APA Newsletter - Academic Pediatric Association

Volume 45 Number 1APA NewsletterSummer2008In This IssuePresident’s MessagePast President's ReportTreasurer's ReportMeetings and Events2008 Award WinnersAPA New MembersCommittee ReportsEducation CommitteeNominating CommitteePublic Policy andAdvocacyRegions ReportsRegion IIRegion IIIRegion IVRegion VRegion VII & VIIRegion IX & XSpecial Interest GroupsAdvocacy TrainingChild AbuseContinuityFaculty DevelopmentInteractive MedicineHospital MedicineMedical InformaticsRace in Medicine Womenin MedicineSpecial ReportsBook ReviewCORNETReport on Workshop andSpecial Interest GroupsCommunications DirectorAs you may already know, the journal will have anew editor beginning January 1, 2009 – PeterSzilagyi will be taking over the reigns from JimPerrin after 10 years of his incredible leadership intaking the journal from just an idea to a mature andwell respected journal. In keeping up with theassociation, the name of the journal will also changewith the first issue in 2009 and be called AcademicPediatrics.It has also been one full year of using the new APA electronic newsletter. It isa learning process for all – those who generously contribute to it, those whoput it together and those who use it. Many people have told me they love thenew look and how it interchanges with the APA's website. Others say they likeit but also want the option for a printed copy.The electronic newsletter will continue as it is easier to create and saves aconsiderable amount of money. We will also offer the ability to download aprinted version. The print version will have the same information with just asimple layout. We are planning on doing this over the next year and then reevaluatingit.The website redesign is continuing. After much work by the CommunicationsCommittee under Karen Edwards leadership, Captus Communications isworking on the actual layout/design and then implementation of the newwebsite.Working with Lee Pachter the membership chair, we will be enhancing theMembership Only area of the website to provide better information tomembers. We are also looking at centralizing, updating and creating newinformation for prospective members, potential partners and others interestedin the APA.

You can make a difference: The title of my APA Presidential Address was “Changing the World for Children”(see (see http://mediasite.urmc.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=9e898cea-5c22-43c4-9470-973e6b7961a9) Theinspiration for this talk came from my year of meeting and working with hundreds of APA members. In thisspeech I challenged you to change the world through academics, pediatrics, and associations, using the APA’snew name as a guiding light. I am confident that each and every one of you will make a difference in children’slives and in the lives of others through your academic pediatric work.The APA is a great organization. Yes, we have a lot to do, but our future is bright, because you will truly makea difference.Have a great summer.Peter SzilagyiTreasurer’s ReportMoney Matters: The Treasurer’s ReportChanging our name from the Ambulatory to Academic was more than a symbolicact; it represented a recognition that our organization was embracing the needfor active support of high-quality academic work in the midst of a rapidlychanging clinical environment. Historically, the APA focused on ensuring thatthe annual meeting supported the academic development of our members, andsupporting members who needed a vehicle for the facilitation of a project.Generally, the projects were grant supported (and ceased when the grants ranout). Because of the limited number of core activities, our dues were low.Now, many of the activities that began as projects are becoming “core activities”of the APA, supported by a combination of grants, fees and dues revenue. TheJournal, the Educational Scholars Program, the New Century Scholars,Generalist Accreditation, CORNET, PRIS- the list has grown dramatically over the past five years. Recently,the Board created a policy stating criteria for development of new APA core activities. The challenge now foryour Treasurer is to develop a rubric for the Board to assess the quality of the business plan of these activities,and to create a transparent process that allows us to see the budgetary impact of these necessary and importantactivities.The good news is that, so far, our financial status remains positive. We have been fortunate in obtainingexternal funding for a number of our programs, and the APA staff has recently been expanding to help them allcope with the increasing demands that core activities place on the “nerve center” in Virginia. This affords us theopportunity to carefully examine the impact of the new “core activities” on our budget over the summer,allowing the Board time for careful reflection of the 2009 Budget in the fall.So, how can we expand our financial rubric in a way that reflects our traditions of inclusion and transparency,and also allows us to adapt our activities to the changing world of academic medicine in an efficient way? Inthe “open town meetings” of New England, the Board of Selectman proposes the budget, but the FinanceCommittee offers its non-binding review to the Town Meeting before the vote. In Congress, the CongressionalBudget office performs a similar function. Do we need a “Financial Advisory Committee”, to assess thefinancial impact of new programs on the budget and make non-binding recommendations to the Boardregarding the financial impact of new programs? Let me know your thoughts (kellerd@ummhc.org). Whateverwe do, we need to take care to preserve our ability to adapt our programs to enable our members to serve the

needs of our children and families. To quote our Immediate Past President, “Remember, it is all about thechildren”.Meetings and Events2009 Pediatric Hospitalist meeting July 23-26Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina, Tampa, FL.Watch for the call for abstracts in early winter 2008Second National Ambulatory Primary Care Research andEducation Conference on Patient Safety and HealthInformation (HITT) Renaissance Hotel Washington,DC October 1-3, 20082008 Award WinnersCongratulation to All the 2008 Award Winners.APA Awards 2008 from left to right:Barbara Oettgen, Health Care Delivery AwardJames M. Perrin, Research AwardJohn M. Leventhal, Armstrong LectureLeslie Fall & Norman Berman, Teaching AwardJane Nakawesi, International ResearchKenneth B. Roberts, Miller/Sarkin AwardJennifer Arnold, Helfer AwardJoseph A. Grubenhoff, Ludwig/Seidel AwardJoseph W. Thompson, Public Policy & AdvocacyAwardLawrence C. Pakula, APA/AAP CommunityTeaching Award

2008 APA and AHRQ Young Investigator Award Recipients from left toright are Renee Boynton-Jarrett, Jill Baumgartner, Deepa Camenga,Megumi Okumura, Tumaini Coker, Karen Farst and SamanthaBerkule.APA New MembersWelcome to our new APA MembersJo Ellen AltschaetlFrancisco AlvarezKapil AryaJennifer AuerbachAisha Barber DavisPriti BhansaliTyrone BristolBecky CarothersMaitreya CoffeyTania ConduracheKevin CoulterKelly DaukMollie DavisLaura FinkelsteinColleenFinneganKimberly GerhartDavid GoffCameron C. GrantHarry HazelwoodAnelia HorvathLauren M. JanssonJacky JenningsThanakorn JirasevijindaSaraJohnsonClaudiaKlenckKalpana KumariSylvia LimKerri-Brooke LimaLou LudwigHeather McLeanKenya Mcneal-TriceMargaret R. MoonBeth NattBeverly NazarianNicole Paradise BlackAnisha PatelCaroline RassbachMary RochaMaia RutmanTaylor SawyerBeth SchisselGeorg SchmoelzerMary ScottAdiaha Spinks-FranklinGlen TamuraMaria TrentZev WaldmanAmy WrentmoreEducation Committee ReportMary Ottolini MD, MPHThe Education Committee met on Sunday May 4 th at the PAS meeting in Honolulu.Ray Helfer Award Winner:Dr. Jennifer Arnold for her paper entitled: “Effect of a High Fidelity Simulation Curriculum on PediatricResident Competency in Neonatal Airway Management Skills”. Dr. Arnold and her collaborators in theDivision of Neonatology at Stonybrook determined that the neonatal intubation simulation she developedsignificantly enhanced resident performance in real intubating real neonates.

