of Raleigh Medical
Director, Duke Children’s Consultative
Services of Raleigh
3713 Benson Drive, Suite 202,
Raleigh, NC 27609 Tel 919 855-
8991, FAX 919 855-9881
Thank you for the invitation to
introduce myself to the Section on
International Child Health. My
name is Linda Arnold, and I am a
Pediatric Emergency Medicine
physician at Yale-New Haven
Children’s Hospital. My interest in
international health dates back to
the two and a half years I spent as
a Peace Corps volunteer in the
Kingdom of Tonga, prior to medical
school. During medical
school, I returned to Tonga to do
clinical research on the association
between obesity and hypertension
and the westernization of
diet and lifestyle in polynesia. My
fourth year, I spent two months in
Taipei, Taiwan studying the effectiveness
of skin testing with a
minor determinant mixture, as a
predictor for allergic reactions in
patients receiving ongoing penicillin
prophylaxis for rheumatic
heart disease.
During my pediatric residency at
CHOP, I was fortunate to spend a
month in Grenada working with a
local pediatrician to provide clinical
care in office, clinic, and inpatient
settings. While there, I met a
sixteen year old girl with short
stature (3’6”) of unknown etiology.
When I returned to Philadelphia, I
raised money to bring the girl and
her mother to the U.S. With the
generous assistance of faculty
members, lab managers, and a
pharmaceutical representative,
the girl was diagnosed with isolated
growth hormone deficiency
- and started on therapy with
donated medications. Nine years
and many return visits later, she is
4’11”, and working as a paralegal.
This experience helped to reinforce
for me the notion that even
small interventions have the
capacity to make a difference in a
child’s life.
In 1999, the Student National
Medical Association organized an
international medical mission to
Jamaica. That year, and the following
year, I served as a preceptor
for a large group of medical students
interested in international
health. We provided clinical care
and educational sessions to hundreds
of patients in underserved
areas throughout Jamaica. In 2001,
I travelled to Ghana with another
group of SNMA members. The
goal of this trip was to initiate a
sustainable program of HIV education,
by training local groups of
students, community leaders, and
church groups. Surveys and focus
groups identified areas for future
educational emphasis. The program
is still ongoing, and a group
returns each year.
At Yale, we have recently developed
a Program in International
Child Health. My current focus is
on developing training sites for
pediatric residents who are interested
in doing an elective in international
health. Our first trainee
will travel to Grenada in January.
While there, in addition to providing
clinical care, she will provide
educational sessions for child
health care workers, and work
with a local NGO to learn more
about child advocacy in the developing
world. As an adjunct to the
resident program, I am working to
develop a collaboration between
pediatricians in Grenada, and Yale
faculty specializing in areas of
identified need. A small grant from
a local organization will help to
sponsor a Grenadian colleague
who will travel here to learn more
Continued on Page 15
Page 14
Section on International Child Health

New and “Old” Member’s Colmn Continued from Page 14
about the use of CPAP for premature
infants. In addition, this
spring, a group of Yale faculty will
travel to Grenada to provide education
and develop recommendations
in a number of areas,
including neonatology, developmental
programs for institutionalized
children, and the recognition
and management of inflicted
injuries. This program excites me
in the same way that providing
medical care to the girl with short
stature did. Those of us fortunate
enough to have access to greater
resources - both material and
intellectual - have much to offer
our colleagues, and the children
they care for, in the developing
world. I have great hopes that programs
like this in Grenada, and
elsewhere, will enable us to share
our knowledge and expertise in a
manner that will have lasting
implications for child health and
well-being in the places we serve.
I apologize for being long-winded
but, as you can probably tell, I get
so excited about this stuff that it’s
sometimes hard to stop!
Linda Arnold, M.D.
Section of Emergency Medicine
Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital
linda.arnold@yale.edu
Practicing Pediatrics in Developing Countries
by Richard Mier, MD, FAAP
Mostly this begins with curiosity What is it like Pictures and television are not enough, at least not for me. The
first step is always the hardest. It seems like such a big thing to do. The unknown. The practice. The family.
Somehow, curiosity, adventure, altruism, whatever, trump the negatives. Enthusiasm carries the day and
carries one through the beginnings.
Intrepid, though, I am not. Sure as jet lag, at some point during preparing for, or on the way to a volunteer spot,
I will sit quietly for a minute and ask myself “What in the world could I have possibly been thinking of” This
is, of course, always well past the initial flush of enthusiasm, after signing on the dotted line, after explaining
grandly to friend and family that I’m off again. No way you can back out now.
These gray moments of the volunteer’s soul often occur while packing, a process, which always seems to mock
well-meaningness. Packing makes things painfully real. Packing also usually occurs at night, when intrepidness
naturally reaches its diurnal nadir. Sometimes, if I make it through packing, my low points slide in while
I’m high in the air, and sometimes after I arrive, tired, grungy and full of airplane food. Sometimes I hit
bottom after my first contact with the local host, who may be surprised by my appearance, uncertain about
my mission, and worried that I’m going to be a bother.
1 stand in awe of those among us who never hesitate. Give them 15 minutes to grab a toothbrush and they’re
ready. They never ask themselves what they could possibly have been thinking of. They know of what they were
thinking. They were, and are, thinking solely of doing the right thing. Medecins sans frontieres, sans regret, avec
le courage. Unfortunately, not me.
But, as always, the bottom comes and goes. I am not God’s gift to the developing world. I know this, but some
little things do seem to get done on my shift. Mostly I learn and usually have a good time. I offer what I have
to offer. The direct parallel is going from medical school to first year resident and on up the line. Going to poor
countries for the first time is like your first day of internship. You get better, then go to some other place and
start all over; feeling inadequate all over again. Don’t do volunteer medical work in developing countries if you
mind awfully feeling inadequate.
And the rewards Plenty. Always the beautiful children and the parents, eyes glistening with gratitude. I like
knowing, now, what it’s like to be a pediatrician in Uganda. The monkeys on our roof in the morning, the imam’s
call to prayer, over the loudspeakers. I know what a black water creek is in Guyana. 1 know what parents worry
about in Ecuador. I have stories to tell and to remember. I have eaten sea urchin and liked it. I know how difficult
it is to practice pediatrics in poor countries and the doctors and nurses I meet there know that I know. I
also know that I’ll be back.
Section on International Child Health Page 15

