Winter 2019 (Volume 29, Number 4)

Pediatric Committee News

By Ron Laxer, MDCM, FRCPC

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All pediatric rheumatologists and pediatric rheumatology trainees who are members of the CRA are automatically considered members of the CRA Pediatrics Committee, making this the largest committee of the CRA. Our committee has several subcommittees including 1) Advocacy, 2) Education, 3) Human Resources, and 4) Community Pediatric Rheumatology. In addition, our members also participate in other CRA committees including Research, Therapeutics, Quality Care, Human Resources, Guidelines, Education, Communications, and the ASM Program Committee. This allows important cross-fertilization among the committees, and further extends the input of pediatric rheumatology into CRA activities. Three recent activities will be highlighted briefly here.

The CRA Pediatrics Committee is busy with numerous ongoing and new initiatives. Two projects currently underway will help with physician resource planning, and assessing a number of issues relating to quality of care. The Human Resources subcommittee is currently looking at physician resources at each academic centre, as well as in the community. This will provide information regarding current and more distant needs, and is being led by Michelle Batthish from McMaster University. Deb Levy and Jennifer Lee from the University of Toronto are currently leading a project that examines variations in care processes at each pediatric rheumatology centre across Canada.

Evelyn Rozenblyum from both McMaster University and the University of Toronto, and Mercedes Chan from the University of British Columbia, worked with the Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS) as part of our engagement strategy. They are leading the development of a “Special Interest Group” on pediatric rheumatology within the CPS. At the most recent CPS meeting in Toronto in June, they presented a highly rated workshop on pediatric musculoskeletal examination skills as well as a seminar entitled “Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask!”

There are many more exciting and important initiatives underway which will be provided in our next update article!

Drs. Evelyn Rozenblyum and Mercedes Chan presented a highly rated workshop, Pediatric Musculoskeletal Examination Skills at the 2019 CPS meeting in June, in Toronto.

Participants at the Pediatric Musculoskeletal Examination Skills workshop were able to get hands-on experience.

Ronald M. Laxer, MDCM, FRCPC
Professor,
Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine,
University of Toronto
Staff Rheumatologist,
The Hospital for Sick Children
Toronto, Ontario