July 2023
Global Pediatrics Program Newsletter
Risha Moskalewicz , MD
Director, Global Pediatrics Track
Welcome to all our new residents and interns! As the new academic year commences we have been so fortunate to be hosting pediatricians from Tanzania and Uganda. Dr. Sharon Achen and Dr. Irene Kinera are with us from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda for the month of July.
We look forward to celebrating our global pediatrics community with our track residents and global health interested interns at the annual Global Pediatrics picnic on August 9th at Dr. Slusher's home.
Welcome to the University of Minnesota to
All Intern Pediatrics and Med-Peds Residents!
If you would like to be part of the Global Pediatrics Track, fill out the application. Visit our track website at z.umn.edu/pedsgh link to learn more. If you have questions about the Global Pediatrics Track feel free to reach out to one of us or another faculty member.
Dr. Risha Moskalewicz, Director, Global Pediatrics Education - risha@umn.edu
Emily Danich, Coordinator, Global Pediatrics Program - edanich@umn.edu
Dr. Cindy Howard, Director, Global Pediatrics Program - drcindy@umn.edu
Upcoming Events
Global Noon Report
Monday, July 10 | 12:30 - 1:00 p.m.
Topic: Research Presentation from Dr. Sharon Achen, visiting pediatrician from Uganda
Location: 4th Floor Conference Room (C4140)
Global Noon Report
Thursday, July 27 | 12:30 - 1:00 p.m.
Topic: Research Presentation from Dr. Irene Kinera, visiting pediatrician from Uganda
Location: 4th Floor Conference Room (C4140)
Global Pediatrics Track Night
Thursday, July 27, 2023 | 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Central Time
Topic: How to review a journal article: are the results diamonds or rhinestones - understanding scientific numeracy with Dr. Burt Lee.
Dr. Lee is the Head of Medical Education and the Head of Global Critical Care in the Critical Care Medicine Department at the National Institutes of Health.
Location: Dr. Tina Slusher's House, see calendar invite for address. If you don't have the calendar invite, please email Emily Danich at edanich@umn.edu.
RSVP by July 10th to have dinner
Global Pediatrics Program Picnic
Wednesday, August 9 | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Topic: Meet global pediatrics faculty, staff, residents, and interns.
Location: Dr. Tina Slusher's House, see calendar invite for address. If you don't have the calendar invite, please email Emily Danich at edanich@umn.edu.
RSVP by Wednesday, August 2
To India and back
Mounika Muttinni, DO - India - December 07, 2022 - April 25, 2023
This entire year was filled with experiences that have been nothing short of identity re-defining, most attributable to my work with the Indian Health Services and my work in India. My clinical work with IHS, was a jarring eye-opener to the level of healthcare disparities we have domestically. As a physician who just completed her residency training, it was daunting to work in regions where I was most often the only pediatrician within a 2-3 hour radius. I did mostly outpatient work, however stayed on-call 24h a day for any ED consults or inpatient admissions. Working in these reservations meant children often had to be flown out to a tertiary care center, as we frequently could not offer the level of care they required. It meant that families had to travel 3-6 hours to see any kind of specialist. It meant witnessing a striking unemployment rate and the consequences of such poverty. But it also meant understanding the resilience of this population and their ingrained sense of community. I was inspired by many, and grew comfortable with taking care of their unique needs. I saw interesting cases, pursued more thorough work ups, and learned to be creative with my limited resources. I have much more to learn, but I am grateful for the opportunity to work and care for such amazing people.
My work at Paramitha Children’s Hospital in Hyderabad, India has not only been instrumental in teaching me the intricacies of research, but it has also helped me better understand my heritage. I was born in India and we moved to the States when I was 7 years old. We would visit frequently, often for 3 months at a time, and therefore I have remained fairly well-connected to my family and culture. In fact, these visits are what would eventually inspire me to pursue a career in global health. What was different about this trip was that for the first time I felt like I was living there – with my own work and group of amazing friends, rather than just a visitor waiting to be taken around by relatives. I was thankful to be working on such an important project (please read the previous letter for my work in India) and to be surrounded by doctors who welcomed me so readily, and inspired by their knowledge and willingness to teach.
