Welcome

Nelson Mandela defines resilience precisely: “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”  Resiliency does not happen overnight; it is an ability that requires learning, building, and practicing skills to cope with life’s challenges.  The year 2020 was an unexpected lesson in adversity that serves as an opportunity to teach our children how to build resiliency now and for the future.


Welcome to “DOing Pediatric Education Together: The Resilient Child”; a fitting title for a virtual conference presented during a pandemic that has tested our abilities to change and adapt.  The conference program is a collaboration between the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians (ACOP) and the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Osteopathic Pediatricians (AAP-SOOPe).

We start our conference with nationally renowned speakers on childhood trauma and diabetes research.  As our day progresses, we will focus on the effects of COVID-19, including anxiety, depression, virtual learning, health inequity, and racism. We will finish with the physical diagnoses in pediatric dermatology and ophthalmology.  Next, we have an entire day devoted to hematology/oncology topics, including the evaluation of easy bleeding and bruising, the presentation of limping in a child, awareness of oncofertility, and caring for children after they have finished cancer treatment. 

On Saturday, we start our day with tough, but important, conversations about child abuse and will learn about recognition, prevention, and utilizing our osteopathic principles for children who have experienced trauma.  We then have speakers on Ehlers Danlos and Chiari Malformation, as well as nutrition and various bowel issues.  We have the honor of hearing one family’s story from the viewpoint of a sibling who was affected by living with a child with cancer.  The final day of our conference will begin with an update on the newest asthma guidelines and osteopathic manipulative treatment for pulmonary conditions.  We wrap up the conference with a focus on lessons that we have learned by discussing physician suicide and hearing about unusual opportunities to help with food insecurity in our communities.

Lectures will be livestreamed to your computer, laptop, tablet, or phone.  Each session will feature a live panel discussion where speakers will answer your questions submitted through the Ask the Speaker feature of our new Mobile Meeting Guide.  A moderator will help make sure your questions are sent to the correct presenter either during our set Q & A panel or following the conference.  

The conference is an opportunity for attendees to obtain AOA Category 1A CME Credits and/or AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.  We look forward to having you participate in this engaging and informative joint CME program between the ACOP and the AAP Section on Osteopathic Pediatricians.

In addition to great sessions, the joint conference will feature a poster session highlighting research and case report projects, the award for the ACOP Pediatrician of the Year, wellness activities, and a virtual exhibit hall.  There will be separate sessions for our medical students and trainees, and we are working on virtual networking opportunities for all attendees. 

Who Should Attend?
Pediatricians in general practice
Community Pediatricians
Faculty in general and community pediatrics
Young physicians
Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
Fellows-in-Training
Pediatric Residents and Interns
Medical School Students interested in pediatrics
Other pediatric healthcare professionals

We are glad that you have decided to join us for this unique virtual conference and that you have chosen to get your CME credits through the ACOP and AAP SOOPe.  We look forward to your feedback and hope to see you all in person sometime soon!