Teaching Award:Leslie Fall, Norm Berman and their many collaborators won the Teaching Award for the interactive computerprogram: CLIPP, which incorporates the COMSEP competencies and is used by most pediatric clerkshipsacross the nation.APA Educational GuidelinesURL: http://www.ambpeds.org/egweb/The Educational Guidelines Team monitors website usage (new registrants, log-ins, and downloads) and ishappy to report high satisfaction and sustained usage of the website over the past three years. We have receivedsome requests to post new and updated curricular materials (EBM, community pediatrics and mental health).To accommodate these and other requests, we have developed a review process and we are developing theadministrative component of the website so we can update our database of goals and objectives more easily.CALL FOR UPDATES/SUBMISSIONSGroups such as APA SIGs, APA committees, etc., that are writing curricular goals, objectives and/orcompetencies should contact us early in their writing process, so we can discuss formatting requirements.Advanced planning will allow us to integrate your material more effectively into the website. Please contactDiane Kittredge or another member of the Editorial Team.Diane Kittredge --Diane.Kittredge@Hitchcock.ORGConnie Baldwin --Constance_Baldwin@urmc.rochester.eduMimi Bar-on-- mbar-on@medicine.nevada.eduTrish Beach-- psbeach@utmb.eduFranklin Trimm-- rftrimm@usouthal.eduPAS Educational Scholars ProgramThe ESP is currently recruiting its third cohort of 20 scholars, who will include about 10 pediatric hospitalistsand 10 faculty from other pediatric disciplines. (Please see the accompanying newsletter article by ConnieBaldwin for details)4 th Year Medical Student Curriculum:Drs. Konopasek and Sanguino, leaders of the COMSEP Curriculum Task Force are developing a PediatricSub-Internship rotation curriculum. Dr. Bill Raska, the COMSEP president has been developing a survey to becirculated through the COMSEP, APPD and APA listserves to determine perceived gaps in current 4 th yearmedical student education for those entering a pediatric internship after graduation.“Pediatric Educational Excellence Across the Continuum Conference”Maryellen Gusik is leading a planning committee which includes members from the leadership of COMSEP(Bill Raszka, Chris White), APPD (Rob McGregor and Susan Guralnick) and Mary Ottolini to work outlogistics for the conference which is tentatively being planned for fall of 2009. We will seek the wealth ofexperience and creativity within the membership of the three organizations when planning the educationalsessions.We envision this “Pediatric Educational Excellence Across the Continuum Conference” (PEEAC) to be the firstin a series of annual meetings to enable pediatric educators teaching different levels of learners (students,residents, fellows) and in different clinical settings including the ED, primary care in either academic orcommunity based setting or inpatient or critical care unit to collaborate and learn from each other. We envisionthat this conference will offer tracks focusing on different topic areas/levels of teaching experience and theopportunity to collaboratively plan pilot projects to introduce new curricula to improve education across thepediatric continuum.

Education Committee Selected Workshops:Connie Baldwin, Larrie Greenberg, Fred McCurdy and Mary Ottolini led the Education Committeesponsored workshop this year: 3156 Educational Scholarship: Writing, Publishing, and Reaping the RewardsThe Committee selected a workshop proposed by Lindsey Lane and Rob McGregor for the 2009 sponsoredworkshop, focusing on how to encourage collaboration between educators responsible for teaching differentlevels of trainees and in different settings. Drs McGregor and Lane gave a preview, leading a mini-workshopduring the Education Committee meeting this year discussing how to translate theories about overcomingbarriers to collaboration from the business to the medical education setting. We look forward to learning morefrom them in Baltimore!Summary of COPE: The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Pediatric EducationCOPE held its annual meeting in Chicago, IL on November 18-19, 2007. (The Education Committee wasrepresented by Franklin Trimm due to the overlap with the APA Fall Board Meeting) Several topics ofimportance were presented and future Pediatric education were discussed and are summarized here.Physician Re-entry into the Workforce.With the growing proportion of women in pediatrics and other specialties, there will likely be an increase in thenumber of pediatricians taking an extended leave during their career or returning to medicine after retiring.Physicians returning to the workforce will face questions about their competence to resume clinical practice.The AAP established the Physician Reentry into the Workforce Project with four workgroups focusing on theconcerns noted above. For further informationhttp://www.aap.org/reentry.Residency Review and Redesign in Pediatrics Project (R 3 P) Changes Direction.A project is under way to assess general pediatric residency training and design the best education forpediatricians now and in the future. Three colloquia have been convened over the year of August, 2006 throughAugust, 2007 to create a shared body of knowledge through dialogue within the pediatric community. Theongoing responsibility of the R 3 P project will be to determine how best to permit goal-oriented innovation inpediatric residency education, how to initiate, facilitate and sustain it, how to oversee it, and finally how todisseminate proven innovations. For more information or to give feedback see the R 3 P section of the AmericanBoard of Pediatrics website. ww.abp.orgResident Education in Environmental Health and Medical ToxicologyThe AAP Committee on Environmental Health (COEH) developed educational strategies to improve theeducation of healthcare providers. Dr. Helen Binns, Chair of the COEH, presented these strategies. The 2 ndedition of the “greenbook”, Pediatric Environmental Health, 2003, free to all AAP members/all incomingpediatric residents. For more info call 866-843-2271. See case studies from the CDC:www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.html; webcasts from the EPA: yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/content/2007activities.htm.Resident Education in the Uniformed ServicesA presentation by Capt. Gregory Blaschke, MD focused on the unique aspects of pediatric education in theuniformed services and the impact of military action on families and childrenInternational Pediatric EducationTwo separate focus areas have been addressed by COPE and the AAP Section of International Child Health(SOICH). The Global Health Educational Council (GHEC) is in the midst of surveying every medicalresidency program on their international rotations and is going to develop a large resource online composed ofall those international opportunities. To address and remove these barriers, the AAP submitted a resolution tothe American Medical Association House of Delegates to “work to achieve improved flexibility in graduatemedical education funding to defray the costs of rotations in underserved and underrepresented areas that takeplace outside of a residency’s sponsoring institution, included international settings.”

Culturally Effective Pediatric Care (CEPC)A number of educational resources for teaching CEPC have been collected over the past year by COPEmembers and administrators. The next phase will be to further develop specific educational goals andobjectives/organize educational resources to effectively accomplish the educational objectives. These will beavailable through the Association of Pediatric Program Directors (APPD) web-based Share Warehouse(www.appd.org).Nominating CommitteeThe 2008 Nominating Committee, Clai Dungy, Chair, Denice Cora- Bramble, Jane Knapp, Lee Sanders andTeri Turner, is pleased to announce the following slate for 2009.Congratulations to all !President Elect : David Jaffe, Janet SerwintResearch Committee: Glenn Flores, David McCormickWorkshops/SIGs: Judy Shaw, Bill StratbuckerSecretary: John Olsson, Steve SelbstNominating Committee: Lalit Bajaj, Sue Fuchs, Marlene Melzer-Lange, Richard Juien-Dah PanYou will receive an electronic ballot in the fall.Public Policy and AdvocacyWe are just months away from Election Day in the United States. On Tuesday, November 4th, individualsacross the country can make their voices heard on a range of issues, from state initiatives to choosing thePresident of the United States. As pediatric professionals, we want our patients' families to have their voicesheard, too.The APA Public Policy and Advocacy Committee is pleased to announce a new program, A Prescription toVote, to help you encourage families in your practice to register to vote by October 6 th and to vote on Nov 4th.Our goal is to give a Prescription to Vote to each family visiting our offices and clinics between now andNovember 4 th . Each prescription is a 2-sided handout in English or Spanish that you can download from theAPA website, print in your office, and give to parents.One side provides parents a Prescription to Vote, complete with instructions and resources for additionalinformation on voter registration, deadlines, candidates, etc. The other side is a brief comparison of the healthplans proposed by the two major party candidates, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. The informationis non-partisan and focused on healthcare issues only. For more information on the candidates’ positions onother issues important to the well-being of children, parents can refer to the web resources provided on thehandout.

We also encourage you to have voter registration applications available on the spot for parents who aren’tregistered to vote. Use the links and downloadable resources on the Prescription to Vote website (athttp://www.ambpeds.org/site/pub_policy/index.htm) to help you get started.Links to websites for voter registration, election information, and other useful resources are also available withthe downloadable parent handout. Visit the Prescription to Vote website, download the materials, and getstarted today!If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for us, please contact:Tumaini Coker, MD, MBA, at tcoker@mednet.ucla.eduRegion IIRegion II had its second combined regional meeting with Region III at the New York University School ofMedicine on March 7, 2008. Approximately 80 APA members, non-members and trainees traveled to NewYork City. The Keynote address was delivered by Benard Dreyer who used political figures to illustrateimportant principles related to leadership. The morning workshop “Leadership Begins and Ends …with You”was led by Kenneth M Slaw, PhD. APA President, Peter Szilagyi joined us for the day and updated us on theAPA strategic planning process as well as the resulting initiatives of the organization.The afternoon program consisted of original research presentations. Both Region 2 and 3 members heeded ourcall for abstracts and, following a peer review process, 18 were chosen: 10 for poster presentations and 8 forplatform presentations. This year’s best trainee presentation award winner was J. Nadine Gracia, MD, fromChildren’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA for heroriginal research, “Vacant Properties: A Modifiable Target for Intervention to Reduce Aggravated Assaults inUrban Cities?” Of note, almost all of the presentations were chosen to present their research either as a posteror platform presentation at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Honolulu,Hawaii. Congratulations, everyone!During our regional breakfast in Hawaii, we had a great discussion regarding our upcoming regional meeting.Many people expressed a preference for more interactive workshops. We came up with a list of many possiblefuture topics for upcoming meetings: curricular development, environmental topics including global climatechange, assessing information through the internet, mentoring and more leadership skills including strategicplanning. Please contact either of us (Cindy is cjol@nyu.edu and Suzy is tomops01@nyumc.org) if you haveother ideas or want to get involved.Thanks to Judy Turow’s gracious offer, our upcoming combined Region II and III meeting will be at Jeffersonin Philadelphia. More details, including the date, will be forthcoming! We hope to see you there. Finally, Suzyand Cindy would like to thank Judy Turow and Cindy DeLago, our outgoing regional chairs, for their hours ofhard work and their incredible organizational skills while making it look so easy. We hope to measure up totheir high standards!Region II Co-Chairs:Cindy Osman (dcjo1@nyu.edu)Suzy Tomopoulos (tomops01@nyumc.org)