Uganda teaching/clinical work trip rewarding experience
by Peter Louis, MD – Vancouver BC
On New Years day I met up with
Dr. Paul Thiessen, a pediatrician
from Vancouver, to fly to Uganda
for a month of teaching and clinical
work in pediatrics. We arrived
in Uganda’s capital and traveled
another 4 hours by car to Mbarara
University of Science and
Technology where we worked on
the “TOTO” pediatric ward.
Having preciously worked in
Africa, I had some preconceived
notions of what to expect. The initial
adjustment and subsequent
experience over the next 5 weeks
were beyond my expectations.
The department of pediatrics consisted
of three wards (critical,
acute and chronic). The staff of
one pediatrician, two interns and
three residents, were faced with
70-90 patients to care for and 30
medical students to teach. Dr.
Thiessen and I played a large role
in teaching. We held two daily
tutorials on various subjects such
as history taking, physical examination,
jaundice, seizures and
neonatal resuscitation for the
third and fifth year medical students.
The students were each
required to present 3 admissions
and perform 3 physical examinations
under our supervision. Two
lectures a week were given to the
medical school classes as well.
Finally, we participated in weekly
journal clubs with the house staff.
It took a few days for the medical
students to become comfortable
with us and therefore be more
interactive during the sessions.
They also had to get use to our
“Canadian” accents. During these
five weeks of teaching I appreciated
time and again that no matter
how simple the subject, or how
many times the same talk was
given, something could always be
learnt. The students asked questions
which sparked discussion
and they presented a different perspective
on disease in their own
clinical context. Clinical teaching
was facilitated by the extent of
pathology available on the wards.
Teaching around children with
findings of HIV, hepatosplenomegaly,
abdominal masses, lateral
neck swelling, skin infections,
meningitis, malnutrition, and
renal failure allowed for the students
and myself to improve our
clinical skills. Managing patients
with minimal investigations and
diagnostic test emphasized the
importance of a sound history and
physical.
Clinically, we worked on the wards
alongside the interns and residents.
I rounded daily on the critical
care ward with medical
students acting as translators. The
Ugandan residents, Dr. Thiessen
and Professor Axton (Head of
Pediatrics) were available for
questions or support. Having
worked in similar settings as a
medical student I had naively
expected the initial adjustment to
the wards to not be too difficult.
This experience was different from
that as a medical student because
as a resident I could be more independent
and involved with patient
management. During my residency
training I have also become
accustomed to the high standard
of child care which we sometimes
take for granted in North America.
The first week was intense and
emotionally draining.There was
the intensity of actively managing
unstable patients and the despair
of seeing morbidity and mortality
that we would not normally
expect. Here is an example. I was
managing a child with meningitis
with a G.C.S. of 8 when a parent
tapped me on the shoulder and
pointed to her seizing 3 year old. I
found and administered the
diazepam while the medical students
checked the glucose and
found it to be severely low. We
attempt to make D10W by mixing
D50W with D2.5W, but could not
find a 50 mL syringe. We finally
found it and the child stopped
seizing after receiving a bolus.
This took 10 minutes. Also during
this week; a five month old well
nourished child died of bronchiolitis,
a 13 year old girl fell out of a
tree, scraped her chest with a
branch and died of tetanus, a 5
year old developmental delayed
boy wandered around the hospital
with minimal care after his father
abandoned him, and a 28 week
premature infant died earlier as
his oxygen concentrator was preferentially
given to a 4 year old with
severe pneumonia who had a better
chance of survival.
In this setting it doesn’t take long
to realize that primary prevention
whether it be in the form of education
or immunizations could have
saved some of these children.
Adequate monitoring and nursing
care would have also improved
outcome. There were 2 nurses who
cared for the 70-90 patients. It is
not surprising that it was the
mother of the 5 month old boy
with bronchiolitis that informed
the nurse that her child had died.
I soon came to the realization that
it would be unreasonable to compare
the standard of care at home
to that of a developing country.
This did not make it easier. I did
however take comfort in the fact
that for every child with a poor
outcome, there were several times
more children who made complete
recoveries. Despite the limited
resources it was the hard
Continued on Page 17
Page 16
Section on International Child Health

Uganda teaching/clinicial work trip rewarding experience Continued from Page 16
work, dedication and resourceful
of Professor Axton and the house
staff that made this possible.
Although the above description
sounds bleak, the majority of my
experiences were rewarding and
positive. I have done a reasonable
amount of traveling and have
come to realize that it has been the
experiences where I have both
worked and traveled in a country
which have been most memorable.
Working allows for you to
become accepted by the community
in a way that is not possible as
a tourist. It is nice to be able to
unpack, settle into a place, go to
the local market after work and
partake in the tourist activities on
the weekends. I would like to
thank the American Academy of
Pediatrics as well as the Medical
Staff Association and Department
of Pediatrics at British Columbia
Childrens Hospital for helping to
make this experience possible.
International Program at University of Illinois at Chicago
A Quarter Century of Experience
by Dharmapuri Vidyasagar, MD, FAAP
SOICH Executive Committee Member
Director of Neonatology
Professor & Associate Head of Pediatrics
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois (USA)
The Division of Neonatology at University of Illinois at Chicago has developed an excellent academic program
for the formal education and training of neonatologists from around the globe.
During the past 25 years, the division developed extensive programs to facilitate exchange of knowledge,
skills, and technology between interested faculty of institutions abroad. The goal has been to promote the effective
transfer of medical expertise and technology at the international level for the purpose of improving the
practice of neonatal and perinatal medicine and reducing infant mortality rates. The “Train the Trainer” program
and other educational activities has been very successful.
As the exchange program has developed over the years, a set of objectives have been achieved:
• Increase the opportunities for medical faculty from the schools of other countries to visit UIC to observe the
neonatal and perinatal programs operating within the hospital, campus and city; and to participate in educational
activities designed to upgrade their skill and knowledge related to neonatology
• Enable biomedical researchers from other countries to collaborate with UIC faculty on clinical and preclinical
research projects which have the potential for improving the effectiveness and outcomes of neonatal care
• Respond to the request of medical institutions from abroad, for the provision of training in neonatology and
other educational programs which promote improved perinatal outcomes, utilizing training approaches
which increase the capabilities of these institutions to continue the training process through all levels of care
• Assist visiting faculty in the following activities: a) providing training in neonatal resuscitation or education
in specific areas of neonatology, b) offering on-site consultation related to neonatology or related areas, and
c) observing the neonatal and perinatal programs of other countries and participating in educational programs
which enhance their skills and knowledge.
Following are some accomplishments.
LITHUANIA:
• Bilateral exchange of faculty neonatologists, obstetricians, and nursing staff.
• Provision of onsite educational programs.
Continued on Page 18
Section on International Child Health Page 17

A Quarter Century of Experience Continued from Page 17
• Presentations of neonatal resuscitation programs which resulted in the development of 2 strong Neonatal
Intensive Care Units in the cities of Vilnius and Kaunas.
CHINA:
• Establishment of pediatric and neonatal emergency programs at China Medical University in Shenyang.
• National Conference and Workshop in Neonatology for over 200 neonatologists hosted by China Medical
University.
• Training of medical and nursing scholars from China at UIC.
• Collaboration with the Chinese Neonatal Association in developing national neonatal policies.
• Clinical training of medical and nursing staff at Children’s Hospital in Beijing, Beijing Medical University.
• Continued expansion of the exchange programs with Chinese neonatologists in research of advanced technologies
and molecular biology.
POLAND:
• Development of a Regional Perinatal Center and the transport system.
• Faculty exchange for onsite and training in neonatal/perinatal medicine at UIC.
• Offering workshops on the organization of Regional Perinatal Program in the state of Illinois.
• Assisting the neonatal/perinatal leaders in the preparation of a major document for the implementation of
a Regional Perinatal Program funded by the World Bank, which was accepted and implemented by the government.
• Training in neonatal resuscitation to neonatologists, obstetricians, and nurses.
• Development of collaborative research activities.
• Presentation of scientific and educational programs in Poland for the pediatricians and obstetricians.
• Presentation of research at SPR/APS.
INDIA:
• Provision of training programs to over 70 faculty from India at UIC and other centers in the United States.
• Presentation of over 50 Continuing Medical and Nursing Educational Programs in India with the assistance
of faculty from the United States.
• Initiation of a nationwide Neonatal Resuscitation Program using the American Hospital Association/American
Academy of Pediatric Syllabus. This work was carried out in collaboration with the National Neonatal Forum
(NNF) of India. We have successfully trained over 10,000 health care workers in neonatal resuscitation.
• Sending equipment for use in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units.
• Initiation of rural perinatal programs in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
• Assisting with publishing in India of the prestigious journal Pediatrics (the official journal of the American
Academy of Pediatrics) to be circulated at a low cost.
• Training of nursing staff in India and at UIC and other centers in the United States.
• Establishing Physicians for Pediatrics and Perinatal Care (PPPC, 1991) a non profit organization of expatriate
physicians interested in improving pediatric and perinatal care in India.
UZBEKISTAN:
• Development of training programs for pediatricians/neonatologists, obstetricians, nurses, neonatal pharmacologists,
and a perinatal data base.
• Establishing a learning center (LRC) for training of neonatal resuscitation for physicians and nurses in the
perinatal area (NRP programs)
Continued on Page 19
Page 18
Section on International Child Health

