FEBRUARY • 2019
The New Winds of February 2019
By Isra Uz-Zaman, MS

With the new winds of February
Are sworn in officers of the extraordinary 
Interim Executive Director, State Government Affairs Representative, Surgeon General
Along with upcoming events and opportunities, of which there are several!
Welcome to Interim Executive Director

Maria Sperber, our past Executive Director, was approached by and has started a new position with the California Hospital Association. Isra Uz-Zaman took over as the Interim Executive Director on January 7. Isra is well-seasoned in regional AAP issues, as she was previously Associate Director of AAP California District IX, working with Kris Calvin. She is already providing our chapter with needed administrative leadership and support.

Isra has a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis and a master’s degree in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University. She brings with her event management, non-profit, advocacy and health care experience. While working with AAP California, she focused on advocacy/legislative issues at the state level, coordinated a resident advocacy training program, worked on grants and much more. When not working, Isra takes her two year-old niece to parks, gymnastics, and all-out adventures!  
Meet our New State Government Affairs Representative

Zarah Iqbal, MD is a 2nd year resident at UCSF in the PLUS (Pediatric Leaders Advancing Health Equity) program. She completed medical school at Stanford in 2017 and a Master’s in Public Health focused on health policy in 2016 from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she was part of the Zuckerman fellowship. During her MPH, she worked with Massachusetts state representative Christine Barber to provide policy recommendations for how to eliminate barriers for foster children in accessing behavioral health services. Her coursework focused around health and social policy for children in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

Her involvement in the AAP began as a medical student, when she served as District IX medical student representative to the Section on Pediatric Trainees. She has served on the AAP delegation to the American Medical Association since 2017, where she has advocated for policies for commercially sexually exploited children, detained immigrant children, Medicaid funding, and social determinants of health. She has also advocated for child health issues at the California Medical Association (CMA), where she has served on the CMA Council on Legislation, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees. Outside of clinical and advocacy work, she enjoys cooking and hiking.
 
The AAP California Legislative Priorities for 2019 include Childhood poverty | Childhood toxic stress and its causes, including violence, neglect and abuse, bullying, human trafficking, discrimination, criminal justice policies and anti-immigration policies | Childhood obesity/food insecurity | Youth marijuana use
California's First Surgeon General:
Nadine Burke Harris, MD, MPH, FAAP

Congratulations to Nadine Burke Harris, MD, MPH, FAAP on her appointment as California's first Surgeon General, by our new Governor Gavin Newsom. Dr. Harris is a longtime member of our chapter and National AAP. She received her bachelor’s degree in integrative biology from the University of California, Berkeley, her medical degree from the University of California, Davis, her master’s in public health from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and completed her residency at Stanford in pediatrics. Dr. Harris is a champion in addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and the Founder and former chief executive officer of the Center for Youth Wellness . She will be sworn into office on February 11, 2019.
Mental Health Day Preview: May 4 th - Save the Date!
By Mika Hiramatsu, MD, FAAP
Co-chair, CME Committee

Does seeing that afternoon appointment for the teenager with chief complaint “anxiety” give you anxiety? Are you frustrated with the inability to get an appropriate appointment for that depressed patient or not sure where to refer? Would you like a refresher on resources for your patients while they’re waiting to see a therapist? Do you wish you knew more about the difference between Zoloft and Prozac and when and how to start meds for mental health?

Answers to these questions and more at our upcoming Mental Health Day, Saturday, May 4 at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose. Speakers include Dr. David Ansel, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Dr. Madeleine Lansky, Psychiatrist, and Nell Branco, School Counselor and Social Worker. As in previous years, lectures will be followed by a panel and small group break-out sessions. By popular demand, this spring’s meeting will be hosted by our South Bay chapter members and include an optional afternoon session with our chapter Mental Health Task Force.

Registration coming soon. Save the date! More info at www.aapca1.org .
Representation at Ending Child Poverty Lobby Day
By Eileen Rendahl, MFA
AAPCA Legislative Coordinator

On January 22nd, more than 90 individuals representing 16 organizations, including AAPCA Legislative Coordinator Eileen Rendahl, MFA and AAPCA1 Interim Executive Director Isra Uz-Zaman, gathered at the State Capitol for an advocacy day to end deep child poverty. The event was organized by GRACE (Gather, Respect, Advocate, Change, Engage), a nonprofit founded by the Daughters of Charity. Following a morning press conference in which AAPCA’s representation was highlighted, Eileen and Isra visited Assemblywoman Eloise Gomez-Reyes, Assemblywoman Autumn Burke, and Senator Bill Monning in their offices. 

