Physicians’ Network Web Series
In spring 2021, our presenters all focused on different aspects of health equity and what we can do to confront these systemic inequities. For this reason, the theme of the web series is Helping Every Child Thrive: Health Equity in Early Childhood. Instead of meeting in person, the physicians below created virtual presentations that can be watched on demand. Scroll down to view them and learn about the presenters.
Andrew F. Beck, MD, MPH
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Dr. Beck is an Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and an attending physician in the Divisions of General and Community Pediatrics and Hospital Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He received his BA in Anthropology from Yale University, his MD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and his MPH from Harvard University. He completed residency and fellowship training at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Dr. Beck’s research aims to equitably improve child health outcomes by addressing key social determinants of health. Specifically, he pursues quantitative and quality improvement studies that focus on population-level health disparities and clinical-community collaborations. Dr. Beck has a lead role in the hospital’s Community Health Initiative which strives to, together with families and the community, help Cincinnati’s kids to be the healthiest in the nation. He is also involved in supporting the regional response to COVID-19.
Moira Szilagyi, MD, PhD
University of California, Los Angeles
Dr. Moira Ann Szilagyi, AAP President-elect, is a primary care pediatrician, Professor of Pediatrics and Division Chief of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at UCLA where she is also the Peter Shapiro Term Chair for Enhancing Children’s Developmental and Behavioral Health in Pediatrics. Dr. Szilagyi was Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester from 1990-2014 and Medical Director of Starlight Pediatrics, an integrated-care medical home for children in foster/kinship care.
Her broad experience includes primary care for vulnerable populations, suburban private practice, education of trainees, leadership of several multi-system collaborative partnerships to improve care for vulnerable children, research on evidence-based screening and the integration of mental health into primary care, and a long history of advocacy at federal, state and local levels.
Dr. Szilagyi has held numerous AAP leadership positions, chairing the AAP NY-District II Task Force on Foster Care and the national Council on Foster Care, Adoption and Kinship Care. She is editor of Fostering Health (the manual for providers and systems) and has authored several AAP policy statements and clinical and technical reports on child welfare-involved children. She is Principal Investigator of an AAP case-based on-line educational program to help pediatricians integrate trauma-informed care into practice. Dr. Szilagyi sees patients in L.A. County’s foster care system.
Heather C. Forkey, MD
University of Massachusetts Memorial Childrens Medical Center
Heather C. Forkey, MD, is a Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Vice Chair for Wellness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Division Director for the Child Protection Program and Foster Children Evaluation Service (FaCES) of the UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center. She also serves as the Medical Director of Lifeline4Kids at University of Massachusetts Medical School. She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. She completed her pediatric residency and chief residency at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Forkey has been the recipient of local and federal grants to address issues of children in foster care and to translate promising practices to address physical and mental health needs of children who have been traumatized. She has published, and presents nationally and internationally on these topics, serves leadership roles for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and American Academy of Pediatrics on issues related to foster care and child trauma.
Adiaha Spinks-Franklin, MD, MPH, FAAP
Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Adiaha Spinks-Franklin (first name pronounced: ah * dee * YAH) is a board certified Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician at Texas Children’s Hospital and Associate Professor of Pediatrics for Baylor College of Medicine. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Section of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). She is an inaugural co-chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for the Society of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, where she formerly served on the Board of Directors and as Co-Chair of the Advocacy Committee. She is Founder of the pediatric anti-racism social justice organization called “Race and Children Educational Collaborative of Anti-Racist Developmental-Behavioral Professionals (RACE CARD)”.
Dr. Spinks-Franklin earned a Bachelor degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated with honors from Meharry Medical College School of Medicine in Nashville, TN. She completed Pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan/Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. Then Dr. Spinks-Franklin completed the Dyson Advocacy Fellowship and the Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics fellowship at Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School, in Boston MA. She earned a Master’s in Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health during her fellowship. She participates in global pediatric healthcare projects in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and South America. Dr. Spinks-Franklin is a married mother of three adult sons and three adorable grandchildren. She and her husband live on a farm.
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