Region IIIRegion III is that exciting region which comprises Upstate New York, Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia,and Ontario. Despite our relatively small size, we are an active region and have had a busy year.This spring we held our regional meeting with our neighbors to the east, Region 2 at New York UniversityMedical Centre. The theme for this year was “Leadership in Academic Pediatrics” and included a keynotepresentation given by Benard Dreyer, Professor and Chair Department of Pediatrics NYU and Chair of theAPA Research Committee and then an interactive workshop lead by Dr. Ken Slaw of the American Academy ofPediatrics. We would like to ask members:a. Would you like to continue to have joint regional meetings with Region II? andb. Where would you suggest we hold our combined regional meeting?We held our Region III breakfast during the PAS and APA Annual Meetings in Honolulu in May. We heardfrom Peter Szilagyi who spoke about the exciting future of the Academic Pediatric Association and fromConnie Baldwin who spoke about the continuing activities of the Educational Scholars Program. Manymembers of Region III were involved in presenting workshops and abstracts, but the prize may go to MaryellenGusic who presented five different workshops. Academic general pediatrics is changing and evolving and weneed your suggestions, your input and your participation.We would like to increase our membership and would be willing to send information about the AcademicPediatric Association and a membership application to any academic pediatricians in Region III who might beinterested. Please let us know who might be interested.Maryellen Gusic completed her term as Co-Chair for our Region and turned over her role to Carrin Schottler-Thal at our regional breakfast at the PAS meeting in Honolulu. Maryellen, many, many thanks for all youryears and hard work as the Region III co-chair. We will miss you, but know that you will still be very involvedin the Academic Pediatric Association.Region III Co-Chairs:Robert Hilliard (robert.hilliard@sickkids.ca)Carrin Schottler-Thal (schottc@mail.amc.edu)Region IVWelcome back from Hawaii! PAS was again a wonderful meeting, and we were glad to see so many familiarfaces (as well as plenty of new ones) there. We had a fabulous turn-out for the Region IV breakfast on Mondaymorning, with over 30 members attending from 10 different institutions around the region.The breakfast meeting was very productive. We thanked Barry Solomon for his dedication to the region as cochairas he completed his term, and warmly welcomed Ivor Horn, who began her 3 year term. We gave kudosto several of our members who received awards and distinctions at the meeting this year. These included: TinaCheng (Baltimore, MD),who was installed as the new APA President; Lawrence Pakula (Lutherville, MD),who received the Pediatric Community Teaching Award; and Ken Roberts (Greensboro, NC), who receivedthe Miller/Sarkin Mentor Award. Congratulations to all of them! We also had discussions on ways for the APA

to work better for all members, both regionally and nationally; some ideas for new activities at the regionalmeeting were proposed. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please contact one of us – we would love to hearfrom you!Membership in the region continues to grow. To encourage increased participation and membership, pleaseinvite colleagues, faculty members, fellows, and residents to consider applying for membership. If you areinterested in serving as a recruiter for Region IV at your home institution, let us know. Please keep BarrySolomon informed of any changes in your contact information at bsolomon@jhmi.edu or if you’d like him tosend a message out to Region IV members. If you do not have e-mail, please call Barry at (410) 614-8438.Finally, please mark your calendars for next year’s Region IV meeting! It will be held February 21-22, 2009, inCharlottesville, VA. We look forward to seeing everyone then!Region IV Co-Chairs:Gail Cohen (gcohen@wfubmc.edu)Ivor Horn (ihorn@cnmc.org)RegionVHappy Summer Region V members. I would like to take a moment to thank Jenny Christner for her years ofwork on our behalf as she steps down. I would also like to welcome our new Co-Chair, Bill Stratbucker aswell as our Co-Chair Elect, Adam Spanier!It was good to see many of you at our Region meeting in Hawaii. There was a very nice set of presentationsfrom our trainee abstract competition. Thanks to our trainees as well as our abstract reviewers!Looking forward, we are planning to start quarterly Region teleconferences as we start planning Region Vactivities. The first is scheduled for September 15th. The time and agenda will be decided after reviewingresponses from our upcoming e-survey of our region members. This survey is primarily to assess member ideasfor a potential fall 2009 Region V meeting. Please take a moment to complete when you receive it.If you have any comments or suggestions, please contact one of us!Region V Co-Chairs:Shalini Forbis (shalini.forbis@wright.edu)Adam Spanier (adam.spanier@cchmc.org)Bill Stratbucker (william.stratbucker@devoschildrens.org)Region VIWe will have our annual fall meeting which will be hosted by the Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO.The specific information about this meeting can be obtained from Lorraine Brewer (labrewer@cmh.edu)As Beth Simpson completed her term as the regional chair for region 6, Lorraine Brewer has been elected as athird regional chair after Young J. Juhn, at Mayo Clinic as a second chair and Heidi Sallee, as the first chair atSt. Louis University. We thank Beth Simpson for her excellent leadership during her tenure. Also, please joinus to congratulate on Lorraine’s new role as the regional chair.

At our regional level, we are trying to develop serve list for interest groups. Young J. Juhn, at Mayo Clinicproposed an idea developing serve lists for individual interest group. Many members of our region expressedtheir support for the idea and indicated their interests on sharing information among faculty who belongs to aninterest group. Interest groups considered include general pediatrics, hospitalist, behavioral/development,emergency medicine, and child abuse. Once the serve list for each group is developed, members in an interestgroup can post questions and share relevant information. The serve list for an individual interest group shouldwork better than a serve list that include every members.Region VI Chair:Young J. Juhn(Juhn.Young@mayo.edu)Region VII &VIIIAPA Regions VII and VIII joined together at the Southern Regional Meeting in New Orleans, LA on February21 – 23, 2008. The number of abstracts submitted and attendees was the highest we have had in more than 10years! The APA led the platform presentations in Adolescent Medicine/ Pediatrics and MedicalEducation/Medical Ethics. The APA sponsored an excellent workshop on “Making Learning Fun for All:Working with Your Learner’s Differences,” presented by Marney Gundlach and Rosina Connelly.We also had some time for networking and fun. Following the opening poster session, we held our 2 nd annualdinner at the Palace Café and the final morning of the conference we enjoyed combining breakfast with ourbusiness meeting. We were privileged to have Peter Szilagyi, President of the APA, attend this breakfast andspeak to the group about the organization’s strategic plan. We also presented travel awards to nine recipientswho were chosen for excellence in research. Each year, Regions VII and VIII collaborate to present traineetravel awards, consisting of a one-year trainee membership to the APA and money.Honolulu provided a wonder setting for this year’s Pediatric Academic Societies meeting. On Monday, May 5,2008 we held our regional breakfast with thirty members present and a lively discussion. We had reports fromthe AAP committees and we discussed several ways to recruit new members as this continues to be one of ourprioritiesArthur Fierman, the outgoing APA treasurer, attended the meeting and was complementary of theexcitement in the room. The new Region Co-Chair, Marny Dunlap from the University of Oklahoma wasintroduced and Dr. Bryan Burke, the outgoing Co-Chair from the University of Arkansas was thanked for allhis hard work. At the Region Chairs’ Luncheon it was decided that the immediate past Co-Chair would take ona new role as Membership Co-Chair. Congratulations Bryan!Next year’s regional meeting as part of the Southern Regional Meeting in New Orleans, LA will take placeFebruary 12-14, 2009. Workshop submissions should be sent to Charlie Kantrow ckantrow@ochsner.org byAugust 15, 2008. The deadline for abstract submissions is October 16, 2008. We hope more people will joinus! This is a great opportunity for trainees and young faculty. We will also have our annual regional breakfastas part of the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting May 2-5, 2009 in Baltimore, Maryland.Region VII Co-ChairsTeresa Duryea (teresad@bcm.edu)Charles Kantrow (ckantrow@ochsner.org)Marny Dunlap (Marny-Dunlap@ouhsc.edu)

