Elective Director: Catherine Karr, MD, MS, PhD
206-616-4355| ckarr@uw.edu
Elective Contact: Dr. MaryKate Cardon
206-221-5932| kidchem@uw.edu
Description: An increasingly sophisticated evidence base links environmental factors with the major morbidities facing children today such as asthma, ADHD, low birthweight, and pediatric cancer. Families with children depend on their pediatric health care provider to have up to date information and guidance on recognizing, preventing and managing environmentally related illness including lead in water, arsenic in food, pesticides at school, etc. The pediatric environmental health specialty elective provides the resident an opportunity to work with faculty specialists in pediatric environmental medicine and the NW Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit or PEHSU. This CDC/EPA sponsored consultation, education and outreach service responds to queries and needs for Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and WA State. The elective provides the resident an opportunity to develop understanding of the role of environmental factors in child health, how to diagnose, manage, and prevent significant environmental exposures in children, how to interpret risk and provide evidence based risk communication to individuals and communities. Individual community based or health education projects are developed tailored to the residents interests and needs of the region. Residents are expected to attend biweekly PEHSU meetings and a set of seminars but consultation activities are conducted within a flexible schedule, allowing the resident to personalize their work schedule.
Requires minimum 3 months advance notice. Contact Elective Director and Contact if planning to request this rotation.
Website: http://www.pehsu.net