Task Force Activities

Childhood Obesity Task Force

The Kentucky Action for Childhood Obesity (KACO) is a new KY AAP program. The goal of KACO is to engage pediatricians and promote best practices in addressing pediatric obesity. The Obesity Task Force members have dual roles: 1. To serve as “Coaches” for the KACO network and 2. To serve as Chapter experts on childhood obesity for advocacy and policy work at the state level.

Members of the Obesity Task Force include:
Chris Bolling, MD, FAAP (Chair), Kim Boland MD, FAAP, Suzanne Kingery MD, FAAP, April Mattingly MD, FAAP, Tok Omoruvi MD, FAAP, David Parker MD, FAAP, Joelle Paulozz MD, FAAP, Lisa Pfitzer MD, FAAP, Aurelia Radelescu MD, FAAP, Charlotte Stites, MD, FAAP

Contact KACO Chair for further information, Dr. Chris Bolling

Archived KACO Posts

2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014

Adolescent Health Task Force & KAHF

The KY AAP has established a newly formed Kentucky Adolescent Health Forum ( KAHF), a project of the KY AAP Adolescent Task Force. The goal of KAHF is to promote best practices in addressing various adolescent health issues. The members of KAHF will also serve as Chapter experts on adolescent health issues for advocacy efforts at the state level. Various adolescent health topics will be covered throughout the year and delivered to members through email. The content of the email will include useful tools, guidelines, and discussion of picture based clinical scenarios.

For more information, contact: Dr. Mandakini Sadhir , KY AAP Adolescent Health Task Force Chair , KY Adolescent Health Forum (KAHF)

KAHF Members: Stephanie Stockburger, MD, Pat Purcell, MD, Stan Block, MD, Kendall Purcell, MD, Jessica Holloman, MD, Mrudu “Maddie” Herbert, MD, Brittany Badal, MD

Archived KAHF Posts

Adolescent Health

Reproductive and Sexual Health

Mental Health and Substance Use

Social Media and Technology

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (D/E/I)

Mission Statement: Dedicated to facilitating discussions and programmatic implementations to improve the diverse, inclusive community of The Kentucky Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (KY-AAP). We are a working committee of individuals focused on creating a welcoming environment for our community per the mission, vision and initiatives of our organization by making recommendations to enhance diversity in clinical practice, training and professional development. We are impassioned to include all members of the organization to strive for a diverse, inclusive and equitable community.

Diversity & Inclusion Statement: As an organization, The Kentucky Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (KY-AAP) strives to create an environment where each member is valued and respected. We vehemently oppose any acts of hatred, intolerance, bias, bigotry and discrimination and stand united to condemn any discriminatory acts towards the diverse pediatric communities we serve. Diversity among our members and the patients we serve fosters advancement in healthcare, health equity and overall improvement in the outcomes of our pediatric patients. We aim to take the necessary steps and commit to ongoing efforts to provide a fully inclusive organization for our profession and to continue to cultivate an environment that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusivity.

For more information, contact Chair, Dr. Slyvia Ofei (sylvia.ofei@uky.edu)

Immigrant Child Health Task Force (ICHTF)

Kentucky has a growing immigrant community. Nearly 4 percent of Kentuckians are immigrants, and about 3 percent are native-born U.S. citizens who have at least one immigrant parent. Over 24,000 U.S. citizens in Kentucky live with at least one family member who is undocumented.

Immigrant children face multiple health and educational challenges including barriers to access to health care, poverty, special mental health issues associated with immigration and family separation. These issues have worsened over the last months due to current changes in immigration laws and health coverage. Due to the increasing needs in immigrant health, the KY AAP Chapter has created the Immigrant Child Health Task Force (ICHTF) with the goal of supporting health care providers that work with immigrant children by:

1- Identifying community resources
2- Creating educational opportunities in immigrant child health
3- Facilitating networking
4- Advocating for immigrant families

For more information, contact: Dr. Janeth Ceballos, KY AAP Immigrant Child Health Task Force Co-chair at janeth.ceballos@uky.edu

ICHTF Case Reviews

Development and Growth

Bilingualism and Speech Delay

Mental Health

Infectious Diseases

TB Screening and Follow up

Folk Illnesses Conditions

Folk Medicine – Chamomile Turmeric Moringa

Cross-cultural Aspects of Immigrant Health

Kentucky Immigrant Child Health Toolkit

The members of the Immigrant Child Health Task Force prepared the Immigrant Child Health Toolkit for Kentucky. We hope this toolkit will be a valuable resource for healthcare providers taking care of immigrant children in our state. This toolkit is intended to be used as a reference, not a replacement of clinical judgment.

We would like to thank the National AAP Special Interest Group on Immigrant Health for the creation of an initial toolkit, and the members of the Immigrant Child Health Committee of the DC Chapter of the AAP for the creation of the Immigrant Child Health Toolkit, which we used as a template for ours.

“E” Embers: The hottest E-cigarette prevention resources for pediatricians.

Michael Bricken, MD, FAAP is the current ‘E-cigarette Chapter Champion’ for Kentucky. He will be compiling, creating, and sharing resources with members throughout the year. These will include news updates, handouts, toolkits, and local advocacy and community engagement opportunities. The goal of this initiative is to better support pediatricians and their patients in the battle against the e-cigarette epidemic.

“E”Embers Posts
The Pandemic That Preceded SARS-CoV-2
Kentucky Updates – April 2021
Kentucky Updates – September 2021
Kentucky Updates – November 2021

Community Health Task Force

Community Health Task Force Co-Chairs: Julia Richerson, MD, FAAP, Stephanie Stockburger, MD, FAAP, and Brit Anderson, MD, FAAP

Child Health and Climate Advocates

This task force’s goals include engaging pediatricians in Kentucky to promote climate and child health equity through providing climate change counseling at well child visits. The group will focus on identifying key partners in the pediatric and broader community, developing a common vision, and considering barriers and strategies for impact, working in close collaboration with other Climate Advocate groups in Kentucky.

Child Health and Climate Advocate Co-Chairs: Julia Richerson, MD, FAAP, and Libby Mims, MD FAAP