Health Equity

For over a decade, the Department of Pediatrics has worked to ensure that health equity and inclusion are at the center of our work in clinical care, research, and education. Departmental leadership, including Marina Catallozzi, MD, MSCE, Executive Vice Chair and Vice Chair for Education, Linda Aponte-Patel, MD, Vice Chair for Health Equity, Alliance and Leadership, and Hetty Cunningham, MD, Associate Vice Chair, Education & Learning Environment, have together embarked on several initiatives to broaden the department’s health equity work and training, including:  

• Continued departmental listening tours to understand divisional needs in the realms of health equity, inclusion, the learning environment, and well-being  
• Professional development trainings, in partnership with departmental and divisional leaders, focusing on topics such as mitigating bias in hiring 
• Maintaining PedsBeSafe, a learning environment online feedback portal and response system for learners, staff, and faculty in Pediatrics, developed in partnership with residency and Pediatric Development and Inclusion Council (PDIC) leadership  
• A departmental inclusive language guide to enhance health equity through the use of patient- and person-centered language, developed in collaboration with pediatrics faculty  
• Health equity faculty meeting bimonthly talks (topics have included clinical tools for dermatologic conditions and varied presentation, upstander skills, and inclusive teaching strategies)  
• Facilitate discussions with divisional and departmental leadership search committees across CUIMC to assist in addressing and mitigating bias in hiring 
• Integration of partnership and humility slide for departmental speakers to use to encourage feedback and improvement 
• Membership in the CUIMC Community of Practice meeting with other CUIMC staff working towards health equity and inclusion 
• Participation in house staff recruitment, including PDIC Fellow Section Open House for Prospective Applicants, NYP Open House, and Pediatrics Residency Open House  

In 2024:  

• The Office of Health Equity, Alliance and Leadership (HEAL) was established under the leadership of  Linda Aponte-Patel, MD.  
• We hosted our 2nd Pediatric Health Equity Clerkship for Visiting Students program.   
• We welcomed 28 new interns:  
• 25 Categorical Residents 
• 2 Pediatric Neurology Residents 
• 1 Physician Scientist Development Training Program  
• 5 MD/PhDs  
• 21 Unique medical schools represented  

Pediatric Development and Inclusion Council   

The Pediatric Development and Inclusion Council (PDIC), founded in 2013 to provide a supportive environment for residents as they navigate their training, while serving as a resource for career guidance with an emphasis on professional and personal growth. The PDIC has undergone tremendous growth since its beginnings, broadening the department’s focus to initiatives such as providing structured health equity and inclusion programming as core elements of our residency experience.  

The PDIC is open to all health care team members in the department. Activities include annual welcoming social events for members, bimonthly meetings with residents and fellow members, quarterly meetings with faculty members.  

In 2024:  

• The CUIMC NHLBI Health Equity StARR program, supported by an R38 grant, was launched to fund VP&S residents committed to advancing health equity through research in health services, learning health systems, translational science, basic science, and clinical studies. The inaugural awardees are PDIC residents Marcus Mosley, MD, MS, and Olivia Maguire, MD, PhD (Physician-Scientist Program).  
• Dr. Marcus Mosley received the MHEI Excellence in Health Equity – Rising Leader Award at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition, September 2024  
• Dr. Patrisha Woolard, Pediatric Residency Program Director; Sumeet Banker, MD, MPH, Associate Director of Pediatric Residency Program and Community Pediatrics; Shoshana Friedman, MD, Director of Resident Academic Mentoring Program; Amanda Esteves, MD, MS, PDIC Faculty Co-Leader; Patrice Pryce, MD, PDIC Faculty Co-Leader, were awarded the Department of Pediatrics' 2024 Children's Health Innovation Nucleation Fund Award for Education/Advocacy, and received a $15,000 grant for her proposal “Mapping Pediatrics Health Equity EPAs to Milestone Competency.”  
• PDIC Members participated in the Juneteenth March 5K Run/Walk/Roll. Proceeds went to the Harlem Center building fund.  
• Dr. Cristina R. Fernandez presented “Lo Que No Mata Engorda: Social-Structural Determinants of Health and Child Nutrition and Development” for the Department's Hispanic Heritage Month Grand Rounds  
• The HEAL team presented “Disclosing Difficult News Amidst Inequity Driven Medical Mistrust— A Simulated Experience” as a poster presentation at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition, September 2024  
• “Health Equity Rounds: Vaccine Hesitancy and its Deep-Rooted Origins in Medical Distrust” was presented at the Department of Pediatrics Health Equity Grand Rounds by PDIC fellows Cristina Alcorta MD, and Tom Kuriakose MD MA, and PDIC resident Susheel Khetarpal MD MS, advised by PDIC Faculty Co-Leader Patrice Pryce MD was presented at the Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds   
• “Health Equity Rounds: Mind the Gap: Addressing Barriers and Lapses within Newborn Medicaid Coverage" was presented by PDIC fellow Tom Kuriakose MD MA, past PDIC fellow Liaison Elorm Avakame MD, pediatric resident Amanda Simard MD, advised by Katherine Nash MD, MHS at the Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds  

Growing Our Development and Inclusion Initiatives  

The PDIC’s long-term objective is to expand our efforts to a national level and for our program to be recognized as a hub for health equity in training, research, and patient care. To that end, we presented our work at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in 2018 and at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition in 2024.  

Our work and accomplishments underscore the department’s considerable commitment to training pediatricians who provide patient-centered and culturally competent care to our patient population and community. Among our future goals: fostering our relationship with local community programs, capitalizing on the expertise and guidance of our Vice Chair for Community Health, Dodi Meyer, MD, strengthening our presence within our department as well as our institution, and creating opportunities for residents to participate in health equity and inclusion–related research initiatives.  

Pediatric Health Equity, Alliance and Leadership Symposium  

Our annual Celebration of Health Equity, Alliance and Leadership Symposium, launched in 2017, is a daylong event featuring a keynote speaker, presentations that highlight community health programs, peer-to-peer workshops led by pediatric trainees, and a town hall with invited guests. In 2024, we welcomed Olajide Williams, MD, MS, Vice Dean of Community Health at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Vice Chair of the Department of Neurology. His keynote presentation focused on "Hip Hop Saves Lives."