January 2021

Global Pediatrics Program Newsletter

Risha Moskalewicz, MD

Director, Global Pediatrics Track

Welcome to the new year everyone! I know there is a lot of expectation being voiced that this year will be "better" than last. The past year has been experienced differently by each individual. The one thing we all have in common has been the challenge of adapting to profound global uncertainty. In many ways, uncertainty has always been a truth in our existence, but 2020 humbled the current generation to recognize it in a new way. My wish for this next year is that we each can do our part, in little and big ways, to spread more love. The world needs it to heal - the core of a global health mission.  

The passion, experience and expertise of our global child health program exemplify this type of love, and we will be hearing from numerous UMN experts in the months to come. In January there will be global health grand rounds, and in March a resident block ed, which will bring together the voices and actions of our team to grow our awareness and impact neonatal survival domestically and internationally.

Finally, if you missed Dr. Oberg's presentation in December, you will find a link to the recording below. It is an excellent overview of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, what that means to us as global pediatricians and citizens of our local communities.

Upcoming Events

Minnesota Doctors for Health Equity (MDHEQ)

Date & Time: Tuesday, January 5 — 6:30 p.m.

Topic: Member Engagement Opportunities: Join MDHEQ committee chairs to learn more about ways members can engage in workgroups, educational sessions, outreach events, and committees. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the work of the organization and invite friends and colleagues who are interested in joining MDHEQ. 

More information

Global Pediatrics Grand Rounds

Date & Time: Wednesday, January 13 — 7:30 a.m.—8:30 a.m.

Topic: Global Neonatal Survival and Maternal Survival with Dr. Jameel Winter and Dr. Rahel Nardos

Virtual Lunch Session

Date & Time: Tuesday, February 2, 2021 — 12:00 p.m.—1:00 p.m.

Topic: Neonatal and Maternal Survival in MN with Elena Brown

New Faculty Member!

Viviane Leuche, M.D.

Dr. Leuche is a Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) physician and recently joined as an assistant professor in the Division of Pediatrics Emergency Medicine. She is originally from Cameroon and moved to the United States in 2006 for Biomedical Engineering undergraduate studies and eventually Medical School at the University of Minnesota. She completed her Pediatric Residency at Seattle Children's Hospital and PEM fellowship at Children's of Minnesota. 

Dr. Leuche's interest in global health stems from a desire to participate and contribute in clinical and teaching opportunities with trainees and local pediatricians either in Cameroon or elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa. During her PEM fellowship, she participated in a clinical and teaching opportunity in Uganda at Mulago Hospital where she worked in the Pediatric Acute Care Ward. She would love to return as a faculty in the future. She has appreciated the robust pediatric global health mentorship available at the University of Minnesota and is excited to be part of the program. She looks forward to working with residents whether it is in the UMMCH Peds ED or abroad at one of our global partner sites. Well-being activities particularly during the COVID pandemic include taking care of her multiple tropical plants (with some reminding her of her home country) and taking advantage of technology to connect with family/friends in Cameroon and colleagues in Uganda.

Fellow's Corner

Emily Hause, MD

Dr. Hause, the first year Rheumatology fellow, has a long-standing interest in working with medically-underserved communities and global health communities. As precursor to her global outreach, she participated in the University of Colorado's Urban Underserved track, focusing on service to the downtown community of Denver. This track also allowed her to study medical Spanish in Costa Rica, between her first and second year of medical school. Later, during a month of residency, she studied Pediatric Rheumatology at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, in Capetown, South Africa.

As a fellow, Dr. Hause has received a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion grant for her proposed fellowship projects from the Arthritis Foundation. The  aim of her project is to immediately expand the Rheumatology Department's connection to the local Somali community, by creating a culturally-appropriate curriculum targeted to patients and providers. The plan involves creating disease-specific modules to be presented by community members to patients/families newly diagnosed with rheumatic conditions. In addition to improving care delivery for patients and families from these communities, this intervention will help our entire Division of Pediatric Rheumatology appreciate cultural differences and optimize care, while improving outcomes for patients. The project's second objective is to develop a Pediatric Rheumatology curriculum specifically designed for medical trainees (medical students and residents). This will be created through the existing partnership between our UMN Department of Pediatrics’ Global Pediatrics Program and the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. The plan develops a high-quality online Pediatric Rheumatology curriculum, to educate trainees and ultimately improve care of patients globally.

Resident Spotlight

Tiana Hallberg, MD  - Pediatric Resident PL3

I grew up in Coon Rapids, MN with my mom, dad and two older sisters and came to the University of Minnesota for undergraduate studies where I majored in global studies, French and Biology. During this time, I lived for four months in Senegal (two months in the capital of Dakar, two months in a small fishing town called Joal-Fadiouth) where I learned about Senegalese culture, Wolof (the primary local dialect), public health and healthcare infrastructure. My capstone during college was a medical anthropology paper involving the intersection between traditional medical culture and Western medical culture based on some research and interviews with local families and healthcare providers during my experience in Senegal.

Inspired by my work in Senegal, I took classes at University of Southern California in their Master’s of global medicine program including coursework in the Millennium Development Goals, cultural humility, HIV, and some basic science. Then, during medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin, I spent time in Managua, Nicaragua at a shelter for women and children who have fled sex trafficking. Our team is sent to the shelter to offer free, safe medical care to the residents of the shelter. I have only been there once, but hope to go back some day!

Now in residency, I have been participating in the global pediatrics track, mostly locally through activities within the Global Pediatrics Passport. I was unable to travel for a planned elective in Tanzania due to COVID, however was able to spend four weeks working with Dr. Dhawan on the malnutrition/undernutrition content currently taught through the tropical medicine curriculum, which is an ongoing project heading into the coming months. I hope to find a career in outpatient pediatrics and newborn nursery and plan to continue my journey with global pediatrics.  

The fun questions include the following...

Favorite quote: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better; it's not." - The Lorax

Favorite travel destination:  Lately, anywhere outdoors! But especially State or National Parks.

What the world needs more of: Grace, love, and kindness.

If you weren't a physician you would be: Either the curator of a museum for French paintings -or- a photojournalist -or- a chef and baker. 

Congratulations Dr. Jameel Winter, one of our Global Neonatologists!

Dr. Winter has been asked to Chair the Planning Group for the AAP Global Health Education Course. The course will be targeted at pediatricians who are interested in global health, but who have no significant GH experience and who are unsure as to where to start.

The AAP Section on Neonatal Perinatal Medicine Global Health Subcommittee (of which Dr. Winter is a founding member) has developed a quality improvement partnership between the AAP and the Ethiopian Pediatric Society (EPS). They are starting at 8 sites with NICUs in the EPS, and hope to complete 1-2 QI initiatives across the 8 sites over the next 1-2 years. This is an AAP sponsored partnership with additional funding from a Laerdal grant. Each site will be partnered with one advisor, who will also be partnered with a neonatal fellow interested in quality improvement and global health. This is a one year position with the option to continue after.  

Click on Welcome on the left hand side to get to the Pediatric Global Health Home page.