Academy Chooses New Leader
Jay E. Berkelhamer, M.D., incoming leader of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that his primary goal is to improve the quality of health care for children.
“As a community of physicians, we will partner to rise to the challenge and lead the continuous improvement of quality care,” said the Atlanta pediatrician, who was recently elected AAP vice president by 9,680 voting fellows, defeating Charles Linder, M.D.
Dr. Berkelhamer currently serves as the senior vice president for medical affairs at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. He is clinical professor at Emory University and adjunct professor at Morehouse School of Medicine, both in Atlanta.
He attended medical school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and then received training in pediatrics at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.
Assuming office as the president-elect at the October AAP national conference, Dr. Berkelhammer will serve as the 2006–2007 AAP president.
Children and Pollution
Air pollution harms children's lungs for life, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resources Board, which has been conducting an ongoing study on children's health in 12 California communities for the past 14 years.
The study, which to date has assessed the health of 5,600 school-aged children, found that children who were exposed to current levels of air pollution had significantly reduced lung growth and development when exposed to higher levels of acid vapor, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter.
Those living in high-ozone communities who participated in sports were more likely to develop asthma, and days with higher ozone levels resulted in significantly higher school absences due to respiratory illness.
Preventing Nontraffic Deaths
Three children are killed each week in preventable, nontraffic, auto-related incidents, according to Kids and Cars, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure that no child dies or is injured in a nontraffic, noncrash motor vehicle-related event.
While some of these deaths result from strangulation by power windows or parents leaving children inside hot cars, most are the result of backovers—where a child is run over by a car because the driver couldn't see the child, the group reported. In 2005, 132 children were involved in non-traffic related incidents on private property; 67 of these children lost their lives.
Kids and Cars supports bipartisan legislation introduced by Reps. Peter King (R-N.Y.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) requiring automobile manufacturers to make technology standards that would allow drivers to see what's behind them when backing up their vehicles.
Medicaid Commission
To strengthen Medicaid, the Department of Health and Human Services established an advisory commission to identify reforms necessary to stabilize the program.
The commission must submit two reports to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt. The first, due Sept. 1, will outline recommendations for Medicaid to save $10 billion over the next 5 years, targeting potential long-term enhancements and performance goals.
The second, due Dec. 31, 2006, will make recommendations to help ensure Medicaid's long-term sustainability, addressing issues such as expanding coverage while still being fiscally responsible, and providing long-term care to those who need it. Secretary Leavitt plans to appoint up to 15 voting members to the commission with expertise in health care policy, finance, or administration.
The Chosen Profession?
Physicians don't necessarily want their children to follow in their footsteps.
In a poll conducted by the Doctors Company, a physician-owned, medical malpractice insurance provider, two-thirds of the 973 physicians surveyed said they would not encourage their children to become high-risk physicians such as ob.gyns. due to fear of litigation, and 70% would push their children toward lower-risk specialties.
Outside of the medical profession, “be a doctor” remains popular career advice. A separate Gallup poll of 1,003 adults aged 18 years and older by Gallup found that Americans were encouraging young adults to become physicians.
Twenty percent of those who responded to the survey recommended that young women become doctors, while 17% suggested medicine as a career for young men. By comparison, 8% suggested that women choose careers in computers, and 11% suggested that men choose such careers.