NEAAP Award Nominations

Nominations are now open for two NEAAP Awards:

Outstanding Child Advocate of the Year

  • Recognize a NEAAP member who has contributed to the improvement of child health care at the chapter level. It can also be given for either a special project or for years of service on behalf of children.
  • Nominee must be a current Nebraska Chapter AAP member.
  • Nomination must be submitted from a current Nebraska Chapter AAP member.
  • Consideration Criteria: active involvement in Chapter service or initiatives, involvement in advocacy or community awareness on behalf of child health, involvement in special projects, committees or activities that serve the needs of Nebraska children.

Friend of Child Health

  • Non-medical or medical provider outside of pediatrics (i.e. community leader, lawmaker, provider in a non-pediatric related field)
  • Nomination must be submitted from a current Nebraska Chapter AAP member.
  • Consideration Criteria: performs outstanding service to the betterment of the health of the children and adolescents of the state of Nebraska.

Please note the following restrictions:

  1. Individuals may only nominate one person for each individual award.
  2. Current members of the NEAAP Executive Committee are ineligible to receive these awards.

Deadline for Nominations: Friday, September 10, 2024

Award recipients will be determined by the NEAAP Executive Committee and will be announced at the NEAAP Fall Conference on Friday, October 18, 2024.

Nebraska Child & School Health Data

This guide is brought to you by Nebraska TEAMS, a collaboration of the Nebraska Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Children’s Nebraska, DHHS, and NDE dedicated to improving the health and mental health of children in school.

Project ECHO Series: Addiction Treatment in Pediatric Settings

FOR PROVIDERS: Participating providers gain access to up-to-date guidelines on addiction management and treatment, become part of a community of practice and learning, and are able to network with other care providers.
PLUS: ABP MOC Part 2, AMA PRA Category 1, DEA MATE, Opiate Prescriber credits (see below).

FOR CLINICS/DIVISIONS: A stipend is available to clinics and pediatric divisions in Nebraska:
• that did not receive a stipend during the 2023 grant
• have at least one provider participate in a minimum of four of the sessions

June 11:
Overview of Substance Use & Addiction in Adolescents
Presented by Kenneth Zoucha, MD, FAAP, FASAM

June 25:
Cannabis & Nicotine Use Disorders
Presented by Varun Sharma, MD

July 9:
Screening, Brief, Intervention, Referral (SBIRT)
Presented by Kenneth Zoucha, MD, FAAP, FASAM

July 23:
Alcohol Use Disorder
Presented by Claudia Moore, MD

August 6:
Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Part I
Presented by Kenneth Zoucha, MD, FAAP, FASAM

August 20:
Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Part II
Presented by Rishi Gautam, MD

Sept 3:
Preparing Your Practice to Offer Medication to Treat Opioid Use Disorder
Presented by Kenneth Zoucha, MD, FAAP, FASAM

Sept 17:
Overdose Prevention & Other Medical Considerations
Presented by Jesse Barondeau, MD

Children’s Nebraska is accredited by the Nebraska Medical Association to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Children’s Nebraska designates this live activity for a maximum of eight (8.00) AMA PRA Category I Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Maintenance of Certification: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation & post-test component, enables the participant to earn up to 8.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part 2 program.

Opiate Prescriber: This course counts for a maximum of 6.00 hours toward the mandatory opiate education for providers in the state of Nebraska.

Drug Enforcement Agency Medicate Access and Training Expansion (MATE): This course counts for a maximum of 8.00 hours toward the Drug Enforcement Agency Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) mandatory education requirement for providers.

NEAAP Executive Committee Election 2024

Members may now cast their vote for the candidates to fill several Nebraska Chapter Executive Board seats for terms beginning in July 2024.

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED.

There following positions are up for election
PRESIDENT-ELECT
SECRETARY/TREASURER
OMAHA REPRESENTATIVE (TWO SEATS)
LINCOLN REPRESENTATIVE
OUT-STATE REPRESENTATIVE


PRESIDENT-ELECT:
Matt Gibson, MD is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He trained in pediatrics at the UNMC/Children’s/Creighton combined program in Omaha, NE. Dr. Gibson has been practicing since 2013, the last almost 7 years in practice in Omaha at Methodist Physicians Clinic-Regency. He practices general pediatrics and newborn medicine while also serving as physician champion on vaccines and HPV, as well as on the Executive Board of Methodist Physicians Clinic. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and has served on the NE AAP board for 4 years as an Omaha representative and the past two years as Secretary/Treasurer. He works with the Chapter as a Social Media Co-Chair as well as previously helped to redesign and update its website. He enjoys spending free time with his spouse, two sons, and two crazy dogs. Dr. Gibson is board certified in Pediatrics.