Region IX & XOur Region Breakfast meeting in Hawaii highlighted four poster presentations from outstanding traineesselected from the 2008 Region IX and X meeting in Los Angeles. Awardees included Joyce Javier (Children’sHospital, Los Angeles), Angelika Valdez (University of Utah), Diana Rickard (UCLA) and CaroleStipelman (University of Utah). The agenda also included discussion of turnover in leadership and planningour upcoming Regional Meeting in 2009. Tremendous gratitude was expressed to outgoing chair, CindyFerrell, from Region X. Elizabeth Millerfrom UC Davis was nominated as the new co-chair for Region X.Our Joint Region IX and X Meeting, the Pediatric CARE (Community, Advocacy, Research andEducation) Conference, will be on January 31, 2009 in Monterey, California at the Naval Post GraduateSchool (the Western Society for Pediatric Research (WSPR) region meeting is also nearby on the sameweekend). Residents or fellows who present posters or platform presentations at the Pediatric CAREConference will be eligible for 2-3 travel stipend awards to the national PAS conference in Baltimore to presentat our Regional Breakfast meeting. This year, we will also include a “Works in Progress” poster session forresidents/fellows who would like feedback from faculty on their projects. The abstract deadline this year isOctober 3, 2008.Abstracts should not exceed 250 words and should use a structured abstract format, either the standard PASformat (Background, Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusion) or the modified format suggested in the Call forProposals (timeline, target audience, goals and objectives, activities, outcomes measures and lessons learned inimplementation). Topics can be in the areas of community pediatrics, child advocacy, basic or clinical sciencesresearch, health services research, or medical education. If the first author is a current pediatric resident, pleaseindicate the year of training next to the resident’s name. Residents and fellows are strongly encouraged to workwith their faculty mentors on their abstract submissions. Please indicate if you would like the abstract to beconsidered for an oral presentation, the Works-in-Progress Poster Session or both.Please submit abstracts to Region X co-chair Patricia Barreto at pbarreto@mednet.ucla.edu no later thanOctober 3, 2008. We will notify presenters by November 1, 2008.We welcome any feedback or ideas for APA regional activities, either locally or at the national meeting. Pleasefeel free to contact inRegion IX:Greg Blaschke (gregory.blaschke@med.navy.mil) or Alice Kuo (akuo@mednet.ucla.edu)Region X:Patricia Barreto (pbarreto@mednet.ucla.edu) or Elizabeth Miller (elizabeth.miller@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu)Advocacy Training SIGOur Advocacy Training Special Interest Group meeting had a mix of some speakers, some breakout groups andthe resident poster and presentation from residents.Our Speakers were focused on two arenas:

1. Developing an academic career in child advocacy. Special guest David Keller spoke about importantexamples of physician advocates, and some of the lessons learned from them regarding how to driveyour passion, find the institutional support and how to be academically productive with creativemechanisms, such as blogs.2. Results from CPTI chief resident needs assessment on community health and advocacy training. SpecialGuest: Alana Bailey-WhyBrew, Senior Manager Community Pediatric Training Initiative, gave somegreat insight into how much advocacy training is occurring based on a survey of chief residents recently,which shows more breadth and depth, but still key areas to work together as a SIG!Our breakout session was based on trying to do a “Consultation Clinic” based on the two speakers’ topics andwhat questions were generated and we broke out into two different groups:1. Making an academic career, which included lessons about using time well and to generating academicproducts. The take home messages were to use the media; use available datasets (WIC, Department ofpublic health, social service agencies). There was urging to use partnerships, essential to “buy time”, notjust writing Grants is important; not necessarily NIH and consider publications that aren’t necessarily“medical” (i.e. public health journals). There were also lessons about combining Research andAdvocacy, such as to be selective about the questions you ask, and partner with other researchers atinstitutions to use each other’s strengths.2. Making advocacy curriculum work, which included lessons on how to “sell” the importance of pediatricresident advocacy education to your institution in order to secure the time, space, and money needed. Itwas important to engage and give back to community partners, such as the medical community canprovide technical support to community partners (i.e. when the CBO is applying for funding, etc.), makesure the CBO receives the positive resident feedback during the rotation and know the mission of theCBO and see if there are ways the pediatric community can assist them in reaching their goals. It is alsoimportant to find how mentors within the institution are identified? It is important to consider usingcommunity pediatricians, APA members as mentors and show how faculty members can use advocacyas a means to scholarship. Lastly, it is important to partner with and identify mentors from other collegeswho are part of the larger institution: Law, Public Health, Dentistry, etc.Last but not least, we had our Resident Community Health and Advocacy Poster and Presentations.SIG Co-ChairsAnda Kuo MD (akuo@sfghpeds.ucsf.edu)Megan Sandel (megan.sandel@bmc.org)Allison Brindle (brindla@ccf.org)Child Abuse SIGThe Child Abuse SIG was held on Sunday, May 4, 2008 from 8-11 AM. The agenda for the SIG was asfollows:8:00-8:50 Radiologic dating of intracranial hemorrhage Katie Deye, M.D.8:50-9:30 Cutaneous mimickers of child abuse Dena Nazer, M.D.9:45-11:00 Human trafficking of minors William Shipley, Esq. (US attorney)Clare Connors, Esq. (US attorney)Nicole Littenberg, M.D., MPHThe talks given were excellent, and generated lively discussion. The session on human trafficking of minorsraised our awareness significantly, as this is an area that few of us have much experience with. The session waswell attended, and met our goals for education.

The child abuse SIG was successful this past year in asking for, and receiving, a platform session in child abuse.This session, held May 3, 2008, from 7-9 AM, was extremely successful and well attended. We had activediscussions after each presentation, and the support from the PAS community was great.SIG Chair:Cindy Christian (christian@email.chop.edu)Continuity SIG2008 Continuity SIG agenda/minutesa. Introduction of members, including several new members. About 55 members attended theannual meeting of the Continuity SIG. John Olsson, Chair of the Continuity SIG, urgedcontinuity leaders to become APA members. He also reminded junior members that SIGmembers can be mentors for their careers.b. Marilyn Dumont-Driscoll presented a report from the APA Board. She reminded members thatthe APA Business Meeting is open to all and that new members of the APA’s four committeesare always welcome. Additional updates included the recent Board retreat, the new name(Academic Pediatric Association), the Development Fund, a 2009 Educational Meeting, NewCentury Scholars, and APA elections.c. Susan Feigelman and Becky Collins (not present) talked about the opportunity to post moreinformation on SIG listservs. The group decided to post summaries of queries from the listserv,for example. More work would be done to make the website more useful in the future. Thereare about 250 members using the continuity listserv. continuitysig@listserv.ambpeds.org is theaddress to post Continuity SIG issues.d. Janet Serwint provided an update of CORNET (Continuity Research Network). This included adiscussion of current enrollment of sites, new manuscripts and abstracts in progress, and a reviewof current grants for future projects. Interested members were invited to become a member andcontact information was provided (cornet@ambpeds.org).e. Jan Drutz reviewed the history of having a manual for new continuity directors, now out ofdate, and interest in revising the manual with the help of members in addition to members of theTask Force. The manual will need some new chapters in addition to the old ones.f. Jan Drutz also gave a report of a meeting held earlier in the PAS with continuity preceptors whowere using the EPIC electronic medical record. This group looked at the use of EPIC to gatherdata for RRC visits and for doing research. Members using other electronic medical recordswere encouraged to participate in this effort. Jan asked members to contact him by e-mail if theyhad interest.g. Sharon Riesen presented an RRC update, taking questions and comments from the membership.Recent citations related to continuity are more of the same: bean counting. Susan Feigelmanshared that U. of Maryland is one of three sites for beta testing an ACMGE learning portfolio.More information about this can be found on the ACGME website.h. Susan Guralnick and Diane Kittredge provided an update on the R3P project, which is comingto a close. They shared that the outcome of extensive discussions was that it was difficult topredict the future of pediatrics and therefore there could not be a prescription for pediatriceducation. However, innovative teaching methodologies should be explored and shared. Thereis interest in working with the APPD, and in particular, the interest is largely on the continuitycurriculum. Project ideas may require an ACGME waiver, especially with projects that arecollaborative, multisite projects. There is no set timeline for an RFP.i. Finally, John Olsson introduced the workshop portion of the meeting. He provided anhistorical background of the ACGME’s interest in looking at other outcome measures for whichto determine the adequacy of the continuity experience. Work has moved forward incollaboration with the APPD.

