National Volunteer Month is held each April to promote and celebrate volunteerism. In addition this year, April 18-24, 2021 was National Volunteer Week which gave us an opportunity to recognize and appreciate those who serve our community. The Department of Pediatrics at UAB and Children’s’ of Alabama are committed to community engagement and the further expansion of our community engagement efforts.
April has been an important and busy month for the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) community for over 50 years, with the initial emphasis on promoting awareness of autism by the Autism Society of America in the 1970s. In recent years, as a reflection of the neurodiversity movement and increased inclusion of self-advocates and family members in the development of these initiatives, the emphasis of April has shifted to acceptance of autism. However, this perspective has been voiced for much longer than it has been embraced and implemented. Although this may seem a subtle distinction, the terminology and semantics are extremely important as we strive to support individuals with ASD and their families using a person-centered approach.
Amy CaJacob, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, has been named the clinical director for the division.
Marjorie Lee White, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, has been elected chair elect for the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Simulation and Innovative Learning Methods (SILM).
Aubrey Coleman, M.D., PGY-3 resident, and several other pediatricians from Alabama, recently attended the 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Advocacy Conference. The conference, held from April 11 to April 13, is typically in Washington, D.C., but was virtual this year for the first time. There were more than 750 pediatricians from across the country in attendance.
fellow research awards from the Society of Pediatric Research (SPR) as part of the Pediatric Academic Society (PAS) meeting. These awards are given by the Society for Pediatric Research to honor fellows who are engaged in clinical and basic research and to encourage trainees to pursue careers in academic pediatrics.
Snehashis Hazra, M.D., Third Year Fellow, and Vivek Shukla, M.D., Second Year Fellow, Neonatology, receivedAman Wadhwa, M.D., instructor in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, has been accepted into the Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) Training Workshop 2021 fellowship cohort. The TREC 2021 fellowship cohort consists of an array of researchers from a variety of backgrounds including basic, clinical and population cancer research.
Deaf History Month is celebrated each year from March 13 to April 15 to celebrate and honor the accomplishments of people who are deaf and hard of hearing. The month is celebrated over these dates in recognition of three key events in the history of the deaf community in America.
For practicing Muslims, the evening of Monday, April 12, marks the beginning of Ramadan which continues through May 12. The pillars of Islam include: Declaring belief in one God (Allah), Prayers (Salah); Fasting (Saum); Charity (Zakah) and Pilgrimage (Hajj). Ramadan is the holiest month of the year for Muslims and those who observe, fast from dawn until sunset. Fasting is both physical and spiritual. Charity is also very important in Islam, and even more so during Ramadan. Extra prayers are recited and Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Quran during Ramadan.
To all who are celebrating, may you have a peaceful Ramadan. Ramadan Mubarak.
Mitch
Please join us in welcoming our Pediatrics Intern Class of 2024, our Med-Peds Intern Class of 2025, our Pediatrics-Genetics Intern of 2025, and our Child Neurology Intern Class of 2026! We are so proud to have these incredibly strong, academically talented interns joining our residency programs in June.