SECRETARY/TREASURER:
Kenneth (Ken) Zoucha, MD received his medical degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 1988 and completed his internship and residency in in Pediatrics in 1991 during which time he served as the Chief Resident for the Department of Pediatrics from 1990 – 1991. Dr. Zoucha is currently Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Addiction Division for the Department of Psychiatry. He is also the program director for the Addiction Medicine fellowship at UNMC with Family Medicine as the sponsoring residency. He developed a pilot project for an executive fellowship in addiction medicine to provide an intensive educational experience for current medical providers. Prior to his current position he served as Medical Director of Hastings Juvenile Chemical Dependency Program at the Hastings Regional Center that started in 2012. Dr. Zoucha practiced as a general pediatrician from 1991 until 2010 and was a partner of the Children and Adolescent Clinic, P.C. in Hastings, Nebraska while serving as volunteer faculty at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics. He maintains Board Certification in General Pediatrics and Addiction Medicine and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and a Diplomat of the American Board of Addiction Medicine. Ken enjoys time with his family, including his grandkids and granddogs. He finds peace in the outdoors with frequent walks with his dog and when he has time, enjoys plucking the bass guitar and spinning some wax (aka listening to records).

OMAHA REPRESENTATIVES (TWO SEATS):

Kari Krenzer, MD, is a graduate of The University of Nebraska Medical Center. She trained in pediatrics at the joint UNMC/Creighton residency program in Omaha. Dr. Krenzer has been practicing with Children’s Physicians in Omaha since August of 2001. She has served the past years as an Omaha Representative on the NEAAP Executive Committee. She is board certified and a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Joseph (Jay) Snow, MD is a graduate of the Creighton University School of Medicine. He trained in Pediatrics at the University of Nebraska/Creighton University Joint Pediatric Residency program. Dr. Snow has been practicing since 2002 as a Pediatric Hospitalist at Children’s Nebraska, Omaha as well as additionally practicing at Nebraska Medicine, Madonna, Bryan, and St. Elizabeth’s over subsequent years.  Jay is also an Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine and volunteer faculty at Creighton University School of Medicine and is a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics.  Jay previously served on the Nebraska Chapter AAP board while serving as Chief Resident 2001-2002.  He is board certified in Pediatrics and will be sitting for the Pediatric Hospital Medicine boards this fall.

LINCOLN REPRESENTATIVE:

Pam Zegers, MD is a graduate of the University of Nebraska Medical College. She trained at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI. She completed a chief resident year and then practiced in Milwaukee from 2003-2011 where she was actively involved in residency training and received Outstanding Volunteer Faculty Awards. She relocated back home to Nebraska in Fall of 2011 and has been practicing for 12 years at Complete Children’s Health where she serves as the Vice President. She is board certified in Pediatrics and enjoys the broad scope of practice but has some emphases in Adolescent Health, Adolescent Gynecology, and Behavioral Pediatrics. She has served as a volunteer faculty for Children’s Nebraska and the Lincoln Family Medicine Residency Program and served on the DHHS advisory board for the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program. She spends much of her time at Complete Children’s Health working on marketing, media, and employee relations.

OUT-STATE REPRESENTATIVE:

Melissa Law, MD is a graduate of University of Nebraska College of Medicine. She trained in Pediatrics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center-Children’s Hospital-Creighton combined residency program in Omaha, NE, and served a fourth year as a Co-Chief Resident. Dr. Law has been practicing since 2013, the last 9 years in Grand Island, NE at the Grand Island Clinic. Dr. Law specializes in General Pediatrics and has extra training in lactation and loves following her patients from birth throughout childhood. Dr. Law is on staff at both CHI-St. Francis and Regional Medical Center hospitals in Grand Island, NE. Dr. Law is a volunteer adjunct assistant professor at both University of Nebraska Medical Center-Pediatric Department and Creighton Medical Center-Pediatric Department and is a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Law was the recipient of the University of Nebraska Medical Center- Pediatric Department volunteer faculty clerkship teaching award in 2018. She has served the past two years as Out-State Representative on the NEAAP Executive Committee. Dr. Law is board certified in General Pediatrics.

