Department of Pediatrics

Pediatrics Residency Program Director Jill Rinehart, M.D., FAAP, associate professor of pediatrics

(JANUARY 1, 2023) According to Pediatrics Residency Program Director Jill Rinehart, M.D., FAAP, associate professor of pediatrics, in September 2023 UVM will host the annual summit of the Northern New England Advocacy Collaborative (NNEAC), a group made up of pediatric residency program leaders in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) News reports.

NNEAC members collaborate on efforts to advocate for children and families and to support pediatric residents in the Northeast. The group’s mission includes training pediatricians to be lifelong advocates through learning experiences and skills development; developing and sharing curricula that are culturally sensitive and community specific; and fostering collaboration with community partners.

“Most of our residents come to our smaller programs because they’re interested in community medicine,” says Rinehart. “This advocacy is very much a part of that journey into community medicine.”

“Sometimes, it can be small things,” she says. “One of my residents is an amazing seamstress as well as being a pediatrician. She recognized children with G-tubes and other types of medical equipment end up spending a lot of time in bed because they don’t have adaptive clothing that can work around all the tubes and wires. She made some designs for the children to wear with superhero patterns and Elsa (from the movie Frozen) just to help kids feel comfortable and not be hanging out in a hospital gown. [Projects] can contribute through education or a systems change or a practical thing like clothing, and that’s pretty powerful.”