15-Month Program Designed to Develop Clinical Leaders Committed to Improving Early Childhood Development and Reducing Disparities
NEW YORK, NY—May 25, 2021—United Hospital Fund (UHF) today announced its second class of PEDS Network Fellows, seven health care professionals who will go through a 15-month program designed to develop the next generation of clinical leaders committed to transforming pediatric primary care in ways that will improve early childhood development and reduce health disparities.
The PEDS Network Fellowship is part of UHF’s Pediatrics for an Equitable Developmental Start (PEDS) Learning Network, a statewide initiative to raise awareness of child health equity and the impact of early childhood development on lifelong health. The PEDS Network program recognizes that the first few years of life are crucial in establishing a path toward better health and educational outcomes throughout life, and that clinicians are on the front lines of supporting families during this critical period. The PEDS Network helps providers and health plans across the state share promising practices through an online resource center, and other forms of outreach, as described in this video.
The PEDS Fellowship is open to early-career physicians, nursing professionals, behavioral health practitioners, and clinical social workers. Fellows receive mentorship, professional development opportunities, and a stipend to develop and implement an equity-focused, child health project in their respective pediatric primary care site. The current fellowship runs from April 2022 to June 2023.
The 2022-2023 class of fellows are:
• Jena Burgner, DO
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Albany Medical Center
• Nicole Delgado-Salisbury, Ed.D.
Education Specialist
Saint Joseph’s Medical Center, Yonkers
• Geri Lynn Galotti, MD
Primary Care Pediatrician
Stony Brook Children’s
• Jisha Jacob, MD
Primary Care Pediatrician
NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx
• Talia A. Roth, MD
Pediatrician
NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx
• Beija Vasquez, MSW
Social Worker
Open Door Family Medical Center, Westchester
• Karina Vattana, MD, FAAP
Pediatrician
Pathway Pediatrics, Trillium Health, Rochester
The PEDS Learning Network and the Fellowship are supported by The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.
About United Hospital Fund
United Hospital Fund works to build an effective and equitable health care system for every New Yorker. An independent, nonprofit organization, we are a force for improvement, analyzing public policy to inform decision-makers, finding common ground among diverse stakeholders, and developing and supporting innovative programs that improve health and health care. We work to dismantle barriers in health policy and health care delivery that prevent equitable opportunities for health. For more on our initiatives and programs please visit our website at www.uhfnyc.org and follow us on Twitter.