Community Medicine and Advocacy

Pediatric Residents smile at a car seat safety event

The community pediatrics and advocacy experience at Valley Children’s is a longitudinal experience that takes place over the Y week during all three years of residency.

We place a high degree of importance on community pediatrics and advocacy, as we know that only a mere 10-20% of contributors to health outcomes are related to direct medical care. The remainder are driven by the social and structural factors where our children live, learn, grow and play.

Intern year begins with our longitudinal Community Pediatrics in Action rotation, also known as COMPACT. COMPACT is an interprofessional and interactive multi-modal approach designed to introduce residents to the drivers of and barriers to health and wellbeing. The COMPACT rotation is comprised of a number of different activities, including, but not limited to:

Clinic visits
Mobile Health Unit visits to schools for immunizations, school and sports physicals, migrant health clinics
Adverse childhood experiences training
Home visits with infants and their caregivers
Home visits with pediatric patients on hospice
Visits with community-based organizations
Human trafficking education
Community outreach events such as car seat checks and health fairs
Introduction to legislative advocacy
Adaptive Sports activities

While this rotation does provide some direct patient care experiences, such as being out on the Mobile Health Unit, you will additionally spend time learning about local, community-based organizations, as well as gaining experience in creating advocacy projects to improve the health of your patients and the communities we serve. Residents gain additional skills in areas such as writing letters to legislators, asset mapping, and utilization of data sources. Every other Y week culminates in an informal “fireside chat,” sharing what was learned.

Photo of Valley Children's residents at a student health fair Our primary goals for this rotation is for residents to understand and identify the social drivers of health and how they can impact impact the patients; and train pediatricians in effective advocacy.

In PGY2 and PGY3 years, residents participate in the longitudinal Ambulatory Pediatrics/Community Pediatrics (AP Comm) rotations. These rotations are additionally flexible, allowing residents to expand their clinical experience in a supervisory role on the Mobile Health Unit, or to experience outpatient pediatrics in different settings, such as our rural or mountain communities, and clinic for children with medical complexity. During the AP Comm rotation, residents can also participate in a number of community-based activities similar to those on COMPACT, but may also include media or other public appearances.

Outside of our dedicated advocacy rotations, residents have the opportunity to create individualized curriculum to meet their personal interest and educational needs. Residents also participate in a number of advocacy activities outside of rotations. These opportunities include:

Developing content for the Valley Children’s At The Heart blog
Providing education for school nurses, presented at various venues across the region and state
Participating in Facebook Live events
Speaking with local media on timely issues
Creating and starring in parent/child-facing educational videos

Finally, residents have the opportunity to partner with community and hospital leaders for advocacy projects. Residents are strongly encouraged to apply for the American Academy of Pediatrics Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) grant, Valley Children’s President’s Fund, and other awards. Resident recipients include:

2023: Sexual Health for Adolescent Parents – Claire Jaramishian, DO, MPH and Rajvee Sanghavi, DO
2023: Healthy Living and Obesity Prevention Videos – Brandon Ang, MD; Maryann Hockley, MD; and Harrold Navea, MD
2023: Early Childhood Literacy Project – Chris Galley, MD and Marcie Nakatsuchi, MD
2021: Helping Hands: School Nurses on the Frontlines – Anahita Emamian, MD and Daniella Santi, MD
2021: Healing Through Art Therapy: HART Approach – Sarah Benke, DO
2021: The Crucial Role of Foster Parents - Keenia Tappin, MD

To learn more about Valley Children's commitment to improving the lives of children through education, advocacy and outreach, read Valley Children's most recent Community Benefit Report, which summarizes the organization’s community-based work in support of children where they live, learn and play.