Please know that we value your feedback and will continue to plan events based on the needs of our members.

As mentioned last month, the chapter also just launched our new AAP-CA podcast - California Pediatrics! The first episode is available to view now, and we have a new episode delivering soon with our next guest, Dr. Ilan Shapiro. Look for it on your preferred podcast platform and let us know what you think!

Dr. David Schonfeld recently completed a lecture on "Talking to and Supporting Children in the Aftermath of the Wildfires". The lecture is now available for all to view and can be accessed below. It's a great resource for those looking to learn more about pediatric support following the recent wildfires.

The chapter also just completed its first ever mental health conference. In partnership with CHLA, the event focused on pediatric mental health and featured lectures on anxiety, depression, lifestyle medicine, and more. I want to thank all those who attended and the other guest speakers who dedicated their time to the inaugural event. 

As the mental health conference concludes, we have another amazing event on the horizon. On May 30th, the 36th Annual Advances in Pediatrics Symposium will be taking place. Speakers are already being announced, with Dr. Edward Curry and Dr. Alaina Vidmar speaking at this year’s conference. This year’s conference will also be moving venues, taking place this year at the fabulous Garland Hotel. Registration will be opening soon, so make sure to check out the AAP-CA2 website for the latest updates. Also, keep an eye out for more information around the Train-the-Trainer session taking place at the same venue and time as the Symposium. This event will introduce you to the Pediatric Approach to Trauma, Treatment, and Resilience (PATTeR) Clinic Staff Training. This interactive training will cover core TIC principles, facilitation strategies, and practical tools to train staff effectively. The program emphasizes building trauma-informed clinical teams, supporting team well-being, and fostering relational health.



I would like to welcome our new chapter members and encourage them to get involved by joining a chapter committee or reaching out to Tomas or myself to find where your passion - your voice - might best fit in Chapter 2. Information about our committees and other resources are available on our website, https://aapca2.org. 

And please click here to access the Member Input form to convey any questions, concerns or ideas you want discussed at our upcoming board meeting.

Your support and engagement makes the work of this chapter possible.

Melissa Ruiz, MD, MPH, FAAP

Have you seen the first episode of California Pediatrics, now streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, and iHeart Radio. A podcast by pediatricians from the four California chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics presenting current affairs, highlights on career paths, and tips for parents. This project is funded by the AAP Healthy People 2030 grant. Produced by Chapter 2 executive director Tomas Torices. Search for California Pediatrics on your favorite podcast platform, visit our platform on Libsyn or watch it on Youtube by clicking the image below.

Stay tuned for episode 2 with special guest Dr. Ilan Shapiro.

Dr. David J. Schonfeld, MD, FAAP, from The National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, recently led a webinar for parents dealing with the aftermath of the California wildfires. The lecture "Talking to and Supporting Children in the Aftermath of the Wildfires" is now available to watch below. Follow the link below and enter the passcode after entering in your information.

Access Webinar Recording

Password: a6kztAh%

Are you in need of local air quality resources for wildfire relief? Checkout the below links for information for those affected.

Pasadena Public Health Department

Safety Precautions and Ash Exposure Prevention

LACDPH

Fire Safety and Health Information

Resources For Those Impacted By Wildfires

Resources continue to be available to all those impacted by the California wildfires. These resources, provided by AAP National, are available to those who need assistance. Additionally, statewide recovery resources can be accessed here.

AAP Parenting Resources – Information To Share With Families

• AAP.org: Wildfires Patient Care page
• HealthyChildren.org: Climate Change & Wildfires: Why Kids Are Most at Risk
• HealthyChildren.org: Wildfires: What Parents Need to Know
• AAP, EPA, PEHSU: Wildfire Smoke Fact Sheet: Protecting Children from Smoke & Ash
• Western States (Region 9) PEHSU resources; additionally, Region 9 PEHSU does provide consultations and referrals to support health professionals with medical management guidance on environmental health topics
• EPA: Wildfire Guide Factsheets
• How to Build a Disaster Emergency Kit for Your Family
• AAP Tips on Talking to a Child after a Disaster (AAP YouTube)
• How to Support Your Child’s Resilience in a Time of Crisis
• Helping Children Cope and Adjust After a Disaster
• Disasters and Children: hub of resources for physicians and families and communities, in both preparedness and recovery

