Pediatricians ‘catch’ new type of training grant
Michael Warren, M.D., clinical fellow and instructor in Clinical Pediatrics, and Rebecca Swan, M.D., assistant professor of Pediatrics and director of the Pediatric Residency Program, have been awarded a Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) Residency Training Funds grant from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in the amount of $11,627.
They will use the grant to continue the Community-Oriented Resident Education (CORE) program, which was founded on the belief that pediatricians need to consider all the various factors that impact childrens' well-being and use their position and resources to serve as an advocate in the community.
Through CORE, residents become involved in a variety of advocacy activities, from school health programs to legislative advocacy on topics as broad as violence prevention and childhood obesity at the state and national level.
For several years, residents at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt have received training on advocacy through CORE. Warren said this program has been a success primarily due to the immense support of the Pediatric Residency Program and the Department of Pediatrics at Children's Hospital.
"Drs. Warren and Swan have created an innovative approach that catapults Vanderbilt's Pediatric Residency program to the forefront of advocacy integration in the pursuit of physician excellence," said Shari Barkin, M.D., division chief of General Pediatrics at Children's Hospital.
CATCH is a national program of the AAP designed to improve access to health care by supporting pediatricians and communities that are involved in community-based efforts for children.