A Quarter Century of Experience Continued from Page 18
• There were over 50 bilateral faculty exchanges during 1991-1997.
In addition to the activities described we have had visiting faculty for the purpose of short and long term training
from the following countries: Brazil, France, Greece, Haiti, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, and
Turkey.
“HEALTH FOR ALL BY YEAR 2004”
A GLOBAL NEONATOLOGY/PERINATOLOGY PROGRAM
“It is our goal not to be just another Training Center for transfer of high-tech medicine but to transfer the expertise
of modern medicine that will best fit the local needs, be least expensive, and most effective in improving
maternal and neonatal infant health and outcomes.”
Management of Disasters: focus on Children
Training program in India
by Karen Olness, MD, FAAP
After nearly three years of planning this 4 1/2 day program was implemented in New Delhi. It was organized
by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics(IAP) in collaboration with the Rainbow Center for International
Child Health(RCIC) and Case Western Reserve University(CWRU). It was endorsed by the International
Pediatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics and supported by Johnson and Johnson
Pediatric Institute. It was attended by 34 pediatricians from all areas of India. Three Indian faculty members
had taken the training previously in Cleveland or at Khon Kaen University in Thailand. They included
Dr. Swati Bhave (Program Director and Past President of the IAP), Dr. Youraj Mathur (Past President of the
IAP), and Dr. Harshad Takvani (Past President of the Gujarat State branch of the IAP). Other Indian faculty
included Dr. RN Srivastava (Consulting Pediatric nephrologist), Dr. K. Suresh (UNICEF India), Mr.
Vinod Menon (UNICEF India), and Mr. Michael Siromony (Former Director Natural Disaster Management
Division, Agriculture Ministry). American faculty included Drs. June Brady(Professor of Pediatrics, UCSF),
Dr. Marisa Herran (Associate Director RCIC), Dr. Jane Schaller(President of the IPA),Dr. Mark
Cheren(Director of CME, CWRU), Dr. Madhumita Sinha (Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency
Medicine, NE Ohio Universities College of Medicine),and Dr. Karen Olness(Professor of Pediatrics, CWRU).
Faculty from Khon Kaen University included Dr. Srivieng Pairojkul and Dr. Chawalit Pairojkul. All faculty
were volunteers.
The training was problem based, and participants considered 18 separate case scenarios throughout the
training period. Experts from WHO, UNICEF, the Indian Federation of the Red Cross, the Indian Police,
and the American Red Cross in India provided valuable insights into the situation in India, especially with
respect to natural disasters. They emphasized that detailed planning is important but that the ability to
work efficiently across disciplines and social strata is crucial to successful functioning in disasters.
Participants appreciated the problem based training method, and several said that they plan to incorporate
it into their teaching of medical students and residents.
About half of the participants had some experience working in a disaster, including several who were in
Gujarat at the time of the major earthquake 3 years ago. They were encouraged to replicate this training
throughout India, and plans are beginning to accomplish that. Evaluations for the course were excellent.
A detailed report will be forthcoming.
Consistent with planning developed five years ago, this problem based training program on behalf of children
in disasters has been taken to child health professionals in seven areas of the world. Pediatricians
representing 34 countries have taken this training and are replicating it in their home areas. A major challenge
now is to make this expertise available to UN and NGO agencies quickly when disasters occur.
Section on International Child Health Page 19

Book Repository Receives Thank You Messages
For Your Red Books and Other Pediatric Textbooks
Our section book repository, which collects and ships used medical books to our pediatric colleagues
in developing countries, is growing rapidly, thanks to all who have donated books. Here
are a few email thank you messages we have received:
• “On March 10, I received the books you kindly sent to our hospital, 3 Redbooks, a Harriet Lane
Handbook and a AAP Perinatal Care guide. On our hospital Weekly Clinical Meeting, last
Friday, I let the attending staff know about your donation. On behalf of my fellow Pediatrics
Colleagues, interns and medical students, we are very grateful to the International section of
the AAP. Please, keep on sharing knowledge, we all appreciate your effort. Thank you very much.”
Dr. José Luis Ortega González, La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
• “Thank you very much for all your help. Many doctors and patients will benefit!” Dr. Leila Srour,
on behalf of Laotian pediatric residents
• “Thanks so much for the donated books - they have been distributed in the Eastern Cape [South
Africa] by a trustworthy colleague, Dr. Anthea Klopper, in community pediatrics, as this area
seems the most needy for these. She is most appreciative of the kindness of American physicians
through the ICH /AAP - thank you particularly for making this possible. I will be in contact
with her / others and appreciate your ongoing work in this area.” Dr. Penny Pivalizza,
Houston, TX
• “I have received your book through Dr. Helen Doss Chapaitis . . . I thank you very much and I
really appreciate it!” Dr. Mariam Fakhro, Kingdom of Bahrain (Arabian Gulf)
• “I just wished to ensure that I have acknowledged receiving 20 Red book 2000 copies at Karachi
address and that the same have been distributed to 20 major teaching hospitals attached with
Public sector Medical schools in Pakistan. The receipt of the same has also been acknowledged
with thanks by those facilities. Regards, Iqbal Memon MD
• We continue to accept donations, but now need additional help in distributing the texts. If you
are traveling overseas and would like to take books to donate, or you know of a recipient or institution
in a developing country who could use books, please email Dr. Donna Staton,
dstaton@massmed.org. The address for mailing donated books is:
AAP SOICH Book Repository
c/o Weston Pediatrics Physicians
486 Boston Post Road
Weston, MA 02493
Page 20
Section on International Child Health

