Late last month, the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (WCAAP), was awarded the 2024 Inspire Change Award at the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Annual Leadership Conference. The WCAAP first received the Inspire Change Award in 2022, the first year the AAP district vice chairs granted the recognition.
“The WCAAP Equitable Care Committee is humbled and honored that the Chapter has received the Inspire Change Award for a second time,” says Kathleen Kieran, MD, MSc, MME, FAAP, FACS, and co-chair of WCAAP’s Equitable Care Committee. “As Committee Co-Chairs, we would especially like to recognize our Committee members, whose tireless advocacy and passion for equity have propelled this work forward.”
In 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics district vice chairs developed the Inspire Change Award to celebrate chapters that support equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) among members, leadership, and health outcomes for children.
The WCAAP’s Equitable Care Committee is currently updating its 2021 Equitable Care Toolkit, which applies an anti-racism lens to re-examine pediatric care. Slated to be published in September 2024, the toolkit is intended for practical, regular use, challenging providers to examine how they care for children and families from the perspective of promoting equity. In 2023, the WCAAP also launched the WCAAP GATHER (Generate and Teach Health Equity Routinely™) Project, a quarterly learning collaborative focused on addressing biases and improving health equity through peer conversation, in collaboration with Seattle Children’s Hospital. The WCAAP GATHER Project helped over 30 providers throughout WA last year, with additional providers participating in 2024.
“It is immensely gratifying to know that our work has helped many others to care for all children in an equitable and compassionate way,” shares Dr. Kieran.
Please join us in extending a huge heartfelt congratulations to WCAAP’s Equitable Care Committee, its members, and its co-chairs, Drs. Peter Asante, Harbir Juj, and Kathleen Kieran. And keep your eyes peeled for the updated toolkit in the coming weeks!