j. Four break-out groups looked at educational goals developed by the CC SIG Task Force in theirOctober meeting and came up with next steps. Each of the four groups presented summaries oftheir discussion. These summaries will be typed and shared with an emphasis to move thisprocess forward over the next few months.SIG ChairJohn Olsson (olssonj@mail.ecu.edu)Faculty Development SIGWe had a very productive SIG meeting in Honolulu. We spent the first hour in small groups, discussing issuesin faculty development. The remainder of the SIG meeting was devoted to a workshop on mentoring led byMimi Bar-on and Maryellen Gusic.The discussion groups were designed to address the needs of anyone interested in faculty development, fromnovice to expert. We began by inviting everyone to select either a novice or expert small group in which todiscuss a number of prepared questions. Each group was facilitated by one of the SIG co-chairs. We spent mostof the hour in active small group discussion and then concluded by sharing our findings in a report out. Ourquestions and a summary of the discussions are below.Novice Group1. What are your motivations for doing faculty development?• academic recognition, promotion, financial• enthusiasm and passion for medical education and faculty development• support or encouragement from department chair or division head• to help promote a curriculum change• mandated by accreditation process• it is helpful to have colleagues who are similarly interested2. How did you assess your faculty’s needs?• needs assessment of faculty themselves, questionnaire to faculty, ask about their self-reflection and selfefficacy• based on residents’ complaints or evaluations from residents3. How do you get buy-in from faculty to come to faculty development activities?• stick approach – particularly if there are less than positive comments from an accreditation process orsite visit• carrot approach – demonstrate the effect on faculty success• start small and build, can be divisional and voluntary, can be mandated but this often is less effective4. What are the resources for faculty development within your institution and outside your institution forfaculty development?• support from Undergraduate Medical Education or Continuing Medical Education offices• support from school of public health

• should we ever ask for financial support from a pharmaceutical company’s fund for continuing medicaleducation• if web-based may not need a lot of financial support5. How do you ask for participation in faculty development without becoming the change agentExpert / Veterans Group1. What are some innovations you have seen?• Peer review of teaching: a “teach buddy” is a concept where peers will give feedback on lecturing skillsof faculty.• Teacher learning contracts: self assessment and individual learning plans for teachers can guide learningfor faculty• Faculty development snippets: short subjects (15 minutes) on faculty development delivered monthly atdepartmental meetings• Your learning style: Look up your own learning style using a simple questionnaire: see:http://www.vark-learn.com/english/index.asp.• Develop learning communities of both junior and senior faculty as clinician-educators for likemindedfaculty.2. How do you get faculty to participate in faculty development?• Get chair to demand that you go.• Close or “shut down” the clinic so all faculty can participate.• Bring faculty development to faculty meetings, e.g. Graduate Medical Education or Continuing MedicalEducation committees, residents’ meetings.• Have an audio PowerPoint presentation on-line, or use web based computer assisted learning.• Reward faculty for professional development through – promotion, awards for participation, peer reviewof teaching.• Ensure performance reviews include participation in faculty development activities.3. How do you evaluate the impact of faculty development? What subset of Kirkpatrick’s triangle do you use?• Measure how many learners are influenced by your teaching, measure learner outcomes.• Submit yearly progress report on your faculty development activities.• Track promotions / rewards / awards.• Consider measuring teacher performance using an Objective Structured Teaching Evaluation (OSTE).This year’s featured SIG meeting workshop, “Navigating a Successful Mentoring Relationship”, was developedby Mimi Bar-on and Maryellen Gusic. They presented a series of interactive exercises which addressedbuilding a successful mentor/mentee relationship. These included small group work on identifying the tasksand expectations of a mentor and mentee. A lively debate between Greg Toussaint and Cindy Osman on therelative merits of choosing a mentor for “chemistry” or “specific skill set” was a highlight of the workshop. Afinal set of exercises challenged participants to solve problems in the mentoring relationship.Summer Reading for Faculty DevelopersThis summer, catch up on some of the hottest topics in faculty development. Try browsing these articles whileyou relax in the sun:

1. Sutkin, G., Wager, E, et al. What Makes a Good Clinical Teacher in Medicine? A Review of theLiterature. Academic Med 2008; 83:452-466.This is a fascinating literature review from 1906 to the present. The authors reviewed almost 5,000 articleswritten over the last 100 years that attempted to answer this question: “What makes a good clinical teacherin Medicine?” After an exhaustive review and qualitative analysis, the authors conclude there are 5 basicthemes that emerge. See for yourself and check out their recommendations for future research in this area.2. Guardino, C Ko, C et al. Impact of Instructional Practices on Student Satisfaction with Attendings’Teaching in the Inpatient Component of Internal Medicine. J Gen Intern Med 2006; 21:7-12.I know what you are thinking…this is inpatient internal medicine. What relevance is it to me? Well, theauthors looked at a nationwide survey of fourth year medical students and asked them about attendingteaching practices, organization of the clerkship and their satisfaction with attending teaching. Theyconducted a logistic regression analysis to try to discern which factors about inpatient attending teachingwere associated with high student satisfaction with teaching. They conclude that engaging students in realdiscussion (vs. formal lecture) giving spontaneous talks, and seeing new patients together were associatedwith high degrees of student satisfaction. See how you stack up.3. Boehler M., Rogers D, et al. An Investigation of Medical Student Reactions to Feedback: ARandomized Controlled Trial. Medical Education 2006; 40:746-749.This study from researchers at Southern Illinois University looked at what aspects of feedback most impactlearning and which impact student satisfaction. They studied two groups of students. Group A was taughtsurgical knot tying with specific feedback on their skills while group B was just given lots of praise as theyattempted to tie their knots. Both groups were tested and scored by blinded observers. The results showedthat student satisfaction was higher in the group that just received praise, while performance scores in knottying were highest in the group that received feedback. They conclude that student satisfaction is not aneffective measure of the quality of feedback, rather, the effective teacher combines both compliments andfeedback to effect learning.4. Muething, SE, Kotagal, U, eta l. Family-Centered Bedside Rounds: A New Approach to Patient Careand Teaching. Pediatrics Vol 119, Number 4, April 2007 ;829-832.This is the how-to article on conducting family centered rounds brought to you by the folks at CincinnatiChildren’s Hospital. While some of us veterans remember fondly the days when all rounds were at thebedside and family centered, many programs we have visited have lost this teaching and learning style. Thisarticle aims to re-invigorate us into trying this style (again) when we are attendings on the wards.Please let us know if you have ideas or questions for discussion at the Faculty Development SIG session inBaltimore next year. We hope to see you there!!Co-chairs:Bob Hilliard (robert.hilliard@sickkids.ca)Joe Lopreiato (jlopreiato@usuhs.mil)Lyuba Konopasek (lyk2003@med.cornell.edu)

Hospital Medicine SIGWe had a great meeting at PAS in Hawaii. About 60 people showed up bright and early for the SIG meeting.We discussed the APA name change and it is more inclusive. Our usual discussion of education issues veeredaway from hospitalists as educators to how to educate hospitalists. Different resources for faculty developmentwere discussed, highlighting the role of the APA particularly for those in academic roles, plus the offerings ofthe Society of Hospital Medicine. This served as an opportunity to recruit applicants to the next cohort of theAPA’s Educational Scholars Program which will have ten spots specifically for hospitalists. The pressing needfor faculty development and mentoring of hospitalists was also a theme at the APA’s Leadership Conference inOrlando last March. The SIG will continue to work within the APA to expand opportunities to hospitalists. Anongoing resource is the Hospitalist track for the PAS meeting that the SIG coordinates each year. Jeff Sperringhas led this effort, with help, and it provides a meaningful listing of topics and presentations at the PAS soattendees can be more focused if they so choose. The meeting finished with a discussion of setting a researchagenda for Hospital Medicine. As many of you know, the SIG participates in the Pediatric Research inInpatient Settings (PRIS) network, along with SHM and the new research subcommittee of the AAP SOHM.The APA board provides support for PRIS in the form of Nui Dhepyasuwan who has been a tremendous help.Topics of research interest include: outcomes measures, systems of care, transitions of care, complex care, andeducation on the inpatient service (deferring Family Centered Care to the new FCR SIG). We are hoping toreinvigorate PRIS to take the lead on this and start tapping the potential of the PRIS network.SIG Co_Chairs:Daniel Rauch, (daniel.rauch@med.nyu.edu)Jeffrey Sperring (jsperrin@iupui.edu)Integrative Medicine SIGThe Integrative Medicine SIG met on Sunday morning, May 4 th , as part of the annual PAS meeting. Takingadvantage of the Hawaiian venue, the SIG co-chairs, O.J. Sahler (University of Rochester) and David MSteinhorn (Northwestern University), developed a program in conjunction local Honolulu-based pediatricianDavid Paperny, MD. Twenty-eight PAS attendees were present and participated in the extended four-hour SIGmeeting that featured presentations by local Hawaiian experts. The presentations included:1) Kumu Hula Kapiolani Hao - Demonstration of traditional hula and explanation of cultural, health andspiritual significance.2) Aunty Betty Jenkins focused on native healing concepts and was entitled “Total Wellness and Healingof Our Children; A Focus on Native Hawaiian Cultural and Traditional Healing Practices”.3) Discussion of traditional Hawaiian herbal healing practices4) Ki Kata master Sensei Kiyohisa Hirano - Ki techniques for soft and hard Ki5) David Paperny, MD,FAAP,FSAM - Pediatric EEG biofeedback & clinical hypnosisEvaluation process:Evaluations were returned by 18 of the attendees and were highly complementary and encouraged similaractivities at future meetings.Sahler and Steinhorn will continue to serve as co-chairs for the next year and are planning for activities for theSIG meeting which will next occur in Baltimore in May 2009.SIG Co-Chairs:Olle Jane Z. Sahler (OJ_Sahler@urmc.rochester.edu)David Steinhorn (d-steinhorn@northwestern.edu)

