COVID and Children with Disabilities eCourse

 

Registration Opens: March 22, 2022

Registration Closes: May 23, 2022

Course Begins: March 30, 2022 (self-paced)

Course Closes: May 30, 2022 (no extensions allowed)

Course Cost: $75 AACPDM Members / $100 Non-Members

Course Summary:

The novel coronavirus (COVID) pandemic has caused titanic changes in the social, medical and financial milieu encompassing children with developmental disabilities.  These changes exacerbated health disparities in vulnerable populations and dramatically decreased the access of children with disabilities to school and medical care.  Family income, through parental unemployment, underemployment, illness or death, intensified poverty. Finally, COVID-induced Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) and chronic post-infectious symptomatology caused durable functional impairment in a select group of children.   As such, it is imperative that the community of professionals specializing in the care of those with childhood-onset disability be aware of the totality of the impact of the COVID pandemic on children with disabilities.

Presenters: Maurice Sholas, MD, PhD, Ana Ortiz-Santiago, MD, Brenda Agnew, Mitul Kapadia, MD, Msc and Irene Deitz, MD

Maurice Sholas, MD, PhD: Dr. Maurice Sholas is the Principal for Sholas Medical Consulting, LLC.  In this capacity, he solves operational challenges for individual practitioners, hospitals and health care agencies.  In additional he is a subject matter expert on children with special health care needs.  He previously served as a Senior Medical Director for multiple Children’s Hospitals and has founded multiple programs in Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine. Dr. Sholas’ work, whether clinical or administrative, is focused on optimizing function and advocating for the marginalized.  Dr. Sholas’ pursuit of intellectual achievement is matched only by his pursuit of advocacy.  He feels strongly that every segment of the population has a contribution to make.  He is a prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar.   Only through advocacy and inclusion can the many voices be heard, consensus reached, and true democracy flourish. He embodies the belief that being a good citizen is a prerequisite to being a great physician/executive. 

 

Ana Ortiz-Santiago, MD: Ana M. Ortiz-Santiago, MD is currently a first-year fellow in the Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Fellowship in Northwestern Feinberg SOM/Shirley Ryan Abilitylab. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, completed her medical education and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency in the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in San Juan, PR. Her clinical and research interests include conditions affecting function and development, neuromuscular diseases including muscular dystrophies and spinal muscular atrophy, Cerebral Palsy, spasticity management including intrathecal baclofen pump, botulinum toxin injection and phenol neurolysis, ultrasound guided evaluations and procedures, traumatic brain injuries, pediatric gait disorders and gait analysis, and medical education.

 

Brenda Agnew: Ms. Agnew is the proud mother of two boys, Chase and Maclain. Her son Maclain has Cerebral Palsy and profound hearing loss as a result of a condition known as Kernicterus, a brain injury that results from untreated jaundice. Brenda is a school board trustee with the Halton Catholic District School board and also a Client Liaison with Gluckstein Lawyers helping to support and advise clients and their families throughout their case. She tirelessly advocates for better systems and programs for children with special needs and participates as a family advisor on numerous committees and boards and is also past chair of the AACPDM community council .

 

Mitul Kapadia, MD, Msc: Dr. Mitul Kapadia is director of pediatric rehabilitation at UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital San Francisco. He earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He completed a residency in pediatrics as well as a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals / Dupont Childrens Hospital. He earned certification in structural acupuncture for physicians from Harvard University and also has a master of science degree in international health policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Kapadia has received numerous awards for his teaching, and he has provided pediatric medical care in other countries, including India, Nepal, Botswana, Ecuador and Haiti.

 

Irene Deitz, MD: Dr. Dietz is the Director of Comprehensive Care at MetroHealth in Cleveland, OH.  In addition, she is an Associate Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.  Dr. Dietz is a pediatrician focused on Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrics as well as Hospice and Palliative Care.  She has been honored through recognition over multiple years by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.  Dr. Dietz has been inspired by her mentor, Robert Bilenker, a wonderful role model who has encouraged her to continue the work she is doing. From an early age, she wanted to go into medicine. When she visited her pediatrician, she wanted to help patients and care for children like he did. The most rewarding aspect of her career is hearing positive progress reports from people who were born prematurely and then placed under her care. Any of her patients who have overcome challenges make her proud and remind her of the impact she has had on many lives over the years.