by Harbir Juj, MD, MPH, FAAP, Kathleen Kieran, MD, MSc, MME, FAAP, FACS and Peter Asante, MD, FAAP
It was in the summer of 2023 that we first conceived the idea of a pediatric Health Equity Summit and presented this to the WCAAP Board for approval. Inspired by the feedback from WCAAP GATHERTM (Generate and Teach Health Equity Routinely) alumni, we envisioned an event that centered equity and inclusion while also building community. We hoped for a day of inspiration that reminded attendees that each of us has the power to be an agent of change to advance equitable outcomes for children and families in Washington state.
On Saturday, May 17, 2025, we brought this idea to life. We are proud to share that our inaugural Health Equity Summit, themed “Activate Your Agency,” was a triumphant success. As we planned this event, the world around us transformed words of inclusion and equity into weapons—creating an atmosphere charged with tension and unpredictability.
Yet as the WCAAP Equitable Care Committee continued its planning, we remained steadfast in our conviction that centering equity and inclusion in this event, and in all our work, was important, necessary, and foundational for community building amongst those who care for Washington’s children.
Thank you to everyone who joined us on this incredible journey and at the event. We have been flooded with messages of gratitude from attendees, reminding us that centering the needs of the most vulnerable will never be the wrong decision.
Thank you to the staff at Green River Community College for hosting us in a beautiful space. We are grateful to our keynote and plenary speakers who shared enough wisdom to fill books and who inspired the audience to find ways to do more. Thank you to our breakout speakers who allowed us to come together and dive deeper into topics and meet in smaller groups to build skills around topics like vaccine inequity, microaggressions, racism, and reclaiming joy in challenging times. Thank you to our participants who wholeheartedly joined us, shared their experiences, supported one another’s vulnerability, and—above all—were wholly and intentionally present. Thank you to our sponsors, without whom this would have been so much more challenging; we are grateful for your support in these challenging times. We are grateful to the members of the Equitable Care Committee and Elexis Jackson who put in the work to organize the Summit and who kept our committee moving forward over this last year.
Finally, to all our attendees: thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to be present and come together. We know that each of you had to give something up to be present with us. We are especially grateful to have been in a space with students, residents, teachers, librarians, social workers, community organizers, family physicians, and fellow pediatricians; in the words of one attendee, “watching everyone come together, convene and network felt like being a small part of a movement.”
We hope that we can continue to build on this momentum together. We leave the Summit reenergized and reminded that in this world we all just need to do something (anything!) to advance equitable care for Washington’s children.
If you’re not sure where to begin, consider some of these options:
- Join the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Sign up for WCAAP GATHERTM
- Review and work through the Equitable Care Toolkit with colleagues or friends
- Join us for the next Equitable Care Webinar: Building Bridges on June 25
- Sign up for WCAAP Advocacy Day 2026