Assemblywomen Gomez-Reyes and Burke spoke about their plans to address child poverty in California through providing coordinated wraparound services, subsidized child care, early childhood education, housing for transitioning foster youth, and establishing Promise Neighborhoods. Senator Monning explained that his district has one of the highest percentages of college-educated citizens, yet 26% of his constituents live in poverty. One of the most moving moments came when a member of Parent Voices, with the delegation from the Mission Promise Neighborhood, spoke to Assemblywoman Burke about what she, as a single mother and disabled veteran, must do to get through each day. She stated, “Being poor is a full-time job.” Tears in her eyes, Burke came out from behind her desk to hug the woman. 

At each of the visits, Isra and Eileen highlighted the necessity for legislation to address childhood poverty, as health care encompasses socioeconomic factors, and thanked the legislators for their efforts. Ending childhood poverty remains a high priority for AAPCA and AAPCA1 in 2019. 
Chapter President's Report
By John I. Takayama, MD, MPH, FAAP

Annual Leadership Forum
ALF has changed! ALF is the Annual Leadership Forum where chapter leaders (president, vice president, executive director) and national section, committee and council chairs meet in Itasca, Illinois (AAP headquarters), to learn about new developments at the Academy, to network and collaborate, and to vote on resolutions. This year, the discussion of resolutions begins early and online. All AAP members can comment on any of the resolutions online between February 1st and 28th . The Reference Committee Hearings, which used to take place at the actual meeting, will take place before ALF. Selected representatives from chapters, sections, committees and councils will be able to make comments in real time on February 19, 21 and 26.

What are resolutions? This is the opportunity for individual AAP members to raise local issues of concern to the national level for organizational advocacy. Every year in the fall, individual members write resolutions which are reviewed by chapters, districts, sections, committees and councils and submitted. They are then prioritized during the voting process at ALF and the top 10 resolutions receive special attention by the national office. Last year, the top 10 addressed gun violence, suicide prevention, marijuana regulation and autism therapy.

What can you do? Review this year’s resolutions; if there is any that pique your interest or stir your passion, please look for information which will be sent to you from the National AAP office on how to participate in online discussions. Alternatively, please send email to our chapter office and we can forward it to chapter representatives who will be participating in the Virtual Reference Committee Hearings and/or at the Annual Leadership Forum on March 14-17, 2019.

Vacancies on the National AAP Committee
The National Committee Nominations are here! If you are interested in serving on any of the following committees, please let us know by Friday, February 15th . This is a competitive process in which applications will be reviewed and decisions made at the national level. To find out more information about the committees with vacancies, go to this link .

Committees with vacancies : Adolescence, Child Health Financing, Coding and Nomenclature, Drugs, Fetus and Newborn, Medical Liability and Risk Management, Native American Child Health, Pediatric AIDS, Pediatric Research, Practice and Ambulatory Medicine

Open Positions on the AAP National Conference & Exhibition Planning Group
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ National Conference & Exhibition Planning Group is seeking four new members to replace planning group members whose term will end at the 2019 National Conference. The list below outlines the open topic areas. Planning group members usually each represent 2-3 topic areas. Please let us know by Wednesday, February 20th if you are interested in planning the 2020 National Conference in San Diego. The National Conference & Exhibition Planning Group time commitment and responsibilities can be found here .

Open Topics for Nominations : Allergy & Immunology, Community Pediatrics, Dermatology, Epidemiology, Genetics & Epigenetics, Information Technology, International Child Health, Pediatric Workforce, Pulmonology, Radiology & Imaging, Research

Editorial Board Positions Available for AAP Publishing

Upcoming Events For Your Benefit

ECHO Autism Program, UC Davis MIND Institute
Starting on February 14th, Every second Thursday of the month during the lunch hour via Zoom. For more information click here
Contact: hs-echoautism@ucdavis.edu or 916-734-4152

Caring for Children and Youth with Epilepsy: What Primary Care Providers Need to Know
Webinars will be held from 11am-12pm CT starting February 21, 2019 and will provide CME credit at no cost. To register click here . For questions, contact Alexis Katzenbach: akatzenbach@aap.org
 
18 th Annual Developmental Disabilities: An Update for Health Professionals
March 14-15, 2019 in San Francisco, California
Information and registration here
May 4, 2019:   AAPCA1 Spring CME, O'Connor Hospital, San Jose
December 7, 2019:   Pediatric Puzzles Interactive CME Conference, SF
April 7-9, 2019:  National AAP Legislative Conference, Washington D.C.

May 20, 2019: AAP California Legislative Leadership Day, Sacramento

October 25-29, 2019:  AAP National Conference & Exhibition, New Orleans

November 21-24, 2019: AAP California 41 st Annual Las Vegas Seminars

Our mission is to promote the optimal health and development of children and
adolescents of Northern California in partnership with their families and communities, and to support the pediatricians who care for them.


President: John Takayama • Vice President: Raelene Walker
• Secretary: Janice Kim • Treasurer : Nivedita More Past President: Zoey Goore
Interim Executive Director: Isra Uz-Zaman