Course Description:

For Health Care Providers that serve our community, this session will review the foundational concepts that define gender affirming care, in particular the emphasis on constructing positive, respectful, and validating environments to allow gender diverse youth to explore their sense of self. The talk will also address challenges and benefits to using a family-centered, developmentally informed approach. Mental health disparities will be discussed in the context of stigma and minority stress as significant contributing factors, and the high potential these youth show towards resiliency. Finally, we will review practical tips that providers can implement in their own practice, such as the use of gender-inclusive language and ways to make the office a “safe-space” for all patients.

Presented by: Jason Rafferty, MD, MPH, EdM

Dr. Jason Rafferty is a board-certified child psychiatrist and pediatrician.  He is the medical director of the Gender & Sexuality Program at Hasbro Children’s Hospital and also involved with the adolescent substance use program, VISTA, at Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital.  He is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.  He graduated from Harvard Medical School and obtained post-graduate training through the Triple Board Residency at Brown University.  The Triple Board is a combined program in Pediatrics, General Psychiatry and Child/Adolescent Psychiatry. He has additional degrees from Harvard University in public health concentrating on Maternal and Child Health, and education focused on adolescent development and psychology.  He is involved with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) where he is the chair of Section on LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness and as the lead author of the AAP’s policy statement, “Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents.”

Registration closed.

Presentation slides: Dispelling the Myths – Gender Affirmative Care_Dr. Rafferty

Course Description:

This course is designed for health care providers with any level of experience in caring for the needs of gender diverse youth. Through a brief analysis of current issues which contribute to the health outcomes of gender diverse youth, participants will learn strategies to increase access in their setting and how to work in partnership with the gender clinics.

Presented by: Matt Goldenberg, PsyD, Licensed Psychologist, Gender Clinic Adolescent Medicine, Seattle Children’s Hospital

As a Licensed Psychologist, my mission is to build safer and more inclusive environments by training and consulting with healthcare professionals, employers, parents and educators about gender diversity. Trainings are developed with the intent of creating a cooperative, transparent, and energetic learning environment. I believe that effective teaching can unravel preconceived notions of gender by empowering participants to relate to gender non-conforming individuals and their families with empathy, affirmation, and respect.  As a former college Professor, I am experienced and comfortable with setting an open and cooperative tone in a classroom. I do not feel limited when teaching online and use a variety of applications to enhance participant engagement.  My learning events are highly experiential.  In addition to my knowledge of transgender health, I also am continuously learning best teaching practices and I am dedicated to cultivating culturally relevant and socially conscious pedagogy.

Registration closed.

Presentation recording HERE.

Presentation slides: Pediatric Gender Affirming Care – Jan 2024

Course Description:

This course will introduce participants to the concepts of neurodiversity and neurodivergence with a focus on informing and improving medical care. We will explore the neurodiversity movement and its impact on how we conceptualize various types of neurodivergence like autism and ADHD. We will also explore practical strategies for working with clients/patients in a neurodiversity-affirming way.

Presented by: Sara Woods, PhD

Sara Woods, PhD (née O’Neil) is a clinical psychologist at the UW Autism Center in Tacoma. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the APA-accredited University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. She also completed an APA-accredited predoctoral internship at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. She completed a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington Center for Human Development and Disability Child Development Clinic in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program.

At the UW Autism Center, Sara provides neurodiversity-affirming comprehensive assessments to people of all ages (toddlerhood through adulthood), as well as providing therapy, consultation, and education. Sara has published research on autism, reading, and emotion socialization. Sara’s research interests include autistic strengths, intersectionality, the meaning of autism from multiple perspectives, effective communication of diagnoses, and social development.

Registration closed.

Presentation Slides: Introduction to Neurodiversity and Strengths-Based Ways of Seeing Autism for Pediatricians 2-8-2024

Course Description: 

This course is designed to equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to create a positive healthcare experience for Latinx families. Participants will gain a deep understanding of the language and cultural diversity within the Latinx community, understand common health and development related cultural beliefs and practices, and examine how culture can support and challenge Latinx parents’ healthcare expectations, practices, and behaviors.

Presented by: Jessica Serrano, MD, MPH

Registration closed.

