D. Rajasekhar, MD, FAAP
AAP-CA2 President
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Dear fellow pediatricians and chapter members,
I would like to welcome our new chapter members and encourage them to make use of the resources available on our website, aapca2.org
Our recent 32nd annual pediatric symposium, broadcast via Zoom, was well attended. Overall, evaluations by attendees indicate that the topics were relevant to their practice and met their expectations. We wish to see more of you attend the next symposium in 2022.
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The graphs depict participation by County and by specialty. 76% of attendees represented Los Angeles County, 10.7% Riverside, and lesser/equal number of attendees from other areas. All seven counties in our chapter were represented!
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85% of attendees were general pediatricians, 7% residents and medical students, and a few hospitalists, emergency medicine, and medical subspecialists.
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For those who did attend, CME certificates are already available to print. The MOC process was emailed separately today. If you were seeking MOC Part 2, please be sure to review the conference pearls and complete the reflective statements exercise.
There are steps taken at this time to form an “advocacy committee” in our chapter to plan and improve our advocacy efforts. If you wish to take an active part in that committee, please click here to sign up, or contact Tomas at chapter2@aapca2.org.
As an AAP member, you have the opportunity to advocate for and influence national AAP policy and priorities through the resolution process. The resolution deadline for the Leadership Conference (ALF) is April 1st, 2021.
Our “American Academy of Pediatrics District IX Chapter 2” is listed as one of the not-for-profit organizations eligible to receive charitable donations under the smile.amazon.com website. Please read the information provided in this newsletter to learn more about how to sign up and choose to support our chapter. You may also encourage your family members and friends to do the same. When purchases are made through smile.amazon.com, a small donation goes to the chapter account from Amazon.
Lindsay Wells, MD, FAAP, a pediatrician from UCLA and chair of our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, is featured in this month's Member Spotlight (Thanks to our Editorial Board for the great work). Furthermore, the finalists of the 2021 Research Awards will be featured in the next few issues. This month we have Sonul Gupta, a third year medical student at UC Riverside who won First Place and was selected as the oral presenter at our symposium. I hope to see more of you participate and make this part of the newsletter interesting, by submitting your personal narratives to be published. Please read the submission guidelines below and contact chapter2@aapca2.org for more information.
We are starting a monthly Town Hall/Lecture series. Members will be able to join a virtual mixer via Zoom, followed by a lecture by a guest speaker. The first one will be on April 20th, hosted by our Area Representative in San Bernardino/High Desert, Dr. Akhil Sharma, with guest speaker Dr. Suresh Maggee who will speak about craniosynostosis. Please register below.
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We are still collecting responses on the chapter-wide COVID-19 survey. Please participate so that we can gauge how things have evolved since May of last year.
I also encourage you to look into all upcoming lectures mentioned on this newsletter, and watch the topics that may interest you.
Best wishes,
D. Rajasekhar, MD, FAAP
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COVID-19 Dashboards by County
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Member Spotlight Articles
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The Member Spotlight is written to highlight our chapter membership. Chapter members can submit personal narratives about themselves with a focus on how they maintain their physician wellness in the face of everyday struggles and challenges. Authors may also choose to highlight a practice, volunteer activities, QI projects, etc. The purpose of the spotlight series is to encourage and foster unity and support within the chapter.
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The AAP-CA2 Newsletter Committee is asking you:
As we reflect on the year since CA Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles County declared a State of Emergency with the coronavirus pandemic, we ask you: what is something new that you have discovered about yourself or tried for the first time?
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The AAP California Chapter 2 sent out a call for abstracts on scholarly projects by pediatric residents and medicine-pediatric residents from CHLA, Harbor-UCLA, Kaiser LA, Loma Linda, UCLA and USC; and medical students from the Southern California counties of Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The accepted abstracts were showcased at the 2021 Virtual Advances in Pediatrics Virtual Symposium.
We are thrilled to share with you one author and their abstract each month.
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Abstract Awardee - Oral Presentation
Sonul Gupta is a third-year MD candidate at the University of California Riverside School of Medicine, currently investigating what breastfeeding mothers desire as incentives for breast milk donation in the Inland Empire.
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ACEs Lectures in January and February
CME available for these lectures when accessed on This Website
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Session 1 - January 7
Christine Thang, MD, FAAP
ACEs Science: The Physiology of Toxic Stress
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Session 2 - February 11
Adam Schickedanz, MD
Childhood Adversity & Health Systems Change
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February 27 - Symposium via Zoom
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We would like to thank all who attended, and our fantastic speakers for making the virtual symposium on February 27 a success. The speakers presented excellent lectures that were recorded for future access.
If you missed the conference, you may still register to access all content at a reduced price (No CME, no MOC)
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Self Care- Wellbeing of Healthcare Professionals
Nirmala Murthy, MD, FAAP
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"Breath patterns are connected to emotions and
State of our mind. Breathing techniques have helped to reduce the symptoms of
burn out in Health Care Professional"
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Developing a SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine at Warp Speed - Paul A. Offit, MD
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"mRNA vaccines trick the body into making the viral protein itself which, in turn, triggers an immune response. mRNA enters your cytoplasm. It can’t not enter the nucleus of the cells, where DNA is, and therefore can’t alter or change your DNA"
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COVID in Schools
David Rubin, MD, MSCE, FAAP
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"Avoid the pitfalls of confirmation bias when reviewing data on schools and transmission. Decisions to resume in-school instruction need consider community transmission, emerging safety data from around the country, the strength of safety protocols, and a transparent dialogue within each school community."