Infectious Diseases Prevention Handbook for Schools Now Available.

In Nebraska, we are highly aware of disparities between rural and urban areas. Persons living in rural areas have less access to healthcare, have lower rates of vaccination, and have a more difficult time to access many experts and resources to support school health than their urban counterparts may.

The funding for this book was provided through a grant the Nebraska Chapter AAP received through the American Academy of Pediatrics Managing Infectious Diseases in Schools Chapter Innovation Grant. This grant provided funding for compilation, printing and distribution of this handbook to rural schools with the intent of reducing rural health disparities.

Nirsevimab Resources

As nirsevimab is the first product of its kind, there are many things to consider during the first season of implementation. Below are various resources to support implementation in both inpatient and outpatient settings.  

Ambulatory/Outpatient Practice Resources 

General Resources 

Beyfortus Expert Series Informational Webinars

  • Register online for 30-minute session focused on clinical topics such as MOA, formulary updates, implementation and more.
  • Multiple dates available for sessions with live Q&A

2023 NEACH Advocacy Training Session

NOVEMBER 15th at 6:00 PM VIA ZOOM

This session is open only to members of the Nebraska Chapter AAP or the Nebraska Regional Council of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Wednesday, November 15th

Advocacy Panel Discussion

Panelists: 

  • State Senator Ben Hansen, District 16, Chair of Nebraska Health & Human Services Committee
  • Cristina Prentice, Legislative Aide to State Senator Tony Vargas
  • Andrea Skolkin, CEO of One World Community Health Centers

This session will give you the opportunity to learn and ask questions about:

  • Why advocacy is important and why physicians are needed in advocacy efforts
  • Gain insight into child health topics likely to arise this upcoming legislative season

NOTE: Online Registration has closed. NEAAP or ROCAP members interested in participating should email Nebraska Advocates for Child Health.

NEAAP Award Nominations

Nominations are now open for two NEAAP Awards:

Outstanding Child Advocate of the Year

  • Recognize a NEAAP member who has contributed to the improvement of child health care at the chapter level. It can also be given for either a special project or for years of service on behalf of children.
  • Nominee must be a current Nebraska Chapter AAP member.
  • Nomination must be submitted from a current Nebraska Chapter AAP member.
  • Consideration Criteria: active involvement in Chapter service or initiatives, involvement in advocacy or community awareness on behalf of child health, involvement in special projects, committees or activities that serve the needs of Nebraska children.

Friend of Child Health

  • Non-medical or medical provider outside of pediatrics (i.e. community leader, lawmaker, provider in a non-pediatric related field)
  • Nomination must be submitted from a current Nebraska Chapter AAP member.
  • Consideration Criteria: performs outstanding service to the betterment of the health of the children and adolescents of the state of Nebraska.

Please note the following restrictions:

  1. Individuals may only nominate one person for each individual award.
  2. Current members of the NEAAP Executive Committee are ineligible to receive these awards.

Deadline for Nominations: Friday, September 10, 2024

Award recipients will be determined by the NEAAP Executive Committee and will be announced at the NEAAP Fall Conference on Friday, October 18, 2024.

Project ECHO Series: Addiction Treatment in Pediatric Settings

Virtually on Tuesdays, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CDT, September 5 – October 24

  • September 5th: Overview of Substance Use & Addition in Adolescents presented by Kenneth Zoucha, MD, FAAP, FASAM
  • September 12th: Screening, Brief, Intervention, & Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Approaches presented by Kenneth Zoucha, MD, FAAP, FASAM
  • September 19th: Cannabis and Nicotine Use Disorders presented by Varun Sharma, MD
  • September 26th: Alcohol Use Disorder presented by Claudia Moore, MD
  • October 3rd: Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Part 1 presented by Kenneth Zoucha, MD, FAAP, FASAM
  • October 10th: Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Part 2 presented by Rishi Gautam, MD
  • October 17th: Overdose Prevention and Other Medical Considerations presented by Kenneth Zoucha, MD, FAAP, FASAM
  • October 24th: Preparing Your Practice to Offer Medication to Treat Opioid Use Disorder presented by Jesse Barondeau, MD

ABP MOC Part 2, AMA PRA Category 1, DEA MATE, Opiate Prescriber credit pending.