AAP Division of Children with Special Needs (DOCSN) Staff

 

The DOCSN oversees and implements several national initiatives that help fulfill this mission including the National Center for Medical Home Implementation (NCMHI) , Medical Home Chapter Champions Program on Asthma (MHCCPA), Council on Children with Disabilities (COCWD) , Program to Enhance the Health & Development of Infants and Children (PEHDIC) , and Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) initiatives. The mission of the DOCSN is to improve the system of care for all children and youth—especially children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN)—by providing resources, tools, and technical assistance to enhance implementation of medical home.

AAP National Center for Medical Home Implementation Staff

Fan Tait, MD, FAAP
Director, Department of Community and Specialty Pediatrics
Principal Investigator of the NCMHI.

Michelle Esquivel, MPH
Director, Division of Children with Special Needs
Supervises all division activities and grants, including the NCMHI, which promotes access to a medical home for all children and youth.

Angela Tobin, MA, LSW
Medical Home Policy and Education Analyst
Provides direction and strategic guidance to pediatricians and other health care professionals to ensure all children have a medical home. Provides leadership to, and actively participates in local, state, and national medical home initiatives. Oversees the management, development, and content of the NCMHI educational and quality improvement initiatives.

Heather Stob
Program Coordinator, Technical Assistance
 Webmaster of the NCMHI Web site. Develops and disseminates the Medical Homes @ Work e-Newsletter. Maintains and disseminates technical assistance resources and other medical home resources. Coordinates NCMHI efforts related to medical home education in residency training and projects related to medical home implementation at the state and local levels.

Suzi Montasir, MPH
Program Manager
Manages the MHCCPA as part of the AAP Comprehensive Asthma Program (CAP). Provides technical assistance to pediatricians and other health professionals on how to better integrate medical home concepts related to asthma in practice. Provides technical assistance to pediatricians and others in states working on medical home implementation including, but not limited to, co-management issues and the role of the subspecialist in medical home.

Stephanie Mucha Skipper, MPH
Manager, Council on Children with Disabilities
Directs all policy, education, implementation, and advocacy efforts of the COCWD. Lead staff on autism and transition to adult health care initiatives.

Lindsay Wilson
Division Coordinator
Provides support to the DOCSN, the NCMHI, and the MHCCPA. Assists in coordination, planning, and logistics of program-related activities.

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Screening Initiatives Staff

Natalie Mikat-Stevens
Manager, Genetrics in Primary Care Institute (GPCI)
Manages the GPCI. Coordinates the management, development and content of the GPCI educational and quality improvement initiatives. Provides technical assistance to pediatricians and other health professionals on how to better integrate genetic medicine into primary care. 

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Manager, Screening and Public Health Prevention Programs
Manages the PEHDIC (cooperative agreement with the CDC) and Newborn Screening Program (agreement with the American College of Medical Genetics). These programs aim to translate critical research and guidelines, focused on preventive health care and early identification of children with special needs, into practice and to expand provider and public education related to health promotion and disease prevention.

Faiza Khan, MPH
Program Manager
Manages the EHDI and the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) activities of the PEHDIC and the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Initiative (cooperative agreement with MCHB). Provides technical assistance to pediatricians and other health professionals on how to better integrate EHDI and FASD in the medical home.

Corrie Pierce
Program Coordinator
Provides support to the PEHDIC, Newborn Screening, and EHDI Programs. Coordinates the development and dissemination of family/public resources and information about birth defects and modifiable risk factors and early identification related to same.

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How We Can Help

General Techical Assistance
Technical assistance is offered to anyone involved in ensuring all children and youth have the services and support to access a medical home. Examples of technical assistance are:

  • Identification of barriers and assistance in overcoming them
  • Strategic planning to build systems of care to support medical homes
  • Identification of local, state, and national resources
  • Providing individuals with medical home contacts in their states
  • Updating medical home state Web pages
  • Identification of funding sources
  • Dissemination of resources from the NCMHI
  • Developing and disseminating medical home marketing materials for families, providers, youth, insurers, communities, and states

Screening & Surveillance Technical Assistance
Pediatricians and other health care professionals who are interested in integrating screening and surveillance activities with the medical home can download tools and resources on newborn and infant hearing screening, newborn metabolic/genetic screening, and developmental screening and surveillance. DOCSN staff are available to provide assistance in any area and to help to facilitate the development of strategies throughout the process.

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Contact Information

Division of Children with Special Needs
c/o American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Blvd
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Phone: 847/434-7605
Contact Us

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