Global Pediatric Advocacy
Residents and faculty are encouraged to participate in advocacy activities locally, nationally and internationally. These activities include discussions with state legislatures, attendance at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Legislative Conference, participating in the AAP Advocacy elective in Washington, D.C. and leadership on the Executive Committee of the AAP’s Section on Global Health.
Faculty Advocacy Work
Dr. Chuck Oberg, Professor Emeritus, does advocacy work on behalf of refugee children all over the world with International Society for Social Pediatric and Child Health, ISSOP is an organization of “professionals acting locally and globally to improve the health and well-being of children and young people with a focus on social pediatrics and child health.” Dr. Chuck Oberg wrote the Budapest Declaration: On the Rights, Health and Well-being of Children and Youth on the Move along with Dr. Jeffrey Goldhagen on behalf of ISSOP.
Dr. Oberg also wrote Children on the Move The Health of Refugee, Immigrant and Displaced Children.
Dr. Oberg worked hard to make Minneapolis the first city in the United States with the UNICEF Child Friendly City.
Dr. Chuck Oberg is a mentor to Hayley Sharma, a senior medical student at the University of Minnesota. In April 2019, she presented a poster on “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Refugee Minors: A Literature Review” at UMN’s Global Health Day Conference and the Pediatric Research, Education and Scholarship Symposium (PRESS). She received a 3rd Place Award for Best Undergraduate/Graduate/Medical Student Poster at the PRESS event. Ms. Sharma presented her research in an oral presentation at the 2019 annual ISSOP meeting in Beirut, Lebanon. Drs. Cindy Howard and Chuck Oberg provided guidance in mentorship for this project.
July 2019 Newsletter.
Resident Elective Opportunities
The AAP offers an elective in Washington D.C. Three of our residents have taken advantage of this elective opportunity and they highly recommend it.
The AAP encourages advocacy work. For more information, visit their Advocacy & Policy page.
Scholarships
Dr. Alice Lehman received the AAP Legislative Conference Scholarship, April 2019 when she was a 3rd year resident.
Awards
Dr. Cindy Howard was awarded the Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Award in February 2020.
This award is awarded annually to the individual who demonstrates exemplary leadership and efforts to support and create a diverse and inclusive workplace, along with an educational environment where our learners can understand the needs of diverse individuals, patients, families and populations, including work in health care disparities or with underserved populations. Recipients may demonstrate this commitment across a wide range of activities including: efforts to support recruitment and retention of diverse faculty and/or trainees; teaching and/or research that expand our understanding of equity and inclusiveness; creation/promotion of multicultural programing; community outreach initiatives; or other activities in the area of equity, diversity and inclusion. This award is one of many Faculty Recognition Awards presented at the annual Julie Ross Faculty Recognition Event.