Defining and Promoting Pediatric Pulmonary Health: Equitable Family and Community Partnerships.

Optimizing pulmonary health across the lifespan begins from the earliest stages of childhood and requires a partnership between the family, pulmonologist, and pediatrician to achieve equitable outcomes. The Community Pediatrics session of the Defining and Promoting Pediatric Pulmonary Health workshop weaved together 4 community-based pillars with 4 research principles to set an agenda for future pediatric pulmonary research in optimizing lung and sleep health for children and adolescents. To address diversity, equity, and inclusion, both research proposals and workforce must purposefully include a diverse set of participants that reflects the community served, in addition to embracing nontraditional, community-based sites of care and social determinants of health. To foster inclusive, exploratory, and innovative research, studies must be centered on community priorities, with findings applied to all members of the community, particularly those in historically marginalized and minoritized groups. Research teams should also foster meaningful partnerships with community primary care and family members from study conceptualization. To achieve these goals, implementation and dissemination science should be expanded in pediatric pulmonary research, along with the development of rapid mechanisms to disseminate best practices to community-based clinicians. To build cross-disciplinary collaboration and training, community-academic partnerships, family research partnerships, and integrated research networks are necessary. With research supported by community pillars built on authentic partnerships and guided by inclusive principles, pediatric lung and sleep health can be optimized for all children and adolescents across the full lifespan in the community in which they live and thrive.

Enhancing Curricula About Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in Undergraduate Medical Education.

Curricula in medical education continue to evolve as societal demographics shift and medical innovation transforms the practice of medicine. The next generation of physicians must be well trained, prepared, and adept to provide health care to diverse patient populations. The last few years have witnessed increased awareness about racial and social injustice, with medical institutions acting swiftly to create and implement or enhance curricula about diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) including topics such as antiracism, bias, cultural humility and sensitivity, and health care disparities and inequities. In this review article, we highlight the incorporation of DEIJ into undergraduate medical education with a focus on the standards provided by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. We draw on examples of enacted and revised DEIJ curricula in medical education including student activism, clinical electives at pediatric residency programs targeting historically underrepresented in medicine (UIM) students, and community building for UIM students through participation in professional affinity organizations. The article also addresses current state legislation that could affect medical student learning about DEIJ and patient care. [Pediatr Ann. 2023;52(7):e249-e255.].

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in Medical Education: A Faculty Development Perspective.

As many residency programs expand teaching to address the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that residents need to dismantle structural racism and other systemic inequities, many faculty are not prepared to teach these topics. However, there is limited literature on which to base faculty development in this area. The aim of this article is to review how diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice education is integrated in pediatric faculty development efforts. This review will include published and gray literature on curricula and programs in medical education for faculty learners and will address common barriers and challenges faced by faculty members. [Pediatr Ann. 2023;52(7):e266-e272.].

Clinical and Educational Training About Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice for Pediatric Residents.

Education and clinical training about diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) is essential for the personal and professional development of pediatric residents in preparation for a career providing health care to diverse pediatric populations. The ability of pediatric residents to reflect on their lived experiences while gaining perspectives about their patients has the potential to positively affect the health care of patients and decrease health inequities. Clinical rotations were established for students from underrepresented populations in medicine as a pathway for matching and diversifying pediatric residency programs with the potential to help diversify the pediatric workforce. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education formulated standards about DEIJ in pediatric residency training. Curricula, internships, and mentoring programs have been created by medical institutions and professional medical organizations to provide learning experiences about DEIJ and foster a sense of belonging. This review article highlights the multifactorial approach needed to achieve the goal of diversifying the pediatric workforce through DEIJ instruction in pediatric residency training. [Pediatr Ann. 2023;52(7):e256-e260.].

Racial and Social Impacts of Diabetes Mellitus: An Autobiographical Case Report.

Type two diabetes mellitus is a chronic medical condition encountered by physicians providing medical care to adult and pediatric patients. This autobiographical case report discusses type two diabetes from the perspective of positive and negative interactions with the healthcare system in managing diabetes mellitus, especially for a physician of color and underrepresented in medicine. Bias and assumptions occur for some people diagnosed with diabetes mellitus or presumed to have the disease based on age, body habitus, comorbidities, lived environment, race, and ethnicity. I specifically address the social implications of bias experienced by persons of color strictly based on race and ethnicity. Intensified awareness about systemic and institutional racism in healthcare warrants eliminating the inequities and disparities in the medical management and treatment of diabetes mellitus.

Parenting Needs of Urban, African American Fathers.

Fathers play a critical role in children's development; similarly, fatherhood positively affects men's health. Among the larger population of fathers relatively little is known about the parenting knowledge of urban, African American fathers. Focusing on urban, African American fathers, the objectives of this study were to (1) understand the primary sources from which fathers learn about parenting, (2) determine where and how fathers prefer to receive future parenting education, and (3) explore the information perceived as most valuable to fathers and how this compares with the recommended anticipatory guidance (Bright Futures-based) delivered during well visits. Five focus groups, with a total of 21 participants, were conducted with urban fathers at a community-based organization. Study eligibility included being more than 18 years old, English speaking, and having at least one child 0 to 5 years old. During the focus groups, fathers were asked where they received parenting information, how and where they preferred to receive parenting information, and what they thought about Bright Futures parenting guidelines. Fathers most commonly described receiving parenting information from their own relatives rather than from their child's health care provider. Most fathers preferred to learn parenting from a person rather than a technology-based source and expressed interest in learning more about parenting at community-based locations. Although fathers viewed health care providers' role as primarily teaching about physical health, they valued Bright Futures anticipatory guidance about parenting. Fathers valued learning about child rearing, health, and development. Augmenting physician counseling about Bright Futures with community-based parenting education may be beneficial for fathers.