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Common General Surgical Considerations
Edward Tagge, MD, FAAP
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"Bilious vomiting in infant indicates GI obstruction and one must first consider malrotation.
Pediatric hernias are almost always ‘bulges without pain’, very rarely ‘pain without bulge’, and are best diagnosed by physical exam and not Ultrasound."
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Common Causes of Arthralgias
Wendy De La Pena, MD
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"Stiffness and pain upon awakening that improves with activity is most consistent with Juvenile Idiopathic arthritis. Pain waking a child from sleep or pain after activity that responds to massage or warm packs is most likely benign joint hypermobility syndrome or growing pains."
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Addressing Bias and Microaggressions in the Clinical Environment
Christopher J. Russell, MD, MS
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"Microaggressions are brief, commonplace statements or actions that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative views against a member of a marginalized group. Microaggressions and other forms of racism/bias are rooted in power differential and direct/indirect assertions of power."
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Understanding the Motives of Donors for a Student-Run Breast Milk Bank
Sonul Gupta
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"Breast milk is the best form of nutrition in the first 6 months of life, especially for those who are born premature or are of VLBW (BW <1500g).
As providers & future providers, it is important to be a resource for breastfeeding mothers"
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Teen Suicidality
Jonathan Warus, MD, FAAP
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"Suicide has been the second leading cause of death in the United States among adolescents and young adults 15-24 years of age since 2011, but in 2019, rates of death by suicide were very similar to death rates from motor vehicle injuries.
From 2009-2019, the United States has seen an increase in the prevalence of suicide attempts in adolescents and young adults overall as well as among female, non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and 12th-grade students. In 2019, the death rate for motor vehicle injuries was 13.7 per 100,000 and for suicide was 13.9, compared to 11.2 for homicide."
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March 9 - The Impact of School Closures on Children with Disabilities
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Cindy Shin, Founder/CEO of KACIE Strategies, interviews panelists Alexis Casillas (Legal Director, Learning Rights Law Center), David German (Attorney at Law, Vanaman German LLP), and AAP-CA2 executive board member Tanya Altmann, MD, FAAP.
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Marsha Spitzer, MD, FAAP
CFMC Representative
District IX
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The 2021 Leadership Conference, a combination of the Annual Leadership Forum and Summer District Meetings is scheduled for August 5-8. The resolution deadline for the Leadership Conference is April 1st, 2021. As your Chapter Forum Management Committee (CFMC) representative, I am responsible for facilitating in the resolution process.
As an AAP member, you have the opportunity to advocate for and influence national AAP policy and priorities through the resolution process.
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Step 1 – the idea
The process for submitting a resolution starts with an idea. As your District’s CFMC representative, I can work with... Continue reading >>
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Learn how to perform "Hands Only CPR"
Nearly 3 out of 4 sudden cardiac arrests happen at home. Hands-only CPR can TRIPLE your loved ones’ chances of survival. Safely save a loved one. Don’t wait...act! Take 3 mins, learn 3 steps. Brought to you by Los Angeles County Health Services.
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Amazon Smile - Support the Chapter
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Did you know that you can select a charity of choice and make all of your Amazon purchases count toward charitable contributions?
Next time you are on Amazon.com, go to smile.amazon.com and select "American Academy of Pediatrics District IX Chapter 2" as your charity of choice. There after, always be sure to begin at smile.amazon.com when you make purchases, or they will not count. Amazon will donate half a percent of all purchases. This is a way of supporting the chapter so that we may have a greater impact through our programs. We thank you for your support!
Use this link to select us as your charitable organization at AmazonSmile.
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As a follow-up to the Chapter-wide survey conducted in May of 2020, we are now trying to gain insight into the current situation in pediatric practices in our region as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how some things may have changed - or not. The results will help us focus on what is most important as we advocate on your behalf.
You do not have to answer all questions, just those that are most important to you.
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March 18 | ACEs Aware LA Lecture Series
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Please register to attend session 3 in this series.
First 5 LA and the American Academy of Pediatrics California Chapter 2 are conducting provider engagement/Peer-to-peer learning sessions to promote the ACEs Aware initiative among the Medi-Cal provider community in Los Angeles County. CME available.
March 18 - After ACEs Screening: Early Intervention and overcoming referral barriers - Carlo DeAntonio, MD, FAAP
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April 20, 2021 | Town Hall/Lecture | 6 - 7 PM
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Akhil Sharma, MD, FAAP
AAP-CA2 Area Representative
San Bernardino - High Desert
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Diagnosis and Treatment of Craniosynostosis
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Please join AAP-CA2 San Bernardino/High Desert Area Representative Akhil Sharma, MD, FAAP for a chapter-wide town hall via Zoom.