Saludos all AAP SOICH colleagues. Here is the spring version of some selected websites some of you have suggested
for IH work. Again, some of the general issues these websites may cover include:
1) Customs and Travel Regulations/Advisories for other countries,
2) Diseases and Geography
3) Sources for Medical Equipment/Pharmaceuticals/Patient Education
4) Free Web based resources for medical publications and texts (including some CD ROM books on tropical
medicine)
5) Cultural Health Resources
6) Current research on International Health
7) Other topics you suggest!
Please email me, atbehrma@wisc.edu with
a) your favorite international health web site we should include in the next ICH newsletter or
b) a request for information about a specific topic, and I’ll work with the medical librarians here to see what
we can find.
I’ll list the websites below with the corresponding issue # above, for those of you who are more organized than
I am.
4) Free/ reduced cost Web based resources for medical publications and texts (including some CD ROM books
on tropical medicine)
I thought I’d start out highlighting HINARI, an initiative from WHO to allow free/low cost access to major
biomedical and social sciences journals (about 2000 in all) to nonprofit institutions in developing countries.
All of you who work for periods in medical schools/teaching hospitals, national libraries or governmental offices
overseas should be able to help your host site get connected if they have internet capabilities. Eligibility is
primarily through GNP per capita data from the World Bank.
I. HINARI: http://www.healthinternetwork.org
Some Favorite Useful Websites
for International Health Work
HINARI - Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative
The Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI) provides free or very low cost online access
to the major journals in biomedical and related social sciences to local, non-profit institutions in developing
countries.
HINARI was launched in January 2002, with some 1500 journals from 6 major publishers. Twenty-two additional
publishers joined in May 2002, bringing the total number of journals to over 2000. Since that time, the numbers
of participating publishers and of journals and other full-text resources has grown continuously. The
HINARI offer is currently guaranteed through 2006.
HINARI was developed in the framework of the Health InterNetwork, introduced by the United Nations’
Secretary General Kofi Annan at the UN Millennium Summit in the year 2000. Led by WHO, the Health
InterNetwork aims to strengthen public health services by providing public health workers, researchers and
policy makers access to high-quality, relevant and timely health information, via the Internet. It further aims
to improve communication and networking.
Continued on Page 22
Section on International Child Health Page 21

Some Favorite Useful Websites for International Health Work Continued from Page 21
II. Topics in International Health: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk
From the Wellcome Trust in London, a group of 12 interactive teaching CD ROM “books” on tropical medicine.
To peruse the group, click on the “Int Health” cross link. These include most all the major health issues in the
developing world, such as HIV/AIDS, TB, Nutrition, Leshmaniasis, Trachoma, Diarrheal Diseases to name a
few. The Wellcome Trust also provides some research grant opportunities and sponsors specific international
symposia.
III. Hesperian Foundation: http://www.hesperian.org
Books for Community Health Workers and practitioners with little access to technology
No doubt all of you are more than familiar with the low tech “Pulitzer” of International Health texts, David
Werner’s classic text, Where There Is No Doctor, now translated into 90 languages. These folks have some exciting
new projects and new books in development, including A Community Guide to Environmental Health, The
Early Assistance Series (to provide information for parents and other caregivers of young children (0 to 5 years
old) with disabilities), A Health Book for Workers in Export Processing Zones — a resource for workers dealing
with unhealthy working conditions in and around EPZ’s or Free Trade Zones, and The Community Mental Health
Book, to name but a few. Check out (and consider a donation to) their Gratis Book Fund.
3) Sources for Medical Equipment/Pharmaceuticals/Patient Education.
Two great websites suggested to me by Paula Brinkley in 2000 that work on recycling medical supplies and equipment
from the US/Canada for use by healthcare institutions in developing counties:
IV. MEDSHARE INTERNATIONAL: www.medshareinternational.org
“Every year, thousands of patients in the economically developing world are turned away without medical aid
. . . Yet federal regulations compel hospitals in the United States to discard more than $6.25 billion worth of
unused medical supplies and equipment each year. “ Medshare not only encourages donations, but has a means
to apply as a recipient for their materials. Their product list is extensive, ranging from ventilators to gloves and
pens and pencils. They do not stock or send any pharmaceuticals.
V. REMEDY: www.remedyinc.org
Remedy was the brainchild of Dr. William H. Rosenblatt, an anesthesiologist at Yale in 1991. “REMEDY is a group
of health care professionals and others promoting the nationwide practice of recovery of open-but-unused surgical
supplies. The end goal of our mission has been to provide international medical relief while reducing solid
medical waste from US hospitals. “After studies done in collaboration with Dr. David Silverman to demonstrated
efficacy, cost-effectiveness, environmental impact, and usefulness of supplies recovered through the REMEDY
program, Recovered Medical Equipment for the Developing World, became a non-profit organization committed
to teaching and promoting the recovery of surplus OR supplies. Drs. Rosenblatt and Silverman developed
a comprehensive In-service Teaching Packet with information needed to start a standardized recovery program
based on the REMEDY model, applicable to any surgical procedure in any hospital in the U.S. The REMEDY
Teaching Packet is distributed free of charge to all requesting hospitals. “Since inception, Yale-New Haven
Hospital’s pilot program alone has donated several millions of dollars worth of supplies and has recovered from
what was previously considered waste, in excess of 30 tons of material aid.
The cost of recovering these supplies has amounted to not more than $200 a year (disinfectant and bags are
provided by the hospital). The avoided incineration of the 22 tons of solid medical waste has saved the hospital
$2,530 annually or more than $25,000 over the life of the program. As a byproduct of the program’s in-house
exposure, hundreds of thousands of dollars in new disposables and equipment (excess inventory) has also been
donated by YNHH to the REMEDY pilot program.” Check out the website to see if your institution is a REM-
EDY provider.
Continued on Page 23
Page 22
Section on International Child Health

Some Favorite Useful Websites for International Health Work Continued from Page 22
1) Customs and Travel Regulations/Advisories for other countries, and
2) Diseases and Geography
VI. MD TRAVEL HEALTH: http://www.mdtravelhealth.com
This website suggested by Nancy Curtis MD, Children’s Hospital and Research Center at Oakland. She writes,
“It has good information about conditions in other countries, but additionally, it has ‘social’ information
about problems related to scams in the airports, etc. that are common to that country.” This is an alternative
to the CDC website, www.cdc.gov, with some of the same info, with a cultural slant.
7) Other — How about Advocacy Something we all are involved in locally, nationally and internationally
and good information is a precious commodity.
VII. RESULTS: www.results.org
Again a great recommendation from Nancy Curtis, “RESULTS is a citizen’s lobby responsible for increasing US
government funding for basic global health measures and child survival funding by hundreds of millions of
dollars.” The following has been taken directly from their web site. “RESULTS is a nonprofit grassroots advocacy
organization, committed to creating the political will to end hunger and the worst aspects of poverty.
RESULTS is committed to individuals exercising their personal and political power by lobbying elected officials
for effective solutions and key policies that affect hunger and poverty. Our vision is of a world where persistent
hunger and the devastating impact of poverty no longer cripple the chances of individuals and families
to sustain themselves, thrive, and contribute their talents to the world in which they live — where all people
have a fair chance at success. A 1976 report by the National Academy of Sciences reported that we possess all
of the resources, structures and technology to end hunger in a single generation, but that the political will to
make it a priority is missing. We envision a world where citizens actively voice their concerns to their elected
officials and thereby choose the policies and priorities of their governments. A world where the end of hunger
and the worst aspects of poverty has become an international priority.
Our mission is to create the political will to end hunger and the worst aspects of poverty and to empower individuals
to have breakthroughs in exercising their personal and political power. Creating the will to end hunger
and the worst aspects of poverty requires working on multiple fronts to resolve complicated issues that keep
hunger and poverty in place.
To this end RESULTS was formed as a grassroots citizens advocacy organization comprised of citizens in more
than 100 communities across the United States who lobby members of Congress for effective solutions to hunger
and poverty in the U.S. and abroad. We are a network of volunteer activists around the country who take action
every month to build a larger movement to end hunger and poverty in this country and abroad. Once a month,
RESULTS partners around the country join a national conference call with hundreds of other volunteers to be
trained about issues, to practice our skills, and to commit to action in the following month. We then communicate
directly to our elected officials by sending them letters and by meeting with our members of Congress
and their staff face-to-face. We also generate media and hold public forums which build public pressure on
Congress and other leaders to take specific actions.”
6) Current research on International Health
3 websites that are great for statistics on countries and regions world wide.
VIII. DOLPHN: www.phnip.com/dolphn
“The Data Online for Population, Health and Nutrition system is an online statistical data resource containing
selected current and historical country-level demographic and health indicator data. The DOLPHN sys-
Continued on Page 24
Section on International Child Health Page 23

