California Pediatrician - Spring 2008 Contents

To Be Lean Is not a Dream
Alberto Gedissman, MD
PowerPlayMD-OC continues advocating and treating Orange County
obese children and youth.

California Takes Action to Address Our Obesity Epidemic
Mark B. Horton, MD, MSPH; Kathleen M. Tharp, PhD, MPH, RD;
Lisa S. Hershey, MPH
A third of the children, a quarter of the teens, and half of all adults in
California are overweight or obese. The California public agencies
have developed a plan to combat this epidemic.

Patient Photo Quiz
Robert Hartman, MD and Robert Adler, MD, MS Ed
What is this rash and why isn’t it getting better?

Influenza Vaccine Law Reminder

Diabetes in Children—
A Global Campaign
Francine Ratner Kaufman, MD
Children worldwide continue to die of diabetes. Basic supplies and
education can change this.

An Alternative to Golf
Stanley Rappoport, MD
Golf is good, but getting school children enthusiastic about US history
through original documents and art is even better.

Tips from the Pediatric Dentist
Oariona Lowe, MA, DDS
Dr. Lowe answers frequently asked questions.

Fevers
Jeffrey J. Rabinovitz, MD
Parents fear fever. It is our job as pediatricians to teach them that
“fever is your friend.”

My Pediatric Experience in Western Africa
Danelle Fisher, MD
A medical mission to Liberia turns out to be a learning experience as
well as an humanitarian undertaking.

District Chair’s Report
Myles B. Abbott, MD
The District has been busy addressing healthcare reform, Medi-
Cal reimbursement, coalition building, and chapter membership
recruitment.

Secure Prescription Writing: A New Law Takes Effect
Stephen D. Wilson, MD, PhD
Starting this year, all hand-written prescriptions must be on tamperresistent
pads in order to be eligible for Medicaid.

Annual Leadership Forum Report
Mika Hiramatsu, MD
The Annual Leadership Forum (ALF) allows individual
AAP chapter members to have a voice in directing national
AAP policy.

Recommended Immunization Schedule

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
Adam Hersh, MD, PhD and Erica Pan, MD, MPH
Community-acquired CA-MRSA has caused an epidemic
of skin and soft-tissue infections among children in the US.

Report on the Medical Leadership Council on
Cultural Proficiency
Elliot Weinstein, MD
The MLC is dedicated to removing the cultural and
language barriers to healthcare that exist in the medical
field.

Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units
(PEHSUs)
James M. Seltzer, MD and Mark Miller, MD, MPH
Environmental factors affect children’s health. Ten PEHUs
across the country assess these dangers.

K9 Buddies
Aerial Gilbert, RN
Guide Dogs for the Blind has partnered over 11,000
specially-trained mobility dogs with legally-blind people.
Now, K9 Buddy Program, matches companion dogs to
visually-impaired children and young adults.

AAP-CA CH2 High Desert Area Activities
Damodara Rajasekhar, MD
Pediatricians in the San Bernardino High Desert Area meet
monthly to discuss continuing education, networking, and
pediatric practice issues.

President-Elect Candidates 2008

Contributors