Physician Wellness Resources

• Heroes Health is a free mobile app from the UNC School of Medicine that helps healthcare professionals and first responders monitor their mental health and access mental health resources.
• CrewCare is a resilience-focused app for first responders and healthcare professionals.
• Therapy Aid Coalition provides pro-bono therapy for frontline healthcare professionals, including individual and group support.
• The Emotional PPE Project connects healthcare professionals with licensed mental health professionals who can help. This service is free and does not require insurance. 
• A Personal Crisis Management Plan for Physicians
• Physician Support Line
• Mental Health Screening Tools

CalHHS Emergency Resources Guide

Helpful information regarding prescriptions, mental health support and more.

A MAJOR DEVELOPMENT FOR CHILDREN FIGHTING CANCER

 Among the most devastating consequences of childhood cancer is the loss of future fertility. If they survive, the high levels of chemotherapy needed to save young lives often make it impossible for survivors to have children of their own. Most infants and young children who develop cancer before puberty have no eggs or sperm cells to collect. Recent breakthroughs have changed the landscape. Read more.

Name: Carey Chronis, M.D. 

Practice location: Ventura County

Number of years in practice: 28 years

Born and raised in Los Angeles, I attended UC Berkeley as an undergraduate, medical school in Ohio and Loma Linda for pediatric training. As a pediatrician, Ventura is my home. Aside from a busy private practice, my publishing career began with a line of medical review books, a series I sold to Thieme Medical Publishers. Continue reading.

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.

Please complete THIS FORM to be considered for a future Member Spotlight in the AAP-CA2 Newsletter!

Filling Your Cup

By Niru Madduri, MD, FAAP

Chair, Newsletter Editorial Board

Our lives are inundated every day with alerts about political events, where to get the most for our money, and people who have passed away. Our friends and neighbors have been impacted and possibly displaced after catastrophic wildfires in our city.  We meet with children and their parents whose daily battles range from a runny nose to a new diagnosis of a chronic health condition. Continue reading.

March 11 | The Saban Research Institute

We want to thank all those who attended our March 11th first of its kind mental health conference: From Screening To Treatment: A Case-Based Exploration Of Pediatric Anxiety And Depression. 

This event was hosted at The Saban Research Institute and co-hosted by CHLA. It featured five incredible speakers discussing everything from pediatric anxiety and depression, to case-based review. Additionally, mental health organizations from across the chapter's seven counties were in attendance to network with attendees. Thank you to all who made this event such a success. We hope to see all of our attendees again at the upcoming Advances In Pediatrics Symposium!

Developing Pediatric Literacy Champions in the Inland Empire

By Delesa Barnes

Reach Out and Read Inland Empire Program Coordinator

Just as every pass and play counts in March Madness, every book we distribute makes an impact! Our success is made possible by the dedicated pediatric providers who serve as

literacy champions in their clinics. Just as a great coach trains their team for victory, we equip our providers with evidence-based strategies to promote literacy during well-child visits. Read More.

March Update

In this month's update, information on measles resources, ordering DPH materials, and details on adolescent immunization action week. Additionally, there are resources for immunization and vaccination. View the full update here.

Call for Resolutions

2025 AAP Resolution Submission Process – Due April 1

Resolution submissions are being accepted for the 2025 Leadership Conference. All resolutions must be submitted through the online submission form. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at 11:59 pm CT. For complete resolution information—including submission guidelines, writing tips, and your district’s Chapter Forum Management Committee (CFMC) representative—please visit the Leadership Conference website.

Additionally, head over to the Advocacy page on the AAP-CA2 website to access slides and a recording from the recent AAP Resolutions Writing Workshop. These are great resources to help you get started writing your resolution today!