Some Favorite Useful Websites for International Health Work Continued from Page 23
tem is designed to provide users with quick and easy access to frequently used statistics and can be helpful as
both a reference and analytical tool … While most of these data are accessible from other Web sites [WHO,CDC,
World Bank, etc.], DOLPHN’s principal advantage is to bring specifically filtered data from various sources
together in one place to facilitate comparative and trend analyses. ” The database was developed and is maintained
by the Population, Health and Nutrition Information (PHNI) Project of the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID).
IX. POPULATION REFERENCE BUREAU: www.prb.org
“For more than 70 years, the Population Reference Bureau has been informing people about the population
dimensions of important social, economic, and political issues. Our mission is to be the leader in providing
timely and objective information on U.S. and international population trends and their implications.
PRB’s mission is carried out through these major activities:
• Publish, disseminate, and promote print and electronic material
• Collaborate with organizations to develop and implement strategies for communicating with
policymakers
• Conduct training on policy communications and Internet use. Through short-term workshops, PRB helps
individuals and organizations in developing countries, especially journalists, educators, and researchers,
to find and use demographic data in their work.
• Collaborate with journalists to expand the coverage of population, health, and environment subjects.
Donna Staton, our SOICH hardworking chair clued me into PRB. “See their new publication, available free as
a PDF, “Improving the Health of the World’s Poorest People.” This 34 page report is worth printing out! Excellent
summary of the health differences between poor and rich nations, determinants of health status and disparities,
and approaches to benefit the poor.
X. WORLD FACTBOOK: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
I never thought I’d be touting work from the CIA, but in doing research on maps and health statistics for grand
rounds on pediatric health care in Cuba, I stumbled across this great web resource for maps and population,
health and literacy, GNP and other economic indicators. I can’t remember looking at the CIA homepage, but
think it might have raised suspicions at work ….
One more great must read (sometime) article on nutrition suggested by Donna from UNICEF.
XI. UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_19965.html
Donna’s comments on Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency, A Global Progress Report: “This is a comprehensive but
very readable 40 page report that will enlighten readers about the urgent and severe problem of micronutrient
deficiencies worldwide, as well as specific solutions to this crisis.”
“Everyone who cares about the future of children and the development of nations should heed this report,”
said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy. “The overwhelming scope of the problem makes it clear that
we must reach out to whole populations and protect them from the devastating consequences of vitamin and
mineral deficiency.”
Finally I end with a website from the University Of Washington School Of Public Health for those of you who
are wondering what is being written and gathered by governmental and nongovernmental sources on the effects
of war the war in Iraq.
Continued on Page 25
Page 24
Section on International Child Health

Some Favorite Useful Websites for International Health Work Continued from Page 24
XII. HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF WAR: http://sphcm.washington.edu/healthandwar/links.asp
Three of the included 34 sites from U. WA that give detailed health data include:
Iraqi Body Count
http://www.iraqbodycount.net/ a running tally of the Iraqi civilian body count, compiled with a minimum
and maximum number gleaned from online news sources.
Collateral Damage: the health and environmental costs of war on Iraq
http://www.mapw.org.au/iraq/2002/ippnwiraq/MedAct_report_Iraq_12_11.html
Report by Medact - an affiliate of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), winner
of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. Much of the fall 2003 SOICH outline on predictions of health effects from a war
in Iraq were taken from this article. To see Medact’s updated report “Continuing Collateral Damage” from
November 2003 as a PDF from www.medact.org.
ReliefWeb
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf
ReliefWeb is a project of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian ffairs.
So, please consider sending me a brief email atbehrma@wisc.edu with a) either your favorite international
health web site we should include in the next ICH newsletter or b) a request for information about a specific
topic, and I’ll work with the medical librarians here to see what we can find. Please also let me know if these
above are ones all of you know about, and I’ll search out some more obscure but helpful resources for next fall’s
volume 3.
For comments, inclusions or questions, please contact Ann Behrmann MD, atbehrma@wisc.edu, (608) 233-
2879.
Section on International Child Health Page 25

Upcoming Events of Interest
Program for Global Paediatric Research: Inaugural Symposium. San Francisco, May 4, 2004, at PAS Annual
Meeting. Dr. Alvin Zipursky, editor in chief, Pediatric Research, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto.
alvin.zipursky@sickkids,ca
Common Health Problems in Tropical and Developing Countries. Waltham, MA CME Course for physicians and
other health providers interested in international health, preparing for volunteer work overseas, or
caring for immigrants or patients returning from travel. Part 1. Saturday, May 8, 2004, 8am-Noon. Part
2. Saturday, May 22, 2004, 8am-Noon. Sponsored by the Global Medicine Committee of the
Massachusetts Medical Society. More info: www.massmed.org Click on Continuing Medical Education.
Global Health Council, 31 st Annual Conference: “Youth and Health, Generation on the Edge.” June 1-4, 2004,
Washington, DC www.globalhealth.org
9 th Annual “Management of Disasters Due to Nature, War or Terror: Focus on Children and Families.” Tuesday-
Saturday, June 22-26, 2004, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Endorsed by the
International Pediatric Society (IPA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics. To request brochure, call
216-844-5050 or email Joan Farmer: Joan.Farmer@uhhs.com
24 th International Congress of Pediatrics (the International Pediatric Association (IPA). Meeting held every 3
years in different countries. Sunday, August 15-Friday, August 20, 2004 Cancun, Mexico. Spanish and
English www.icp2004.com email: info@icp2004.com Excellent seminars and lectures from world experts
on pediatric diseases and issues.
Intensive Update Course in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Travelers’ Health
September 28-29, 2004, Boston, MA. Immediately precedes the Infectious Diseases Society of America
(IDSA) 42 nd Annual Meeting. Sponsored by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
(ASTMH) www.astmh.org or email: astmh@astmh.org or FAX a request for a brochure to 847-480-9282.
American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition (NCE) October 9-13, 2004.
Section on International Child Health Program (October 10, 2004):
• The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children. Dr. Eric Hoskins, War Child Canada
• Access to Essential Medicines in Developing Countries. Ellen ‘t Hoen, Doctors Without Borders,
Geneva
• Improving Child Survival Using Community Surveillance Data. Dr. Emmanuel D’Harcourt,
International Rescue Committee
• SPECIAL AFTERNOON WORKSHOP: Using Children’s Rights for Advocacy in Your Practice. This
train-the-trainers type workshop demonstrates how the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child can be used in everyday practice to promote the well being of children. Attendees receive a
complete 6-hour curriculum and power point slides to use in educating colleagues and pediatric
residents. www.aap.org or Dr. Cliff O’Callahan Cliff_O’Callahan_MD@midhosp.org
Immigrant and Refugee Health in 2004
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) 2004. Pre-meeting course. November 6-
7, 2004 Fontainbleau Hilton, Miami Beach, Florida. For clinicians and public health workers who wish
to gain a better understanding of the current topics in immigrant and refugee health. www.astmh.org
Or request a brochure by faxing 847-480-9282 or emailing astmh@astmh.org
53 rd Annual Meeting American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) November 7-11,2004. Miami.
http://www.astmh.org/meetings/meeting2004.html
IHMEC: International Health Medical Education Consortium
14 th Annual Conference: “Human Resources for Global Health” March, 2005 San Francisco.
www.ihmec.org For physicians, medical students, residents. (exact dates will be available on website
this summer)
Page 26
Section on International Child Health