d-steinhorn@northwestern.eduMedical Informatics SIGOur "MEDICAL INFORMATICS ROUND ROBIN" was a great success again this year. We had 5speakers, with lots of discussion and great questions!Steve Porter from Children's Hospital in Boston discussed patient and family data entry and health literacy inthe emergency department. Bill Adams from Boston University demonstrated his work with interactivetelephone systems in primary care settings. Bob Grundmeier and Alex Fiks from Children's Hospital ofPhiladelphia discussed immunization decision support alerts and quality improvement for immunization rates.Paul Matz from St. Christopher's Hospital for Children talked about development and integration of multipleresident education services using an educational website. Donna D'Alessandro talked about a financial analysiscomparing pediatric morning report and a pediatric digital library.The discussion was rich and informative. Clearly APA informaticians are working in a broad range of areasparticularly in applying the new technologies to education, research, patient care and advocacy.We encourage anyone who is interested in using computers in medicine in any form to join the SIG. You don’thave to be a technical person to be a member; many of us aren’t! If you have ideas, suggestions, comments orquestions, please contact:SIG ChairDonna D’Alessandro ( donna-dalessandro@uiowa.edu)Race in Medicine SIGThe Race in Medicine SIG had another interesting session during the 2008 PAS annual meeting in Hawaii.During this year’s meeting, we explored what does the construct of “race/ethnicity” mean in Hawaii and whatare the unique implications on health status for Native Hawaiians given more than 50% of the population inHawaii are mixed race. Our panelists for the session were J. Keawe'aimoku Kaholokula, PhD from theDepartment of Native Hawaiian Health at John A. Burns School of Medicine at University of Hawaii and SylviaYeun, PhD from the Center on the Family at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Our panelists focused on theconstruct and measurement of race/ethnicity in health research, as well as presented data on children’s healthoutcomes in Hawaii; acculturation and diabetes; and ethnic-admixture and hypertension.SIG Co_Chairs:Iris Renee Mabry-Hernandez (imabry@ahrq.gov)Suzette Oyeku (soyeku@montefiore.org )

Women in Medicine SIGPAS 2008Once again the Women in Medicine Special Interest Grouppresented lively discussions about 2 challenging issues. Thetopics were selected based on issues raised during PAS 2007Women in Medicine SIG, had been submitted as potential PASworkshops but had not been accepted.In a true aloha spirit Berkowitz presented each of the presenterswith a lei. The first part of the program was devoted to a debateentitled: Resolved: Work-Life Balance is a Generational, Not aGender Issue .The debaters included: Gary Freed and SandraHassink arguing in favor of the resolution, that the issue wasgenerational and not gender–based, and Alison Holmes and JoeZenel arguing against, that gender rather than generation was the prevailing concern. Their presentations areavailable on the APA website. Humor prevailed as in previous debates, and neither side could claim victory.The second part of the program included a panel discussionentitled: Succeeding in Academia: The Challenge of Being anIMG: Are there Gender Differences? Discussants includedSurendra Varma, Latha Chandran and Doug Jones. Arecurrent theme among the presenters was the challenge thatIMGs face when they come to the United States. Chandranoted that programs were loath to accept her for a residencyslot and how she finally secured one. Varma commented thatthe advice he received from his father was invaluable. Inparticular, his father told him that if he did well, people wouldcomment that Varma is an excellent physician. If he did not dowell, people would say that Indian physicians could not bedepended upon. Jones highlighted the need to judge people individually and not from preconceived ideas. Itwas apparent that Varma and Chandran had worked especially hard to succeed and to be a credit to theirnative countries. Varma’s Power Point presentation is also posted on the APA website.There were approximately 40 attendees at the session. The audience included both men and women. During theinterval between the debate and the panel discussion, the audience engaged in an appreciative exercise wherethey met their neighbor and then introduced their neighbor to the group.SIG Chair:Carol Berkowitz (carolb@pol.net)

You Can Lose Your Baby Fat: New Rules to Protect Kids from Obesity.Philip R. Nader, MD and Michelle Murphy Zive, MS, RD. Phil Nader Publications, February 2008, 240pages, softcover, $11.04, ISBN 978-0615180984, www.youcanloseyourbabyfat.comYou Can Lose Your Baby Fat: New Rules to Protect Kids from Obesity is a reader-friendly book that providespractical advice on strategies to prevent childhood and adolescent obesity. Authors Philip Nader and MichelleMurphy Zive have extensive experience helping families navigate challenges related to healthy eating andactive living, and convey their message with great clarity and candor. Dr. Nader is a respected pediatrician, anexpert in child development, a researcher in nutrition and physical activity, as well as a grandfather of four. Ms.Zive is a nutritionist and a mother of two teenagers and a preschooler.Unlike most other books for parents on this topic, You Can Lose Your Baby Fat is organized around commonmyths and misconceptions at each developmental stage, from infancy through adolescence. The authors strike agood balance between daily life experiences, clinical practice and current scientific evidence. They begin bydescribing what has changed in our environment in the last 30 years as well as the interaction of theenvironment and genetics in obesity. They relate to parents’ own experiences by succinctly describing whyadult weight loss can be difficult and why prevention of obesity in childhood makes such good sense.Drawing on the important evidence that obesity in pregnant mothers is related to obesity in their progeny, thereare separate chapters devoted to dispelling two common pregnancy myths: needing to eat for two and thepopular advice to avoid exercise during pregnancy. Appropriate importance has been placed on the relative risksand benefits of breastfeeding and formula feeding, with additional tips to increase breastfeeding success andhow to continue breastfeeding after returning to work.The authors quote evidence from current medical research, such as the effect of television advertising onchildren’s food choices, in a manner that will be easily understood by parents. The authors also explain and usethe terms “overweight” and “obese” consistent with current expert recommendations on the use of thisterminology. 1 In addition to providing information on relevant medical research, the authors draw attention tothe big picture of obesity as a public health problem in an attention-getting manner. They quote current data tojustify their point that parents have more to fear from marketing that promotes childhood obesity than fromstrangers kidnapping their children! Suggestions for how readers of this book with diverse professions andbackgrounds can get involved in advocacy efforts to combat obesity in various settings are concisely described.My favorite parts of the book were the “Mythbusters” included in each chapter. One Mythbuster informed methat processed baby foods not only costs an average of $300 a year during the first year of the baby’s life, butalso have added sugar. Even the seasoned pediatrician should be able to pick up a few handy tips and remindersfor use in their professional or personal life from this book (note to self...do away with my “candy stashdrawer”!). I can’t wait to try out the list of easy snack for kids included in Chapter 15 on my kids as well asmyself. In addition, I plan to use the tips on handling holiday treats and meals during anticipatory counseling inmy pediatric practice. Other tools that may be helpful to clinicians are a template for an action plan to helpfamilies set goals toward a healthy lifestyle, and a bulleted list of grocery store shopping tips.Most chapters are prefaced with relevant eye-opening quotes from parents, the general public and clinicians. Asa general pediatrician who provides consultations at an obesity clinic, I was somewhat alarmed by this quote“from a doctor”, “We know that immunizations work, we don’t know if overweight can be prevented”.Recent evidence strongly indicates that breastfeeding reduces the risk of future obesity. 2Current evidence and expert recommendations additionally support behavior modification counseling byclinicians to limit “screen” time, reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and increase physical1, 3-5activity in children as a strategy for obesity prevention.Parents and daycare workers will find the chapter on aspects of daycare facilities that promote healthfulbehaviors quite useful. Since medical training may not formally include instruction on this topic, the chaptershould additionally be helpful to clinicians. The title of a sub-section in this chapter called ‘“Health-proofing”