Wendy Sun, MD and Celina Spencer, DO - AAP Legislative Conference 2023 Reflections - March 26-28, 2023
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) hosted their annual advocacy conference in Washington DC. It was the first time it was in person since the pandemic, a common theme of many experiences this last year, and just in time for peak cherry blossom season. Amongst the excited buzz of a conference room full of pediatricians from around the country Minnesota showed off its support for trainees with 4 attendees from pediatric residents to medical students interested in legislative advocacy.
The first 2 days of the conference were packed with inspiration from speakers with some of our favorites being the 1st and 2nd pediatricians in congress, U.S. Representatives Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-WA) and Yadira Caraveo, M.D., FAAP (D-Colo.) as well as Admiral Rachel L. Levine who serves as Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
We learned about our advocacy topic which this year was online safety for children and teens. We discussed the challenges that children face when using the internet including data collection, manipulative design practices, and algorithmic recommendations as well as the intersectionality of industry regulations and the effects of internet usage on children’s mental health. Legislation intended to protect kids online is outdated. The Child Online Privacy Protection Act passed in 1998 in the days of dial up enacted vague limitations on industry to protect kids under age 13. Up for consideration with potential bipartisan support is the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act (CTOPPA).
We were briefly distracted when news broke of the latest school shooting tragedy coming out of Nashville where 3 children and 3 adults lost their lives. The pain coming from the room was palpable.
On the last day of the conference we traveled to the Capitol at sunrise to meet with staffers in the offices of Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senator Tina Smith and Representative Ilhan Omar. Prepared with talking points we shared stories from our medical and personal experiences. We waited in security lines to meet with each prospective Senator’s or Representative’s office. While standing in line at the last stop I noticed a school trip of what appeared to be middle school students coming off the school bus and lining up. I overheard them discussing amongst themselves on what they wanted to talk about. There were lots of discussions, some silly, some very thoughtful but one that stood out. One child turned to another and said “I just want to feel safe going to school.” While the conference wanted us to focus on online safety for children, what happened the day before made it possible for us to discuss overall safety concerns pediatricians, parents and others have for our children.
While we believe we had an impact on the people we were meeting with our stories and personal experiences, there is still much more work to be done. This experience served to remind all of us attendees why we stepped beyond practicing medicine to practicing advocacy.
Global Pediatrics Visiting Doctors
Sharon Achen, MD - Uganda, visiting 07/1/23 - 7/31/2023
Dr. Achen Sharon, is from Uganda, who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in pediatrics and child health at Makerere University. She completed bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery from Makerere University in 2017. Dr. Achen did a one year internship training at Arua Regional Referral hospital. Prior to coming back to school she worked at Arua Regional Referral Hospital under the maternal child health activities project funded by UNICEF. Dr. Achen is passionate about pediatrics and child health with special interest in neonatology, gastroenterology and nephrology.
Irene Kinera, MD - Uganda, visiting 07/1/26/23 - 7/31/2023
Dr. Irene Kinera is currently a finalist resident pursuing a Master’s degree in Paediatrics and Child Health at Makerere University College of Health Sciences. She holds a master’s degree in Public Health from the Hebrew University- Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Israel, and a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery from Makerere University College of Health Sciences.
Prior to residency, she worked at Makerere University Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration as Program manager for a multicentric study (TB-Speed pneumonia) and worked on various IMPAACT studies. Dr. Kinera is passionate about Paediatrics and Child clinical care and research and the powerful interaction between the two. She has invested time in Infectious Diseases and may be working towards a specialty in Infectious Diseases. She is a 2023 recipient of a prestigious Fogarty award from the National Institute of Health.