Current Section Programs
The Section has an e-mail list serve and invites
you to become a part of it. Send your e-mail
address to Anne McGhiey at amcghiey@aap.org.
Check out the AAP’s Web site at www.aap.org and
then click onto the Section on International Child
Health. Look for the Directory of International
Service Opportunities for Pediatricians or call Dr.
Donna Staton at 1-617-899-4456 (Please let Donna
know if you know of a change or update in any of
the listings.) Look for the International Child
Health Network at www.ichn.org.
Service Opportunities.
The Pediatric Division under Health Volunteers
Overseas (HVO) needs volunteers for its programs
in Uganda, Brazil, St. Lucia, Guyana, Cambodia,
and (new!) Malawi. Contact Kate Fincham at the
HVO Washington office at 1-202-296-0928.
The CHILDisaster Network was developed by Dr.
Karen Olness. It is a group of health care personnel
who commit themselves to be available to
assist children in disaster relief. You can register at
www.aap.org/disaster. Manuals available through
the Section; “Working in International Child
Health” by Donna Staton, “Helping the Children”
by Anna Mandalakas, Kristine Torjesen and Karen
Olness.
The Pediatric Textbook Repository under the direction
of Dr. Donna Staton. She has books that you
might like to take with you on your next trip and
give to your colleagues to be put in their pediatric
library or medical school library and not on their
personal shelves. Give Dr. Staton a call at 781/899-
4707 or Email her at dstaton@massmed.org to find
out what books she has and how to get hold of
them. If you have pediatric textbooks less than five
years old that you want to send overseas, send
them to the Textbook Repository.
Take along a box of appropriate medicines on your
next trip to present to your host. Call Dr. David
Norton at 1-413-256-1767 for details.
Consider linking your State Chapter with a pediatric
society in your “adopted” country. Call Dr.
Joanne Selkurt at 1-715-538-4355 for details and
advice.
The “Country of Interest” groups are being revitalized.
Anyone interested in being a country
coordinator contact Dr. Duke Duncan at 1-520-
694-6000 or e-mail at bduncan@peds.arizona.edu.
The Section invites you to contribute to the Friends
for Children and designate your contribution to
the Section on International Child Health.
David Krieser MB, BS, FRACP
McKinnon VIC, Australia
Alan Ruben
Rapid Creek, Australia
Joseph Tam MB, BS, FRACP
Traralgon Victoria Australia
Brian Timms MBBS, FRACP
Victoria, Australia
Christine Jahn MD
Vienna, Austria
Francisco Locatelli Wolff MD
Passo Fundo, RS Brazil
Nelson Nakamura MD
Piracicaba, SP Brazil
Filipe Veiga MD
Rio De Janiero, RJ Brazil
Francisco Wolff MD
Passo Fundo, RS Brazil
Dominic Allain MD
Edmonton, AB Canada
New SOICH Members
Abdulhafid Essalah MD, FAAP
Regina, SK Canada
Hadeel Faras, MD
Montreal, QC Canada
Andrea Hunter MD
Hamilton, ON Canada
Samir Hussain, MD
Hamilton, ON Canada
Kassia Johnson, MD
Hamilton, ON Canada
Fatima Kakkar. MD
London, ON Canada
April Kam, MD
Toronto, ON Canada
Gonzalo Morales Valdes, MD
Antofagasta, Chile
Marvin Auchia H, MD
San Jose, Costa Rica
Birthe Hoegh, MD
Denmark, Denmark
Oswaldo Revelo Castro, MD
San Salvador, El Salvador
Uwe Mellies, MD
Essen, Germany
Thomas Struck, MD
Luneburg, Germany
Stefan Avenarius, MD
Magdebnurg, Germany, Fed. Rep.
Jurgen Brunner, MD
Homburg, Germany, Fed. Rep.
Rainer Weissortel, MD
Neuburg, Germany, Fed. Rep.
Wonbok Kang, MD, MRCPCH
Cambridge, Great Britain
Georgios Trimis, MD
Athens, Greece
Elsa Tsapakis, MD
Papagou Athens,Greece
Mario Mejia, MD
Quetzahemango, Guatemala
Darcy Beer MD
Edmonton, AB Canada
Angel Antonio Escobar, MD
San Salvador, El Salvador
Arun Agrawal, MD
Ghaziabad, UP India
Continued on Page 28
Section on International Child Health Page 27