AAP-CA2 Legislative Contacts Form

As part of our AAP-CA2 Advocacy Committee, we're calling for members interested in advocacy to consider serving as legislative key contacts for the chapter with their local elected officials!

As the state level legislative season progresses, there will be opportunities to contact state senators and assembly members when bills come up for consideration in committees or on the floor. We need to develop a core group of members who are ready to call or email their legislators when opportunities arise, and accompany pediatric residents on their annual local legislative visits. 

If you would be interested becoming a key contact, please fill out the form below with the requested information! Thanks again for your support of the chapter's advocacy efforts. 

Legislative Contacts Form

The latest in pediatric medicine.

High yield. High entertainment.

AAP-CA2 members may now Subscribe to PedsRAP with a 15% Discount.

Be sure to use the link by clicking the button below in order to have the discount applied at checkout:

We'll Come To Your School or Hospital

Dear Medical Schools and Pediatric Residency Programs in AAP California Chapter 2, 

Are you interested in learning more about local advocacy efforts? Do you want to hear more about getting involved in AAP California Chapter 2? If yes, then please consider inviting our chapter leadership to your local pediatric interest group meeting, pediatric residency noon conference, or any other gathering. Our chapter leadership wants to connect with the trainees in the area so reach out to chapter2@aapca2.org to schedule an event at your medical school / residency program! 

Do you have any concerns, questions or ideas that we can discuss and address during upcoming board meetings? This form is anonymous and confidential, with the option of entering your personal information and/or receive a call from a board member, staff, or any other chapter representative.

If you have any concerns, questions, or ideas that you would like to share, please complete This Form.

Cal-MAP’s team of mental health specialists supports primary care providers (PCPs) treating youth with mental health needs through education, consultation, and resource navigation. This includes advice on screening, diagnosis, and treatment from a child psychiatrist and guidance on resources and referrals from a social worker.

Register for the Cal-MAP consultation program here: https://cal-map.org

Cal-MAP Resources:

PCP Resources

Family Resources

800-253-2103

Email: info@cal-map.org

NAMI Westside Los Angeles is an affiliate of National Alliance of Mental Illness, a grassroots mental health advocacy organization dedicated to supporting individuals with mental health conditions, as well as their families and loved ones. To find out about NAMI's support groups and courses, which are free of charge to participants, please go https://www.nami.org/findsupport/ to identify the NAMI affiliate that is most local to you. NAMI Westside Los Angeles has also been developing a Children's Mental Health Toolbox, which includes materials that can be used in the home, the classroom, the counseling office, and other settings for youth recreation and education. This resource can be found here- https://namiwla.org/childrens-mental-health-toolbox/.

To learn more about the Children's Mental Health Toolbox, or how it might be used for your specific context, please feel free to reach out to ohakak@namila.org.

Also, please checkout this "Life Rocks" book created by NAMI which is about coping strategies and a great resource for patients of all ages. Click here to check it out. And, make sure to download this free activity packet for children affected by the recent California wildfires.

Offer Teen Patients a Smartphone App to Help Them with Intense Emotions & Thoughts of Suicide - New Study Information

The HEART+ study will explore the feasibility and acceptability of a brief digital intervention, called iCHART, for patients 12-17 years who screen positive for suicide risk. This study will involve 4 practices that do not have integrated mental health services. What we learn from HEART+ will inform a larger study in the future!

The Goal of iCHART is to:

1. Identify patients at risk of suicide so they develop a digitized, personalized safety plan
2. Give patients a smartphone app, called BRITE. BRITE contains their safety plan with features to help teens build and use coping skills when they have intense emotions and thoughts of suicide.

Clinician Benefits:

• Learn how to assess and counsel teens using the technical aspects of iCHART.
• Create greater safety planning efficiencies to minimize workflow disruptions.
• Track and submit weekly study-developed forms to improve suicide prevention care.
• Receive a $1,500 practice honorarium ($500 after the Training phase and $1,000 at the end of the study).