Presentation Recording HERE.

Presentation Slides: Healthcare in the Latinx Community-2024

Course Description: 

This course will outline the various types of feeding difficulties that toddlers present with and ways to identify which area(s) are impacting their developmental progress in this area to support initial problem-solving with parents and / or a referral to a specialists in the Skagit / Whatcom / Snohomish area.

Presented by: Jenna Lisenby, DPT, Valley Kids Therapy & Erin Kaui, MA, SLP-CCC, CLC, Skagit Regional Clinics

Jenna Lisenby is a physical therapist who has 25 years of experience working in the pediatric care setting. She has worked in the NICU, in birth to three and in outpatient pediatrics. She is passionate about providing families and community members with education and training to support their growth and development.

Erin Kaui is a speech/language pathologist at Skagit Regional Clinics in the Children’s Therapy program. She has worked at this program since 2005, predominantly treating patients with feeding difficulties. Erin works both inpatient and outpatient, treating ages from birth to teenagers. Erin considers herself a “life long learner.” She has attended and continues to attend continuing education opportunities, is on a Washington State recognized Feeding Team, is a contributing author (Holt International’s Feeding and Positioning Manual: Guidelines for Working with Babies and Children and Feeding Practices of children within institution-based care: A retrospective analysis of surveillance data, Maternal & Child Nutrition),and a guest lecturer at Western Washington University.

Registration closed.

Presentation recording HERE

Presentation slides: Feeding Development Slides April 2024

Course Description:

We will review some background on the importance of professional interpretation for equitable outcomes for patients with different language backgrounds, the current state of interpretation use, and challenges and opportunities in working with interpreters.

Presented by: Emily Hartford, MD, MPH

Dr. Emily Hartford is an assistant professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital. She provides clinical care in the emergency room and training for students, residents, and fellows. Her academic interests are in health equity, improving interpretation for families with a language for care other than English, medical education and simulation, and global health. Her research in the ED has focused on applying
quality improvement methodology to improve and analyze outcomes for families and patients with LOE and with minoritized racial and ethnic backgrounds. She is involved in several national collaborations to identify priorities for improving equity in PEM. She is also a lead PEM faculty member for the Pediatric Emergency and Critical Care fellowship in Kenya helping to develop curriculum and teach fellows at the University of Nairobi virtually and in person and a co-lead for the REACH (Resident education and advocacy for child health) program at UW, helping to oversee the global health portion of the program in Seattle and Kisii, Kenya.

Register for this free, online session HERE

Course Description: 

Many of the kids aren’t already. When faced with a dearth of available professional mental health resources, it’s often the case the families end up in primary care or in the ED when they have experienced a critical incident or a trauma. This one-hour presentation for pediatric providers will focus on actionable best practices for how to support children, youth, teens and families through behavioral health crisis. We will address common signs, symptoms and behaviors, as well as appropriate and teachable interventions that parents and caregivers can use as well. This presentation will also include physician wellness considerations in the context of these strong emotional demands of this work.

Presented by: Kira Mauseth, PhD

Dr. Kira Mauseth is a Teaching Professor at Seattle University and practicing clinical psychologist who sees patients at Snohomish Psychology Associates in Everett and Edmonds, WA. She serves as a co-lead for the Behavioral Health Strike Team for the WA State Department of Health throughout the COVID response, and owns Astrum Health, LLC. She consults with organizations, educational groups and state agencies about disaster preparedness, critical incident response and recover, and resilience building within local communities.

Register for this free, online session HERE

Past Events

The presentations below were part of our Child Development Series for 2023.

• Pediatric Gait – Presentation Recording & Pediatric Gait PowerPoint
• The Impacts of Technology on Child Development – Presentation Recording
• The Power of Play – Presentation Recording
• Screening and Early Intervention for Pediatric Language Development – Presentation Recording (passcode: GTD2DsV+) & Language PowerPoint
• Spreading HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences) in the Pediatric Health Care Setting – HOPE Presentation & HOPE Resource Binder
• Torticollis & Plagiocephaly – Presentation Part 1 / Part 2 & PowerPoint
• Supporting Breastfeeding Families – PowerPoint

*Please note: CME credit is not available for viewing recordings or slides.