Mahesh Gupta, MD, DCH
Varanasi, India
Munirathinam Natarajan, MD
Madras Tamilnadu,India
Aman Pulungan, MD
Jakarta, Indonesia
Fatemeh Mostofy, MD
Tehran, Iran
Neda Pasyar, MD
Shiraz Fars, Iran
Nariman Yaseri Amlashi, MD
Karaj Tehran, Iran
Sergio De Marini, MD
Trieste, Italy
Giovanni Filocamo, MD
Nassarenti 11, Bologna Italy
Gianluca Lista, MD
Milan, Italy
Russell Chatoor, MD, MBBS, D.Ch
Kingston 5, Jamaica
Hiroyuki Moriuchi, MD, PhD
Nagasaki, Japan
Kouki Oguchi, MD
Sagamihara, Kanagawa Japan
Shigeru Sekiguchi, MD
Tokyo, Japan
Jun Shiraishi, MD
Izumi-City, Osaka-pref Japan
Satoshi Yoshida, MD
Fujisawa, Japan
Ola Abu-Hammad, MBBS
Amman, Jordan
Yong Jae Choi, MD
Chuncheon City, Kangwon-Do Korea
Rana Assaf, MD
Sedel Bouchrieh, Lebanon
Carlos Aboitiz, MD
Mexico City Distritio Federal, DF Mexico
Enver Aillon Tercerol, MD
Mexico, DF Mexico
Dolores Alvarado Leon, MD
Iztaelco, DF Mexico
Maria Barbosa Gomez, MD
Cd Madero, TA Mexico
Hugo Briceno Gonzalez, MD
Texcodo, Mexico
Vanessa Campos Lozada,MD
Mexico, DF Mexico
Eusebio Castellanos, MD
Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico
Arturo Cuatepotzo Duran, MD
Pachuca Hidalgo, Mexico
Jose De Loera Briones, MD
Distrito Federal, Mexico
Francisco DeAvila Cervantes, MD
Mexico, DF Mexico
Constania Delgado, MD
Mexico, DF Mexico
Sergio Flores Sobalvarro, MD
Texcoco, Mexico
Moises Gerardo Del Hoyo, MD
Mexico, DF Mexico
Karla Gomez
Mexico, CO Mexico
Carlos Gongora Cardenas, MD
Texcico, Mexico
New SOICH Members
Salvador Gonzalez, MD
Mexicali, BC Mexico
Sydney Greenawalt
Mexico, DF Mexico
Madelaluz Irocheto Geroz
Mexico, DF Mexico
Eduardo Leon Tello, MD
Estado De Mexico, Mexico
Francisco Lledesma Lujan, MD
Edo de Mexico,Mexico
Nancy Lopez Hernandez, MD
Mexico, DF Mexico
Irma Lozano Torres, MD
Mexico, DF Mexico
Juan Marquez Jimenez, MD
Atlacomulco, Mexico
Carlos Melesio Ortiz, MD
Estado de Mexico, Mexico
Juan Carlos Mercado Ramirez, MD
Mexico City, DF Mexico
MC Moreno-Gomez, MD
Edo Mexico, Mexico
Xavier de Jesus Novales Castro, ,MD
Estado de Mexico, Mexico
Margarita Olmos, MD
Mexicali, BC Mexico
Ruy Perez Casillas, MD
Mexico, DF Mexico
Juan Perez Ortega, MD
Pachuca Hgo, Mexico
Juan Porter Cano,MD
Pachuca Hidalgo, Mexico
Enrique Prieto, MD
Mexico, DF Mexico
Jose Ramirez Haua, MD
Mexico, DF Mexico
Alejandro Serrano, MD
Mexico, DF Mexico
Jaime Tamez, MD
Mexico City, DF Mexico
Eva Trujillo Chi Vacuan, MD
Garza Garcia, NL Mexico
David Vargas Baez, MD
Mexico City, Mexico
Rolando Zapata Cervera
Mexico City, DF Mexico
Adriaan Bosschaart, MD
Enschede, Netherlands
Sander Feith, MD
Hofbrouckerlaan, Netherlands
Brian Darlow, MD, MA, MB
Christchurch, New Zealand
Pamela Jackson, MD
Dunedin, New Zealand
Khalid Khan, MBBS MCPS
Bahawalpur Punjab, Pakistan
Hilda Candanedo MD
Panama, Panama
Eric Cheng, MD
Panama, Panama
Gherson Cokier, MD
David Chiriqui, Panama
Marvis Corro de Cajiao, MD
Panama, Panama
Josefina De Castrellon, MD
Panama, Panama
Mireya Emperatriz De Moreno, MD
Panama, Panama
Benjamin Del Rio H, MD
Balboa A, Panama
Stella Docrvet, MD
Panama, Panama
Judith Feuillebois Garrido, MD
Panama, Panama
Paul Gallardo, MD
Republica de Panama,Panama
Eduardo A. Palacios Echeverria, MD
Panama City, Panama
Gerardo Rivera Chen, MD
Panama, Panama
Ivan Sierra, MD
Panama, Panama
Hortensia Solano, MD
Panama, Panama
Lilibeth Urena Ortega, MD
Panama, Panama
Manuel Vasquez Mckay, MD
El Dorado, Panama
Kenneth Williams, MD
Panama, Panama
Carlos Mendoza Fox, MD
Lima, Peru
Alfonso Villa, MD
Chincha ICA, Peru
Artur Duarte, MD
Costa Caparica, Portugal
Milhai Iordachescu, MD
Bucharest, Romania
Adrian Toma, MD, PHD
Bucharest, Romania
Andrei Zamfirescu, MD
Buchacrest, Romania
Fadi Abdel Rahim, MBBS
Jedda, Saudi Arabia
Jawaher Bardise, MD
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Kah-Tzay Low, MD
Singapore, Singapore
Ikshuvanam Malathi. MD
Singapore, Singapore
Moserra Hammonda, MD
Damascus, Syria
Tzer-Howe Chu, MD
Taiwan, Taiwan
Wan-Shan Lin, MD
Keelung City, Taiwan
Wei-Mu Liu, MD
Hsin-Ying, Taiwan
Saji Philip, MD
Tao Yuan, Taiwan
Varteni Cerci Ozkan, MD
Istanbul, Turkey
Khaled El-Atawi, MS
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Mahmoud El-Halik, MBCh.B., DCH
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
Sepideh Roodsary, MD
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Kanthini Brodie, MD
Essex, United Kingdom
Continued on Page 29
Page 28
Section on International Child Health