Join us at 6:00 PM for a Member Mixer!
Guest speaker: Suresh Magge, MD
Topic: Diagnosis and Treatment of Craniosynostosis
Date: April 20, 2021
Time: 6:00 PM Mixer | 6:20 PM Lecture
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Suresh Maggee, MD
Pediatric Neurosurgeon
CHOC Children's, Orange County
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Other Events - CHOC Children's Lecture Series
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CHOC Children’s Virtual Pediatric Lecture Series provides online CME lectures at no cost.
March 30 at 12:30 PM
Mandibular Distraction for Neonatal Airway Obstruction
April 14 at 12:30 PM
A Whirlwind Tour of the Current State of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer
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Welcome New Chapter Members
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Welcome the following NEW members who joined the Chapter in February.
Thank you for your support!
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- Justin Abbasi – Los Angeles
- Alice Abrahamian, MD - Glendale
- Lindsay Andras, MD – Los Angeles
- Christina Casas, MD – Santa Clarita
- Fu-Sheng Chou, MD, PhD – Rancho Cucamonga
- Tracy Dao – Garden Grove
- Patricia De La Riva, MD - Chatsworth
- Morcel Hamidy - Riverside
- Susan Igdaloff, MD - Newhall
- Steven Lee, MD – Pacific Palisades
- Sarah Mahmood, MD – Long Beach
- Tyler Moreno - Corona
- Grace Nam, MD – Los Angeles
- Mykie Pidor, MD – Sierra Madre
- Andy Reynaga - Claremont
- Anna Robertson, DO - Chico
- Andrew Truong - Tustin
- Roopa Viraraghavan, MD - Anaheim
- Christina Zhang, MD – Monterey Park
- David Ziring, MD – Los Angeles
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Enterprise Membership - Did you know?
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Signing up your entire practice (clinical and non-clinical staff) qualifies for a 20% discount on Chapter membership dues. Contact us for details.
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Los Angeles County Immigrant Youth Resource Toolkit
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The Immigrant Youth Task Force (IYTF) at UCLA and the American Academy of Pediatrics California Chapter 2 (AAP-CA2) invite you to visit The Los Angeles County Immigrant Youth Resource Toolkit, a website consolidating community resources in the greater LA area for immigrant youth and families. Our goal is to help professionals from all disciplines address the needs of their immigrant youth patients/clients with regards to health care, legal services, education, social services, and more. As our toolkit continues to evolve, we encourage you to explore and use it in your practice going forward.
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To All Pediatricians in San Bernardino County
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ARE YOU UTILIZING ACES AWARE TOOLS TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF YOUR PATIENTS?
Receive $29 per visit reimbursement for each Medi-Cal office visit
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To All Pediatricians in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura County
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The Landon Pediatric Foundation received a grant from ACEs Aware to provide supplemental training to providers in Ventura County (and neighboring counties)... Read more >>>
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Learn about the 3-Tiered Medi-Cal Provider Training Reward System, here
Learn about the implementation steps, here
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Recruiting for Providers in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties
Are you a pediatrician in Riverside or San Bernardino County? Through a generous grant from First 5 Riverside and First 5 San Bernardino, the AAP Chapter 2 can provide free books and support to start a Reach Out and Read program at your clinic.
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Reach Out and Read works directly with pediatric providers to share the lifelong benefits that result from families reading aloud to their children every day. Pediatric teams can provide new, age- and language-appropriate books and share literacy advice with children and parents at each well-child visit. Contact our Reach Out and Read Coordinator at info@reachoutandreadie.org Call 909-709-1441, or visit our website https://reachoutandreadie.org
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Latest Podcast Episode
"The Secret To Reading With Young Children"
We know reading aloud with children matters. But whether you’re experienced at it or if you’re not sure how to read well with young children, we can all learn from Dr. Andrea Zevenbergen. She joins us to break down the concept of Dialogic Reading, and offers advice on how to model, coach, and help offer effective guidance.
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Chapter Committees and Sections
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Chapter committees are great opportunities to get involved in areas that interest you the most. Furthermore, if you are a Fellow member (FAAP), local involvement could position you for leadership opportunities at National AAP. To learn more about our various Committees and Sections, and to sign up, please visit aapca2.org/committees.
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New: ADVOCACY
Be the voice in your County. Share local issues that need to be addressed with grassroots efforts.
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New: CLIMATE CHANGE
Join discussions on what pediatricians can do to address climate change in our region.
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New: MEDIA and COMMUNICATIONS
Do you have an interest in media and communications? Would you like to learn how to structure sound bytes when speaking with the media? Or perhaps how to be a more effective Tweetrician? .
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Article submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The newsletter is published the second Sunday of each month.
You may direct questions and article submissions to the "American Academy of Pediatrics - CA Chapter 2" <chapter2@aapca2.org>.
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The AAP-CA2 Newsletter Editorial Review Board
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Established in July 2020 to highlight educational content and resources of value to chapter members, and to showcase our chapter membership.
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Thank you to the 1,113 who follow us on Twitter!
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