Global Child Health Literature and Awards
Wu AG, Klein JR, John SC, Slusher TM, Fischer GA, Brearley AM, Bjorklund AR. Reported Complications of Bubble Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Systems in Low-Resource Settings: An International Survey. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2023 May 15:tpmd230065. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0065. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37188346.
Oberg C, Goldhagen J, Spencer N. Renewing our commitment to protect children experiencing armed conflict. J Paediatr Child Health. 2023 Mar;59(3):427-430. doi: 10.1111/jpc.16367. Epub 2023 Feb 16. PMID: 36794666.
Susan Vincent Resident Teaching Award: Dr. Jason Hoard
University of Minnesota Faculty Teaching Award: Dr. Ashley Bjorklund
George Noren Teaching Award: Dr. Ashley Bjorklund
Dr. Maggie Nakuya, who visited for the month of June shared her research project at lunch and learn. Learn more in her cross-sectional study:
Nakuya M, Batte A, Musiime V. Prevalence and factors associated with Acute Kidney Injury among children aged 6month- 12years passing dark urine admitted at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital: A cross-sectional study. Res Sq [Preprint]. 2023 May 8:rs.3.rs-2871679. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2871679/v1. PMID: 37214846; PMCID: PMC10197782.
Catch up on Past Events
Drs. Ellen Diego, Tina Slusher, Anne White and Jameel Winter hosted our first local Helping Babies Breathe and Essential Care of the Newborn course (pictured to the left).
Tuesday, May 9, 2023 "Remote Pediatric Critical Care Education in RLS" with Dr. Michael Canarie. After you've watched the presentation, please fill out our evaluation.
We had a great time celebrating our graduating residents at Como Zoo (pictured below).
Thursday, June 22, 2023 "Small newborns in post-conflict northern Uganda: Burden and interventions for improved outcomes" with Dr. Beatrice Odongkara. After you've watched the presentation, please fill out our evaluation.
Global Fellowship Announcement
The Global Health Program at Boston Children’s Hospital is now accepting applications for the Pediatric Global Health Fellowship Program. This fellowship aims to train advocates and partners in global child health and support the development of essential child health services around the world.
Over the course of this fellowship, fellows gain the tangible skills necessary to have successful careers in global health as well as receive funding for a Master's in Public Health or comparable degree. They learn about advocacy, decoloniality in global health, evidence-based health system development, and service delivery, all through a lens of equity and sustainability.
Attached is the flyer for interested applicants. Please see the website for the application and additional information. Feel free to share this information with your networks widely!
Please direct all questions regarding the application process and fellowship to our email: globalhealth@childrens.harvard.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!
To apply, please see: https://www.childrenshospital.org/programs/global-health/fellowships/global-pediatric-fellowship
Global Pediatrics Track Resident Spotlight
Wendy Sun, MD - PL1
Wendy is a 1st generation Chinese American immigrant. She completed medical school in Madison, Wisconsin and just finished her first year of intern year in the Twin Cities where she hopes to stay. Wendy plans to practice outpatient general pediatrics with dedicated time for advocacy and community engagement work. Outside of work she enjoys indoor and outdoor gardening, video games and trying all the restaurants in the area!
Favorite quote: “The eyes don’t see what the mind doesn’t know” by D. H Lawrence
Favorite travel destination: Any place with friends to meet
What the world needs more of: People who value prevention rather than reactionary driven mindset in the face of challenges.
If you weren't a physician you would be: Either an educator or a painter!
Global Pediatrics Track Passport - Don't forget to Log-It!
You need to complete 75% of the passport to graduate on the Track. Make sure to log into Canvas.umn.edu to document your progress.
Please consider a tax-deductible donation, if possible. We use these funds to bring trainees and faculty here from our international partner sites. The trainees do four to six week electives during the summer in our hospitals and clinics. We are grateful that we have been able to bring faculty here as well to present their research and collaborate with colleagues here in Minneapolis.
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