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Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Medical University of South Carolina
As a pediatrician I am dedicated to providing evidence-based, cost-effective care. As a clinical researcher I strive to improve healthcare systems to deliver guideline recommended care that does not overly burden children or their families. My previous research, including my KL2 project, is focused on improving preventive care delivery to children with asthma. I have over 30 peer-reviewed publications, primarily in the field of asthma. While I am continuing to pursue cost-effective, technology enabled solutions to improve asthma medication adherence I have developed an additional interest in preventing unintentional gun injuries in children. Motivated by the epidemic of gun violence in our country, I began searching for opportunities to contribute to a solution. Through this search I came to appreciate the importance of safe gun storage as a means of reducing unintentional shootings by children as well as suicides. I became a presenter for BeSMART for kids, a national organization focused on promoting safe gun storage. I brought this program to my institution's pediatric primary care clinic where we now distribute safe storage handouts during well child checks and are working to increase the rate at which we ask families about gun safety during visits to the clinic. We have future plans to bring this program to our Pediatric Emergency Department and inpatient units. Through this process I have learned that as a pediatrician and member of the AAP, my voice carries weight in the community when in comes to issues of child safety, including gun safety. I am anxious to share this experience with the PHM community as well as introduce practical ways in which we can all bring the issue of gun safety to our daily interactions with children and their parents.