the Day Care Environment you Choose for Your Child’ was somewhat unclear, since I would personallyinterpret the term “health-proofing” as preventing health. An entire chapter on sexuality and obesity candidlydiscusses the issues of puberty, self-image and peer relationships as they relate to obesity, which may beanother topic inadequately covered during medical school or residency training.After reading the book, I thought that additional clarification would have been helpful on a couple of points. Inthe chapter on breastfeeding, the authors mention, “breastfeed your child exclusively for at least the first sixmonths. Don’t supplement with formula, water, vitamin or glucose water”. It would have been helpful if theauthors had included information on the American Academy of Pediatrics’ policy statement on supplementationwith vitamin D for exclusively breastfed babies over two months of age. 6 The authors include a valuablediscussion on fun games that promote physical activities for children, like tag, hop scotch and swimming. Theauthors mention swimming as a form of “drown-proofing” one’s child. However, the American Academy ofPediatrics’ policy statement on this topic recommends reminding parents that swimming lessons will notprovide "drown proofing" for children of any age. 7At its online listed price of $11.04 from www.amazon.com, You Can Lose Your Baby Fat will be an affordable,concise, easy and useful read, not only for parents, but also for expectant parents, clinicians, public healthprofessionals, legislators, educators, child care workers, and members of the media. The book has rightfullyreceived enthusiastic reviews from well-known experts in obesity and child development like Drs. TomRobinson, Martin Stein and Katherine Kaufer Christoffel. I would not hesitate to recommend this handy littlebook to my patients, family and friends alike.Reviewed by:Ulfat Shaikh, MD, MPHAssistant Professor of PediatricsAttending Physician- Pediatric Weight Management Clinic2516 Stockton Blvd, Room 335, Sacramento, CA 95817University of California Davis School of MedicineTelephone: 916-734-3690Fax: 916-456-2236ushaikh@ucdavis.eduREFERENCES1. Barlow SE, and the Expert Committee. Expert Committee Recommendations Regarding the Prevention,Assessment, and Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity: Summary Report.Pediatrics. 2007;120(Supplement 4):S164-192.2. Weyermann M, Rothenbacher D, Brenner H. Duration of breastfeeding and risk of overweight inchildhood: a prospective birth cohort study from Germany. Int J Obes. 2006;30:1281-1287.3. Robinson TN. Reducing children's television viewing to prevent obesity: a randomized controlled trial.JAMA. 1999;282(1561-1567).4. Ebbeling CB, Feldman HA, Osganian SK, Chomitz VR, Ellenbogen SJ, Ludwig DS. Effects ofdecreasing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption on body weight in adolescents: a randomized,controlled pilot study. Pediatrics. 2006;117(3):673-680.5. Floriani V, Kennedy C. Promotion of physical activity in primary care for obesity treatment/preventionin children. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2007;19(1):99-103.6. American Academy of Pediatrics. Section on Breastfeeding and Committee on Nutrition. Prevention ofRickets and Vitamin D Deficiency: New Guidelines for Vitamin D Intake. Pediatrics. 2003;111(4):908-910.7. American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention. Prevention ofDrowning in Infants, Children, and Adolescents. Pediatrics. 2003;112(2):437-439.

CORNET (Continuity Research Network)Janet R. Serwint and Nui DhepyasuwanCORNET has had another productive year. Currently 89 pediatric training programs have enrolled, whichincludes 42% of all pediatric training programs nationally. The 110 continuity practice sites include more that4,500 pediatric residents who provide care for more than 600,000 patients. The majority of patients areunderrepresented minorities and of low socioeconomic status. The number of enrolled training programs perAPA region ranges from 3-12 programs. CORNET has representation in 39 states.The CORNET research goals include healthcare issues of underserved patients, examination of healthcaredisparities, and resident education. Research priority areas include: oral health, obesity prevention andtreatment, physical activity, quality improvement, mental health and resident education in continuityexperiences/ competencies. Our fifth manuscript was published this year, “Measuring primary care of childrenin pediatric resident continuity practices: a CORNET study”, Scott D Krugman, Andrew Racine, SharonDabrow, Sandra Sanguino, W Meyer, M Seid, Janet Serwint for the CORNET Investigators, Pediatrics2007; 120:e262-271. CORNET is committed to mentorship and scholarship and with the 5 publications thus farthere have been 24 unique co-authors acknowledged and 48 participating co-investigators. CORNET membershave made 7 presentations at the PAS meeting, one of which was presented at the APA Presidential plenarysession.This current year two manuscripts have been written. The first was submitted to the Journal of MedicalEducation entitled, “Does quality of primary care vary by level of training in pediatric resident continuitypractices? S Krugman, LC Garfunkel JM Olsson, CL Ferrell JR Serwint for the CORNET Investigators.Another manuscript is about ready to be submitted entitled, “Spanish speaking patients and families receivehigh quality care in resident continuity practices.” Nui Dhepyasuwan is taking the lead in completing a thirdmanuscript examining IRB variability for a minimal risk study.CORNET was well represented at the 2008 PAS meeting. Bill Stratbucker again took the lead in a CORNETworkshop for the second year entitled, “What’s going on in Continuity clinic? Clinical and EducationalResearch with CORNET”. CORNET co-facilitators included Nui Dhepyasuwan, Sue Feigelman, PaulDarden, John Olsson and Lynn Garfunkel. There were also discussions about CORNET at the APPDmeeting, in addition to the APA Research Meeting and the Continuity SIG.The 5 th annual CORNET meeting took place immediately after the PAS meeting in Honolulu, HI. We werefortunate to have Eric Slora from the American Academy of Pediatrics Research Division speak with us aboutfuture collaborations with the PROS network. The remainder of the meeting was devoted to review of our rulesof governance which will be presented to the APA Executive committee for approval and also discussion ofprojects. Research studies that were discussed and approved by the CORNET Executive Committee included: arandomized controlled trial for application of fluoride varnish, PI: Kiet Ly, a randomized controlled trial todecrease aggression in early childhood, PI: Seth Scholer, and a pilot study to examine communicationconcerning asthma care, PI: Michael Cabana.CORNET has several ongoing studies at this time. The Bright Futures Study is a randomized controlled trialevaluating a Bright Futures curriculum. We are in the 3 rd of 4 years of funding by the Maternal and ChildHealth Bureau and the study is progressing well under the organizational expertise of Nui Dhepyasuwan. HankBernstein serves as the PI and Janet Serwint as co-PI. We successfully navigated 27 of 30 pediatric trainingprograms through their respective IRBs, completed faculty development and resident enrollment, and patientenrollment is ongoing. We are in the active phase of the study with obtaining resident educational and patientcare outcomes.

The SPACER study, Survey of Pediatric Asthma Care Education in Residency, funded by institutional funds bythe principal investigator, Sande Okelo, is underway. Ten participating programs have obtained IRB approvaland the categorical pediatric residents are in the process of completing the surveys. Survey results will becompared to those of AAP member practicing pediatricians and also comparisons of responses by level oftraining. Survey completion phase will be completed by July 18, 2008.The pilot study of Application of Fluoride Varnish is near completion. This pilot study has been funded by theNIDCR with Peter Milgrom, DDS as the PI. CORNET Executive Committee members John Olsson and NuiDhepyasuwan have been involved. This pilot phase examined the feasibility of fluoride application in primarycare sites, and obtained caries rates from interested clinical sites. Preparations are underway to submit a grantto the NIDCR this fall for the randomized controlled trial that will evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness offluoride varnish applications at well child care visits. Kiet Ly will serve as the PI and the CORNET sites andsite investigators who are participating include Lynn Garfunkel at University of Rochester, MargieScotellaro/Carrie Drazba at Rush Children’s Hospital, Jan Drutz at Baylor College of Medicine, PaulDarden at Medical University of South Carolina, Bill Stratbucker at DeVos Children’s Hospital, HoseaDoucet at Tulane and Romi Webster at Boston Children’s Hospital.CORNET is also collaborating with the PROS network on the Secondary Sexual Characteristics in Boys study,with Marcia Giddens as PI. The PROS network has been particularly interested in this collaboration because ofthe desire to include a high proportion of underrepresented minority patients. Thus far 22 CORNET institutionshave enrolled.The APA is in the 4 th year of a five year agreement with the American Academy of Pediatrics to providefinancial support related to the CORNET Executive Meeting that follows the PAS meeting. Janet Serwint isthe principal investigator. She also serves on the PROS Steering Committee of the APA.The APA has provided funding for our Network Coordinator/Research Associate, Nui Dhepyasuwan, and alsofor a 0.5 FTE of an Administrative Assistant, Delaney Klein. The CORNET members remain very grateful tothe APA for their financial and intellectual support.Plans for the future year include further examination of the demographics of CORNET members and sites,further development of the CORNET website, and strategic planning to secure infrastructure funding.Report on Workshops and Special Interest GroupsSteven M. SelbstAPA Chair, Workshops and SIGsThe PAS meeting in Honolulu was fantastic! In a beautiful setting, 34 of our Special Interest Groups convenedfor fascinating discussions. Their dynamic sessions brought together some of the world’s experts on a variety ofacademic issues and offered unique opportunities for discussion and networking. The SIG on Family CenteredCare met for the first time and clinicians from across the country discussed effective ways to involve familymembers in all aspects of care. Two Special Interest Groups (Environmental Health and International Health)held a joint session. The Continuity Clinic SIG, one of our oldest and largest groups, remains active anddynamic. Their session was full of experienced faculty and new enthusiastic teachers.In addition, numerous APA members presented a variety of exciting workshops with topics of interest forresearchers, teachers, clinicians, trainees and mentors. This year, there were several workshops that focused onpatient safety, preventing and managing medical errors. Of the 85 workshops presented at PAS, 70% were newsessions not previously offered.

