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Chapter Newsletter – Winter 2006
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In This Issue...
1. CATCH Grants Awarded to
Chapter Members
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Congratulations to the three Chapter East members who
received CATCH grants to implement their projects at their local bases.
LT Kelli McDermott, staff pediatrician at the National
Naval Medical
Center, has started the
Military Partners in Parenting Education Project, which aims to involve parents in their local child
development centers.
LT Rebecca Eick, a 3rd year resident at Portsmouth
Naval Medical
Center, is coordinating a
recruitment effort for volunteer physicians for the Chesapeake Free
Care Clinic.
And across the Atlantic, MAJ Bruce Hess, a staff pediatrician
at Landstuhl
Regional Medical
Center, saw his rapidly
rising population of overweight adolescents shuttling between his
office, the nutritionist and the endocrinologist. He received $8750 in CATCH funding to
bring these specialists together for the Military PHIT Program.
CPT Jennifer Mbuthia, also of Landstuhl,
will take the lead in implementing this program over the next 2 years.
The Chapter
encourages all members to apply for CATCH grants. If you have a great idea to improve
the well-being of our military children, the funding from a CATCH grant
can help make it happen. Grants
for visiting professorships for pediatric dental health or community
pediatrics are also available.
The Chapter can help you navigate the application process (1 page!)
and serve as the fiduciary agent.
Check out the AAP CATCH
grant website or email the Chapter at USChapterEast@yahoo.com
for details.
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2. USPS 2006 Moved to Portsmouth
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Due to hurricane damage in Biloxi,
MS, the site of USPS 2006 has been
moved to Portsmouth, Virginia. The Portsmouth
Naval Medical
Center will host the event
at the Renaissance Portsmouth
Hotel from 13-16
MAR 2006. Please check
the Chapter website for up
to date information. The Chapter extends its sympathies to all those
displaced by Hurricane Katrina, especially its members stationed at Keesler.
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3. Chapter East & AAP Conferences
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Chapter President MAJ Tom Newton and Vice-President LT Erin Balog represented the chapter at the AAP Annual
Leadership Forum in Chicago
last August. In addition to
voting on the AAP’s
Top 10 resolutions, the Chapter was nominated for the Best
Medium Chapter Award and outlined its strategic plan
for increasing communication, solidifying our membership and
identifying advocacy issues of importance to our members.
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4.
Get Full Text Journal Access with Chapter Membership
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Our more senior chapter members might recall the
days when finding an obscure article meant trudging down the stacks in
the library of a major academic center. With the internet and PubMed, abstracts became available to you whether
you’re in Guam or Georgia. But getting the full text article
still meant a trip to the library.
No more. Chapter East
members can get access to the on-line full text articles in more
journals than Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins offer. Email USChapterEast@yahoo.com for
the application and details. If
you’re not a Chapter East member yet, sign up ($35 – the cheapest in
the country) and get on-line now!
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5.
Resident Dues Sponsorship Extended to 3 Years
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Who among us actually kept up with PREP during
intern year? In past years,
military interns east of the Mississippi
received PREP and had their national AAP and Chapter dues subsidized by
the Chapter, but were left to their own devices and funds to continue
receiving it during 2nd and 3rd year.
This year, all military residents east of the Mississippi
receive PREP and have their AAP dues paid for by the Chapter. “Hopefully, residents will solidify
their education through the continuous subscription to the well-rounded
PREP curriculum, see the benefits of AAP membership and continue their
Chapter membership after graduation,” says Chapter President MAJ Tom
Newton.
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6. USUHS Pediatric Society Continues to Thrive
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The Chapter continues
its support of the Student
Pediatric Society at USUHS and was just awarded a $300 grant
for its medical student outreach efforts The Society has been busy this year
with academic and professional seminars for aspiring
pediatricians. One of the most
provocative recent seminars was given by CAPT Barbara Craig, MC, USN from the Armed
Forces Center for Child Protection (AFCCP). Dr. Craig spoke to the students about
the role of the AFCCP in protecting children under the care of the DoD healthcare system. In her seminar, she discussed the
typical injury patterns that should raise the suspicion of child abuse
and show how the healthcare provider can play a key role in the
multi-disciplinary team of child psychologist, investigator, expert
witness, and medical provider. Events
like Dr. Craig’s visit and others, made possible by the Chapter’s
support, play an important role in developing and inspiring the next
generation of uniformed pediatricians.
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7.
Chapter Constitution Amended
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Did you know that
Chapter East’s Constitution and Bylaws are 13 years old? The Constitution
was amended at USPS 2005 to be more inclusive of our membership and to
more effectively represent military pediatrics. Four amendments were approved. Two concern the Member-At-Large
position, consolidating the responsibilities of 2 positions into one
and simultaneously extending eligibility for the Member-At-Large
position to our reservist and retiree members. Two other amendments provide more
continuity in our leadership, with the vice-president’s term extended
to 2 years, and automatic succession into the presidency.
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8. What’s Pediatrics Like in Gitmo?
Or Aviano? Or the 121st? The Billet Directory Knows
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Do you have a PCS in your near future or want to get the skinny on
your next duty station? The Chapter East
Billet Directory consists of member-reported information on over
70 billets in all 3 services.
Information available concerns life in the clinic, on the floors
and on and off base. Phone
numbers (including DSN) are there too.
If your base isn’t included, you can add an entry to the
directory.
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9. Free CD for Uniformed Pediatricians
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The AAP, with the support of the September 11th
Children’s Fund, developed the “Feelings Need Checkups Too” program for
pediatricians who see children affected by traumatic events, such as natural
disasters, family deployment and divorce. Email USChapterEast@yahoo.com
if you’re interested. For USPS
attendees, the Chapter will have a table at USPS where the CDs will be
available.
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10. Nominations for the Board
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The Board will have 2 openings this year –
Secretary/Treasurer and Member-At-Large. Email USChapterEast@yahoo.com
if you’re interested.
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Uniformed Services Chapter
East
American Academy of Pediatrics
Copyright, 2006
To
unsubscribe to Chapter East Express, email us at USChapterEast@yahoo.com with
"unsubscribe to Chapter East Express" in the subject line.
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