To join the study or ask questions, please contact Ali Torres, atorres@aap.org or call (630)-626-6188. Download an official flyer here.

Upcoming Events

Save The Dates!

Saving a Life: Youth Suicide Prevention Virtual Summit

Saturday, March 29, 2025, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

AAP-CA1 would like to invite you to join our upcoming virtual summit, Saving a Life: Youth Suicide Prevention Summit, on Saturday, March 29, from 8 a.m. to noon PST!

This summit will focus on actionable strategies to prevent youth suicide, enhance mental health resources, and connect attendees with leading experts in the field. Our goal is to empower professionals to recognize warning signs in youth of self-harm and suicidal ideation, especially among high-risk groups, and enable providers to take action. Discover available resources to support youth at risk and make a meaningful impact.

Download Event Flyer

Quantum Leap | African American Leadership Development Program Application - Cohort 4

Application Deadline: March 29, 2025 @ 5 PM EST 

Each year 45,000 African Americans die from tobacco induced diseases.  This high burden of suffering and death is due to the unrelenting and racist targeting of our community by the Tobacco Industry Cartel.  Ending this epidemic will take all of us engaging in advocacy and leadership on multiple fronts and arenas.

The African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council is seeking to support the development of 8-12 national leaders to work within their spheres of influence to engage, mobilize, and integrate our national tobacco control agenda. Join the Quantum Leap 4th Cohort of the African American Leadership Development Program (LDP) to fight back and Save Black Lives.

Implementing Quality Improvement Procedures to Improve Vaping Screening:

A Training for Health Care Providers

Wednesday, April 30, 2025 @ 6 PM

Hosted by the Anti-Vaping Champions at UCLA and the AAP-CA2, this vaping focused webinar will give attendees a look at the current landscape of youth vaping and associated health risks, along with a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement framework, tools to build effective screening workflows in clinical settings, and more. You won't want to miss this event! Download the event flyer below or click on the button to register today!

Download Event Flyer

36th Annual AAP-CA2 Advances In Pediatrics Symposium

Save The Date

Topics and speakers for this year's Advances In Pediatrics Symposium are already being announced! Don't miss Dr. Edward Curry speaking on "How to Diagnose and Treat ADHD in a Busy Practice." And checkout Dr. Alaina Vidmar talking on "Comprehensive Pediatric Obesity Care." Other topics for the Symposium include: Antimicrobial Stewardship in Pediatric Care, Immigrant Health, Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, and more!

Building Trauma-Informed Clinical Teams

A Train-the-Trainer Session At The AAP-CA2 Symposium 

Save The Date!



Friday, May 30, 2025

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM, PST

Come learn about the Pediatric Approach to Trauma, Treatment, and Resilience (PATTeR) Clinic Staff Training and how you can bring this training back to your clinical community. 

This Train-the-Trainer session will introduce you to the Pediatric Approach to Trauma, Treatment, and Resilience (PATTeR) Clinic Staff Training. This interactive training will cover core TIC principles, facilitation strategies, and practical tools to train staff effectively. The program emphasizes building trauma-informed clinical teams, supporting team well-being, and fostering relational health. Participants will gain the confidence to lead the PATTeR training, adapt content to their setting, and champion TIC practices within their organizations. Best of all, this event will be taking place at the same venue and on the same day as the 36th Annual Advances In Pediatrics Symposium!

For more information, visit the AAP website: https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/national-center-for-relational-health-and-trauma-informed-care/

REGISTRATION OPENING SOON!

EVENT SPEAKERS

• Help Me Grow LA website: www.HelpMeGrowLA.org 
• Help Me Grow LA Call Center phone number: (833) 903-3972 

You can help improve the system by partnering with Help Me Grow LA to make sure all young children in your care are supported and provided resources to benefit their development. 

Contact Help Me Grow LA leadership via email: HelpMeGrowLA@ph.lacounty.gov. We look forward to working with you!

Please visit our website: aapca2.org

Past issues of Peds@CA2 eNews: https://aapca2.org/publications/

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