Helping To Maintain the Highest Level of Care

Columbia Pediatrics faculty lead a continuing education seminar.

Department of Pediatrics Annual Report – 2023

Continuing Education

Banner graphic for the Department of Pediatrics Annual Report for 2023

Specialty Updates for the General Pediatrician

In 2023, the department held its 10th annual continuing medical education (CME) course for pediatricians, our Specialty Updates for the General Pediatrician. Each year, the program covers new or updated guidelines or practice parameters in subspecialty topics that impact primary pediatric care, with an emphasis on conditions that generally involve a team approach, including the primary care physician and the subspecialist. This year’s event was entirely virtual with pre-recorded lectures and live question and answer sessions. Attendees joined from all over the country and participants had access to content after the event. Among the topics covered in our 2023 course:

  • Common Skin Complaints: When to Worry, When to Refer?
  • Suicide Assessment and Interventions in Pediatric Primary Care
  • Contraceptive Updates for the Adolescent and Young Adult Patient
  • Concussion Diagnosis - SCAT 6 and SCOAT6 for the Pediatrician
  • Long COVID in Children and Adolescents: What We Know and What We Hope to Learn
  • Management of Penile and Testicular Abnormalities
  • LGBTQ+ Youth: Inclusion and Affirmation
  • Treating Adolescent Depression with SSRIs in the Primary Care Office
  • An Overview of the 2023 AAP Obesity Guidelines

Jen-Tien Wung Respiratory Care of the Newborn: A Practical Approach

Columbia neonatologist Dr. Jen-Tien Wung developed the bubble CPAP system in the 1970s, and his unit was well known for many decades for his extraordinary results with this gentler respiratory approach. This two-day course, named for Dr. Wung, covers all aspects of neonatal respiratory care, including non-invasive modes of respiratory support, kinder and gentler mechanical ventilation, neurally adjusted ventilator assist, high-frequency ventilation, surfactant therapy, inhaled nitric oxide therapy, one-lung ventilation, and the use of laryngeal mask airway. Participants are instructed about the application and pitfalls of bubble nasal prong continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy and ventilatory strategies in infants with respiratory distress. Course instructors also address airway care from a nursing perspective, clinical care of patients with respiratory distress syndrome and pulmonary hypertension, quality improvement for respiratory outcomes and unplanned extubations, and the current state of fetal surgery.

Next-Level Perinatal Palliative Care Training Course

Since 2008, Columbia neonatologists and the perinatal team have been providing specialized care to babies with short life expectancies and their families. In recognition of the unique aspects of caring for this population, the Columbia Neonatal Comfort Care Program, led by Dr. Elvira Parravicini, has been sharing evidence-based rationale and strategies, offered interactive learning opportunities, modeled elements of effective communication, and practiced hands-on activities with course participants for the past several years. Enrollees include physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other health professionals in the perinatal arena interested in implementing and/or improving the practice of perinatal palliative care for infants with life-limiting conditions, both nationally and internationally. The course covered evidence-based rationale, practical aspects and strategies for implementing and applying aspects of perinatal palliative care to provide safe and up-to-date obstetric care, support for families, and to achieve a state of comfort for newborns with life-limiting conditions. Course instructors also discussed the experiences of the Neonatal Comfort Care Program in providing perinatal palliative care for over a decade at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC).

Columbia Children's Health Webinars

Since 2020, the department has hosted a series of regular webinars to bring our expert knowledge on a broad range of contemporary topics in children's care to the pediatrics community. The entire series is available for viewing on the Columbia Children's Health Youtube channel.

2023 Series Highlights

Autism: From "Neuroplacentology" to Your Offices and Patients