Fozi Dakilah, MD
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Basil Elnazir MD, MRCPI, DCH, PhD, FRCPCH
Wales, United Kingdom
Mark Powis, BSC, MBBS, FRCS
North Yorkshire, EN United Kingdom
Sanjay Rawal, MBBS
Hanwell, Middlesex, United Kingdom
Fraser Scott, MBCHB MRCPCM
Leeds Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Stephen Abbott, MD
Columbia, MD United States
Linda Arnold, MD, FAAP
New Haven, CT United States
Emilio Arteaga-Solis, MD, PHD
New York, NY United States
Mundi Attinasi, MD
Los Angeles, CA United States
Marc Avner, MD
Norfolk, VA United States
Naomi Bardach, MD
San Francisco, CA United States
Andrew Barnes, MD
Minneapolis, MN United States
Elizabeth Bassett, MD
Oakland, CA United States
Megan Bazil, MD
Virginia Beach, VA United States
John Beshlian, MD
Alamo, CA United States
Sangeeta Bhatia, MD
Pittsburgh, PA United States
Jenny Brault, MD
Indianapolis, IN United States
Jenny Bush, MD
Grand Rapids, MI United States
Kathleen Chang, MD
Oakland, CA United States
Polo Chen, MD
St Paul, MN United States
Eleanor Click, MD
Seattle, WA United States
Jaime Cohen, DO
Norfolk, VA United States
Maala Daniel MD
Grand Rapids, MI United States
Leticia De Jeffreys, MD
Las Vegas, NV United States
Hernan Delgado, MD
Chicago, IL United States
Jon Detterich, MD
Los Angeles, CA United States
Orode Doherty, MD
Pittsburgh, PA United States
Sar Dow, MD
Seattl, WA United States
Wendi Drummond, MD
Phoenix, AZ United States
Ahmad Ellini, MD
Pittsburg, PA United States
Suzanne Essengue, MD
Shawnee, KS United States
Katherine Fan, MD
Pittsburg, PA United States
New SOICH Members
Vipul Garg, MD
Cleveland, OH United States
Danie Garrett, MD
New Orleans, LA United States
Inessa Gofman, MD
Sacramento, CA United States
Laur Gorham, MD
Pittsburgh, PA United States
Suzanne Greth, MD
Columbia, MD United States
Helene Greves, MD
Seattle, WA United States
Stanley Grogg, DO, FAAP
Tulsa, OK United States
Matthew Grossman, MD
New Haven, CT United States
John Hambrook, MD
Portsmouth, VA United States
Susanne Herz, MD
Seattle, WA United States
Phoenix Ho, MD
New Haven, CT United States
Alison Hodges, MD
Seattle, WA United States
Nami Jhaveri, MD
San Francisco, CA United States
Lindsay Johnston, MD
Pittsburg, PA United States
Pau Krummen, MD
Houston, TX United States
Robert Lapus, MD
Houston, TX United States
Venny Lee, MD
Oakland, CA United States
Sheela Lingaiah, MD
Marshfiel, WI United States
Troy Lund, MD
Minneapolis, MN United States
Haissa Maaz, MD
Santa Clara, CA United States
Katherin Mandell, MD
Seattle, WA United States
Caroline McClaskey, MD
Washington, DC United States
Tatyana McElveen, MD
Raleigh, NC United States
Jonathan McMath, MD
Lakewood, OH United States
Aaron Miller, MD
New Haven, CT United States
Marquisha Moore, MD
Memphis, TN United States
Sage Myers, MD
Hamden, CT United States
Anupama Narla, MD
San Francisco, CA United States
Umesh Narsinghani, MD, MB, BS
Macon, GA United States
Maren Olson, MD
Seattle, WA United States
Erin Osterman, MD
Pittsburgh, PA United States
Andrew Palladino, MD
Philadelphia, PA United States
Catherine Panlilio, MD
Falls Church, VA United States
Kenya Parks, MD
Montclair, NJ United States
Reina Patel, DO
Houston, TX United States
Abbe Penziner, MD
Baltimore, MD United States
Ronald Perez Escobar, MD
Miami, FL United States
Courtney Peshkovsky, MD
New York, NY United States
Alyssa Rathod, MD
New Haven, CT United States
Michae Riker, MD
Memphis, TN United States
Jerri Rose, MD
Cleveland, OH United States
Reshma Shah, MD
Cleveland, OH United States
Chandran Shanmugam, MD, MPH, FAAP
San Francisco, CA United States
Amy Sims, MD
Washington, DC United States
Silvia Sims, MD
Cordova, TN United States
Sapna Singh, MD
Houston, TX United States
Eugenen Sohn, MD
Culver City, CA United States
Michelle Stringham, MD
Redondo Beach, CA United States
Sathyanarayan Sudhanthar, MD
Pittsburght, PA United States
Premi Suresh, MD
San Francisco, CA United States
Arvinder Thiara, MD
South Orange, NJ United States
Amy Thompson, MD
Arlington VA United States
Michael Thompson, MD
Seattle, WA United States
Uyen Truong, MD
Sacramento, CA United States
Michael Ulich, MD
Sleepy Hollow, NY United States
Victor Veliz Martinez, MD
Miami, FL United States
Anna Zimmermann, MD
Fridley, MN United States
Pirez Garcia Cortalini, MD
Montevideo, Uruguay
Ana Molina, MD
Sucre, Venezuela
Angela Pabon, MD
Cumana-Sucre, Venezuela
Carme Perez Triana, MD
Bejuma-Carabobo, Venezuela
Carolina Quintero, MD
Sucre,Venezuela
Section on International Child Health Page 29

Executive Committee Members
Donna Marie Staton MD, MPH, FAAP
Chairperson
Weston Pediatric Physicians
486 Boston Post Rd
Weston, MA 02493-1529
Phone: 508/435-0206
Fax: 781/647-9578
EMail: dstaton@massmed.org
June P. Brady MD, MPH, FAAP
Executive Committee Member
87 Teralyn Ct
Oakland, CA 94619-2355
EMail: jghyde@itsa.ucsf.edu
Augusto Sola MD, FAAP
Executive Committee Member
Emory Univ/Dept of Pediatrics
2040 Ridgewood Dr NE
Ste 101
Atlanta, GA 30322-1028
Phone: 404/727-5765
Fax: 404/727-3236
EMail: asola2@emory.edu
Dharmapuri Vidyasagar MD, FAAP
Executive Committee Member;
Liaison, Section on Perinatal Pediatrics
Pediatrics
Dept of Pediatrics
840 S Wood St M/C 856
Chicago, IL 60612-7317
Phone: 312/996-4185
Fax: 312/413-7901
EMail: dsagar@uic.edu
Ann Thompson Behrmann MD, FAAP
Executive Committee Member;
Program Co-Chairperson
2209 Chamberlain Ave
Madison, WI 53726-0000
Phone: 608/233-2879
EMail: atbehrma@wisc.edu
Cliff Michael O’Callahan MD, PhD FAAP
Executive Committee Member;
Program Co-Chairperson
90 South Main St
Middletown, CT 60457-3649
Phone: 860/344-6407
Fax: 860/344-9249
EMail: cocallahan@midhosp.org
Karen N. Olness MD, FAAP
Immediate Past Chairperson
44500 66th Avenue Way
Kenyon, MN 55946
Phone: 216/368-4368
Fax: 216/368-0116
EMail: kno@po.cwru.edu
Marlene Sally Goodfriend MD, FAAP
Membership Chairperson
9770 Summer Grove Way E
Jacksonville, FL 32257-8881
Phone: 904/880-6334
EMail:
marlene_goodfriend@doh.state.fl.us
Karl Neumann, MD
Newsletter Co-Editor
108-48 70th Road
Forest Hill, NY 11375-3961
Office: 718/263-2072
Burris R Duncan MD, FAAP
Newsletter Co-Editor
Arizona Health Sciences Center
1501 N Campbell Ave
Tucson, AZ 85724-0001
Phone: 520/626-6303
Fax: 520/626-2808
EMail: bduncan@peds.arizona.edu
Donald Hillman MD
CPS Liaison
1075 Dozois Rd
Manotick, ON K4M 1B2
Canada
Phone: 613/737-8250
Fax: 613/737-8141
EMail: HillmanE@i.mame.com
Jane G Schaller MD, FAAP
Liaison, International Pediatric
Association
Floating Hosp for Children @
New England Med Ctr
750 Washington St
Box 8683
Boston, MA 02111-0000
Phone: 617/636-8683
Fax: 617/636-8388
EMail: jschaller@lifespan.org
Stephanie Joy Doniger MD
Liaison, Section on Residents
150 Rodney Dr
Apt 411
Los Angeles, CA 90027-5327
Phone: 323/464-7638
EMail: sdoniger@sbcglobal.net
Elizabeth Hillman MD, FAAP
Consultant
1075 Dozois Rd
Manotick, ON K4M 1B2
Canada
Phone: 613/692-5046
Fax: 613/737-8141
EMail: hillmane@iname.com
Anne McGhiey
Staff
American Academy of Pediatrics
Director, Division of Member Relations
141 Northwest Point Blvd
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1019
Phone: 800/433-9016 Ext. 7658
Fax: 847/434-8000
EMail: amcghiey@aap.org
Opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The recommendations in this publication do not indicate an exclusive course of treatment or serve as a standard
of medical care. Variations, taking into account individual circumstances, may be appropriate.
Page 30
Section on International Child Health