I was most impressed that despite competition from beautiful Hawaiian weather and scenic beaches, thesessions were still very well attended. This is a tribute to the APA members who put together dynamic,interactive meetings that were not to be missed!I offer my sincere thanks to the dedicated, talented APA members who invested enormous energy and time toorganize these excellent gatherings. The SIGs and Workshops remain highly valued by APA members and areseen by many as the highlights of the PAS meeting. We look forward to seeing our members in 2009 inBaltimore! In the meantime, SIG leaders are invited to use the APA website to post announcements andcommunications of interest to current and potential members.Accreditation of Academic General Pediatrics Fellowship ProgramsNew AAGP Fellowship Program please visit our website athttp://www.ambpeds.org/site/education/education_AGPFP.htmJulius B. Richmond Grant and TrainingJulius B. Richmond AAP/FAMRI Visiting Lectureship GrantsThe American Academy of Pediatrics Julius B. Richmond Center announces Visiting Lectureship grants of upto $2,500. Grants support two-day educational programs to promote control of secondhand smoke exposure andintegrate tobacco control activities into pediatric education at U.S. academic institutions and in AAP StateChapters. The AAP Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence and the Visiting Lectureship Program aresupported by the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute (FAMRI). The Richmond Center’s mission is toimprove child health by eliminating children's exposure to SHS and tobacco through changing the clinicalpractice of pediatrics. Our goal is to building broad-based awareness, commitment, and skills within thepediatric community to reduce children's SHS exposure. Four-page proposals are due September 5, 2008. Formore information, please visit www.aap.org/richmondcenter/fundingopportunities.Smokefree Homes Chapter Champion’s TrainingThe American Academy of Pediatrics Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence announces the latest SmokeFree Homes Conference. The Smoke Free Homes Project trains pediatricians and other child health cliniciansas “Smoke Free Champions” using best practices in tobacco use control and secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS)exposure reduction. Clinicians participating in this series become members of a growing “Smoke FreeChampions” network of tobacco control experts. Chapter champions will be recruited through AAP Chaptersand from other organizations. The goals of the Champions are to: 1) raise awareness of the harms of tobaccouse and SHS exposure; 2) develop strategies to reduce tobacco use and SHS exposure in their practices andcommunities; 3) change clinical practice to improve counseling of families to reduce and eliminate tobacco andSHS exposure; and 4) promote public health policies that support these goals. A full day program will takeplace February 26-27th, just preceding the 2009 AAP Future of Pediatrics Conference in Anaheim, CA.Application materials will be available in September, 2008. For more information about Smokefree Homestraining, please visit www.aap.org/RichmondCenter/ .

ANNOUNCING: New round of applications to the Educational Scholars ProgramWhat is the Educational Scholars Program (ESP)? The Educational Scholars Program (ESP) is a facultydevelopment program for academic pediatricians who wish to build their skills in educational scholarship. Theprogram aims to teach Scholars how to develop, implement, evaluate and disseminate educational interventionsor evaluation methods by a creative, planned and rigorous process. The interventions must be consistent withbest practices in the field and reviewed by peers for excellence.What do Scholars do in the Educational ScholarsProgram? Scholars complete an application, including aproject proposal, and undergo a rigorous selection process. Toreceive a Certificate of Excellence in EducationalScholarship, they must commit 10% FTE to the program over3 years. They attend three full-day mini-courses given at thePAS meeting, and participate in other program activitiesbetween PAS meetings. All scholars develop an educatorportfolio and receive expert feedback on it.The centerpiece of the ESP curriculum is a mentored project.Each Scholar must plan and conduct a scholarly project ineducation, and by the end of the program, provide evidence ofa successfully peer reviewed presentation or publicationrelated to the project.2008 Application ScheduleJuly 1 Online application opensOct 1 Application submission dateDec 1 Scholar list announcedFeesApplication fee $50Enrollment fee $5000The enrollment fee is a one timeexpenditure for three years ofintensive educational activities. Itis due at time of enrollment.Who should apply? The ESP is currently recruiting its thirdcohort of 20 scholars, who will include about 10 pediatrichospitalists and 10 faculty from other pediatric disciplines. Applicants or their mentors must be a member ofone of the Pediatric Academic Societies (APS, SPR, APA or AAP). The selection of participants will be basedon a review of the application materials (see reverse) and a determination of the applicant’s ability tosuccessfully complete all of the components of the program.All applicants should have a significant responsibility for education, e.g.:• Teaching medical or PA students, pediatric or family practice residents, or fellows• Evaluation design or implementation• Curriculum development• Faculty developmentWhat do Scholars get out of the program?• A systematic learning experience to enhance your skills as an educational scholar• Advice on implementation of a substantial educational project• Expert assistance with career planning and development of an educator portfolio• Networking with a national group of like-minded academic peers• A peer-reviewed publication or presentation to add to your curriculum vitae• A certificate of excellence, with a letter to your supervisorYou will leave the program with valuable new knowledge and skills, a stronger CV, and a well developedEducator Portfolio to help with your career and professional development.

Why should Pediatric Hospitalists apply?Successful educators not only teach, but develop, implement and evaluate curricula and innovative learningactivities. They also engage in educational scholarship. Pediatric hospitalists have many opportunities todevelop and share educational scholarship including:• Developing a curriculum to teach residents how to teach and lead a team.• Evaluating the effectiveness of teaching that occurs during family-centered rounds.• Determining how to best teach residents to sign-out patients on the ward• Developing and implementing a ‘night-float’ curriculumThe ESP is an ideal way to gain additional training to succeed as an educator and join a community ofother dedicated educators, without doing a separate fellowship or degree program.What are the requirements for a Certificate of Excellence in Educational Scholarship?1. Secure the support of your Department: Scholars are expected to commit 10% FTE to the program inorder to complete the full curriculum, including a project, over 3 years. A fee of $5000 will be charged to allscholars for their three years in the program, due at time of enrollment. A letter of commitment from one’ssupervisor and one’s mentor is part of the application.2. Attend three ESP teaching sessions (9 hr/yr for 3 yrs). The didactic component of the program includes acore curriculum taught in 3 full-day sessions, offered yearly for 3 yr on the final day of the PAS meeting.These sessions include both presentations of concepts and practical, hands-on activities with manyopportunities for networking among scholars. All scholars meet yearly with a small group of other scholarsfor project discussions and feedback.3. Review 6 workshops at PAS (or an equivalent professional meeting) over 3 yrs. Scholars mustparticipate in and thoughtfully evaluate 6 workshops at the PAS, APPD, COMSEP or similar meetings.4. Participate in discussions on the ESP Virtual Learning Platform. Between PAS meetings, Scholarsparticipate in online group discussions within project groups.5. Develop and maintain a current CV and Educator Portfolio. Each year, Scholars submit an updated CV,develop an educator portfolio, and receive career development feedback on these documents .6. Conduct a mentored educational project. The self-directed, experiential component of the program willbe a mentored, scholarly project related to education, in most cases conducted at the Scholar’s homeinstitution. Scholars are responsible for finding their own mentors. In addition, ESP faculty advisors areassigned to each scholar. Applications to the ESP must include a project proposal, and during the programScholars write annual progress reports. To complete the program, scholars must produce a peer-reviewedpresentation or paper related to their project.Program leadershipThis ESP is sponsored by the Academic Pediatric Association, and has a faculty of 25 educators. The ESPDirector is Constance D. Baldwin, Ph.D.. of the University of Rochester Medical Center. Co-directors areLatha Chandran, M.D. of SUNY/Stonybrook and Maryellen Gusic, M.D. of Penn State/Hershey.

How to apply?The application includes an information sheet, an agreement to participate, statements from supervisor andmentor, letters of reference, a biographical sketch and personal statement, and a project description. Theapplicant must submit this information electronically, as described on the application webpage. After July 1,2008, you can find details at:http://www.ambpeds.org/CertificationProgram/workshops/main_application_menu.cfmQuestions about the application process: Connie Mackay at the APA National Office, email:Connie@academicpeds.org, phone: 703-556-9222.Questions about the ESP: Email to ESP Director at constance_baldwin@urmc.rochester.edu.YIG AWARDNew YIG Award please visit our website at%204_25_08.pdfhttp://www.ambpeds.org/site/research/YIA_flyer-