About

The Pennsylvania Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (PA AAP) was granted the opportunity to participate in an American Academy of Pediatrics project focused on trauma-informed care and relational health needs of children, adolescents, and families.

Goals

This project is working to meet the following goals:

• Educating and engaging PA Chapter pediatricians, healthcare providers, and partners on the importance of trauma-informed care and relational health needs of children, adolescents, and families.
• Exploring opportunities to foster connections between PA AAP members and community partners and/or parent organizations.

Achievements

To date, this project has completed the following:

• Created a member survey to query knowledge and current implementation of trauma-informed care (October 2023). This survey helped our team develop the next steps in educational presentations and resources. 

View an infographic summarizing the survey data here, or view the full Trauma-Informed Care Member Surveys Evaluation here. 

• Hosted a PA AAP Let's Talk Pediatric Community Forum: "Thinking in a Trauma-Informed Way: Why and How" (November 2023).
• Hosted two roundtable discussions *of note, these discussions were not recorded due to family participation and to encourage open dialogue:
  • "Trauma-Informed Care: Next Steps Forward Roundtable Discussion- Part 1" (January 2024)
  • "Trauma-Informed Care: Next Steps Forward Roundtable Discussion- Part 2" (February 2024)
• ​Developed a Pediatric Practice Trauma-Informed Care Infographic (March 2024)

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• Presented at the PA AAP 2024 Annual Pediatric Conference
  • Addressing Challenges in Modern Pediatrics, "Trauma-Informed Pediatric Care" (March 2024).
• Highlighted in the inaugural edition of "Trauma-Informed Care at the AAP"- a bi-monthly newsletter intended to provide important information and updates related to trauma-informed pediatric care initiatives. ​

​Go to our calendar to stay up to date on additional event opportunities.

PA AAP Contacts

mailTwo Chapter ambassadors and a subject matter expert were identified and work together to provide leadership and subject matter expertise, engage community members, and support PA Chapter activities related to trauma-informed care. 

Norrell K. Atkinson, MD, FAAP- PA AAP Ambassador
Section Chief, Child Protection Program, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children
Philadelphia, PA
Email: [email protected]

Amy G. Nevin, MD, FAAP- PA AAP Ambassador
Pediatrician-Behavioral Health, Children's Community Care-Pittsburgh Pediatrics
Pittsburgh, PA
Email: [email protected]

Eileen Thompson, RN, BSN- PA AAP Staff
Director, Practice-Based Initiatives, PA AAP
King of Prussia, PA
​Email: [email protected]

AAP Resources

The AAP encourages pediatricians to take a trauma-informed approach to care with all families, with a goal of fostering safe, stable, nurturing relationships to build resiliency and promote healthy mental development. Here are some new resources to share.

• Video: Power of Relationships in Pediatric Care: Uncovering Trauma & Adversity

           In a new video from AAP, Khadijia Tribie Reid, MD, MPH, FAAP, tells the story of one family's visit that revealed some personal                               trauma. She talks about the importance of going beyond the checklists and building trusted relationships with patients and                               families to better support them through hard times. 

• Spanish Infographics: Supporting Children Who Have Experienced Trauma

​          Download and share helpful and practical infographics to support caregivers in parenting kids who have experienced trauma-                           available in English and Spanish. These resources would be a great addition to practice settings to hang on the walls, share                                 with families, and more.

Visit the AAP website for additional resources.