We will not be turned around
From “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman, National Poet Laureate.
or interrupted by intimidation,
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation.
Our blunders become their burdens.
But one thing is certain,
If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy,
and change our children’s birthright.
Performed on Inauguration Day 2021, Washington, District of Columbia.
Pediatric Health Equity Summit
The Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (WCAAP) hosted its inaugural Health Equity Summit on May 17, 2025, in Auburn, WA, themed “Activate Your Agency.” This one-day event brought together pediatric health care providers, school partners, nurses, parents, caregivers, and community advocates from across the state to explore the intersection of equity and anti-racism with health, education, and social-emotional learning. Attendees built practical skills to be upstanders in medical and community settings, learned strategies to advocate for equitable care, connected with peers and experts, and earned continuing medical education (CME) credits through sessions led by national and local health equity leaders.
Building on this momentum, WCAAP hosted the Second Annual Health Equity Summit on May 9, 2026, again at Green River Community College in Auburn, WA. The 2026 theme, “From Embers to Action: Reimagining Pediatric Health Equity,” this focused on transforming inspiration into meaningful, sustained change in pediatric health care equity across Washington State, featuring dynamic speakers, practical equity-centered strategies, and opportunities to deepen collaboration across pediatric, education, and community health spaces.
Generate and Teach Health Equity Routinely
Learn about our learning collaborative to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion in pediatric health care: GATHER – WCAAP – Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Recent Equitable Care Webinars
Bridging Medical and Educational Systems to Support Student Success.
WCAAP’s Equitable Care Committee welcomed Dr. Nyssa Petersen Ventura and Anna Munsey-Riseley who discussed how pediatric providers and families can work together to identify, navigate, and advocate for a child’s […]
Protected: WCAAP Equitable Health Webinar Series -Building Bridges
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Protected: WCAAP Equitable Care Webinar Series – Navigating Uncertainty
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Equity & Anti-Racism Resources
Thank you to many WCAAP members who have shared resources to improve our understanding of the effects of racism on child and family well-being and how we can play a role in dismantling racist systems. We offer the resources here as a starting point. If you would like to share a resource you have utilized please let us know.
- AAP: Traumatic Impact of Racism on Young People
- AAP Statement: Dismantle Racism at Every Level
- AAP Policy: Eliminating Race Based Medicine
- WCAAP Statement: Our Commitment: Addressing Racism
- Healthy Children: Talking to Children About Racial Bias
- Anti-racism reading list
- APHA: Addressing Law Enforcement Violence as a Public Health Issue
- Pediatrics: Police, Equity and Child Health
- Campaign Zero: Policy Solutions to End Police Violence
- Teaching Tolerance: Six Steps to Speak Up
Providing Equitable Care
WCAAP’s Equitable Care Committee has created meaningful tools and resources to affirm and uplift the communities we serve, including this toolkit. Providing equitable care requires ongoing learning. We hope these tools will help you reflect, focus, and take on new challenges.
Equitable Health Care Toolkit
Striving to Provide Safe, High-Quality Care: Learning from Experience
In order to provide safe, high-quality care, we must continually educate ourselves about the evolving needs of our patients. This dynamic resource of board-style questions will build awareness and competence in caring for diverse pediatric patients and promote skills to reduce health disparities in clinical practice.
Check your knowledge with the scenarios below:
- A 6-year-old with family history of type 2 diabetes
- A 16-year-old with “heart palpitations“
- Follow-up ER visit for a 4-year-old
- A teen with sickle cell disease
- Environmental health at a wellness visit
- Short stature in a 7-year-old
- Housing instability and a 6-year-old
- Contraception for a 16-year-old
- Equity and the design of your clinic
- Student-centered care at a school-based health center
- View the full list here
Share your knowledge, all authors and reviewers encouraged!
We want to make sure every person involved in pediatric care in Washington is represented. Patients, parents, medical staff, non-clinical staff – all are encouraged to share stories. Please send case, responses, and references to admin@wcaap.org. Or, if you would like to participate as a case reviewer, please contact: Elexis Jackson.