With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the AAP has funded 15 AAP chapters to engage in awareness-building and education around trauma-informed pediatric care. Those chapters are Arizona, Arkansas, California 2 (LA), California 4 (OC), Washington DC, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Texas, and Wyoming​.

Cohort 1 (July 2023-January 2024, January 2024-July 2024): Arizona, DC, Indiana, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Wyoming  

Cohort 2 (January 2024-July 2024): Arkansas, California 4 (Orange County), Maine, Kansas 

Cohort 3 (January 2025-September 2025): California 2 (Los Angeles), Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Texas, Puerto Rico, and Wyoming 

Chapter Projects

Arizona

The Arizonia Chapter of AAP (AzAAP) developed a new series of social media and marketing graphics. This new series received overwhelmingly positive feedback and was designed to reach a wider and more robust audience than any previous awareness campaigns in the past. The AzAAP chapter ambassador, Shawn Singleton, MD, FAAP, has been a great advocate for TIC in Arizona who provided TIC education to local providers. 

AzAAP Chapter Ambassador: Shawn Singleton MD, FAAP | Contact

Arkansas

The Arkansas Chapter of AAP engaged the Marshallese Education Initiative to provide a webinar for ARAAP members on the history of the Marshall Islands and the Marshallese population, their unique health conditions and needs, and how to provide culturally appropriate and trauma-informed care to Marshallese children. The chapter created 3 video interviews with trauma-informed care experts focusing on key aspects of trauma-informed care. The Chapter also led a book club that allowed members to learn from and engage with one another. The Chapter built new partnerships with therapists providing trauma therapy to youth and families, state organizations, and other trauma-informed care partners to exchange ideas and resources to benefit pediatricians, youth, and families. 

ARAAP Chapter Ambassador: Becca Perin MD 

California 2

The California 2 Chapter of the AAP hosted the “Building Trauma-Informed Clinical Teams: A Train-the-Trainer Session” at the AAP-CA2 Symposium at the end of May 2025. At this symposium, providers learned about the Pediatric Approach to Trauma, Treatment, and Resilience (PATTeR) Clinic Staff Training and how they can bring this training back to their clinical community. This “Train-the-Trainer” session introduced attendees to the Pediatric Approach to Trauma, Treatment, and Resilience (PATTeR) Clinic Staff Training, and covered core TIC principles, facilitation strategies, and practical tools to train staff effectively. The program emphasized building trauma-informed clinical teams, supporting team well-being, and fostering relational health. 

CA2 AAP Chapter Co-ambassadors: Melissa Ruiz MD, FAAP | Contact and Christine Thang MD, FAAP | Contact

California 4

The California 4 Chapter of the AAP introduced the “We are Resilient” approach to providers at a half-day conference included stories and experiences shared by the participants. Participants left feeling that they learned valuable tips that they could incorporate into their own lives as well as their practices.  

CA4 AAP Chapter Ambassador: Reshmi Basu MD | Contact

DC

The DC Chapter of AAP (DCAAP) hosted a Fall and Spring Symposium​ where the chapter ambassador presented on trauma-informed pediatric care. The chapter recruited teen representatives to participate in a “call to action” with facilitated small group sessions in which attendees explored community strengths and opportunities to partner with fellow advocates to foster resilience and identify future resources. DCAAP recruited a chapter ambassador, Ariel White, who has been a real asset to advancing TIC in DC. 

DCAAP Chapter Ambassador: Ariel White MD | Contact

Indiana

The Indiana Chapter of AAP (INAAP) two chapter ambassadors, Sarah Stelzner, MD, FAAP and Emily Scott, MD, MS, IBCLC, FAAP. They hosted several educational opportunities for pediatric providers to learn about TIC including a grand rounds presentation followed by a roundtable discussion. The roundtable revealed the need for an “action plan” for implementing trauma-informed care which led to INAAP developing a quality improvement learning collaborative. INAAP partnered with Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics Division of General Pediatrics to host this learning collaborative which offered 25 MOC Part 4 credits from ABP. The learning collaborative involved monthly virtual meetings, monthly data collection and review and all pediatric practices through Indiana were eligible to apply.  

INAAP Chapter Co-ambassadors: Sarah Seltzner MD, FAAP | Contact and Emily Scott MD, FAAP | Contact 

Kansas

The Kansas chapter of AAP (KAAP) is focused on four main objectives: 1) enhance awareness of TIC and relational health, 2) increase TIC knowledge and practical skills, 3) cultivate new partnerships, and 4) outline a vision for KAAP future initiatives related to TIC and relational health. KAAP held the Trauma-Informed Care Collaborative Summit meeting in March of 2025. Individuals, including physicians and leaders from nonprofit, government, and community organizations, attended. Priorities for the next six months include improving data and understanding around EPSDT usage, enhancing mental and primary care integration, and considering a learning collaborative to support TIC implementation across Kansas.  

KAAP Chapter Ambassador: Dena Hubbard MD, FAAP | Contact 

Kentucky

The Kentucky Chapter of the AAP partnered with the University of Louisville to provide the Pediatric Approach to Trauma, Treatment and Resilience (PATTeR): Training for Pediatric Trainees to their current cohort of residents. They are working to also provide this training to other residency programs.  

KYAAP Chapter Ambassador: Brit Anderson MD, FAAP | Contact  

Maine

The Maine Chapter of AAP surveyed their members to tailor the resources they offered and gauge the comfort level of our providers in managing patients who have experienced trauma. The resources from the AAP and from the Tuft’s Hope Center were offered as resources for pediatricians. The chapter created a milestones chart and a trauma chart, both received great feedback from members. MDAAP chapter ambassador Dr. Gretchen Pianka helped the chapter develop their resilience resource hub on the chapter’s website. Access it here.  

MEAAP Chapter Ambassador: Gretchen Pianka MD, FAAP  

Maryland

The Maryland Chapter of AAP hosted a TIC summit on April 4, 2025 that is a collaboration between pediatrics and school health. Speakers included Dr RJ Gillespie, the chapter’s TIC ambassadors Drs Kristi Machemer and Terry Nguyen, as well as school nurses and psychologists.  The chapter reported that this summit was an amazing first step towards partnership and collaboration between pediatrics and the education system, and it was very well received with positive feedback on the value of the information as well as how they would bring it back to their colleagues. 

MDAAP Chapter Co-ambassadors: Kristi Machemer MD, FAAP | Contact and Terry Nguyen MD, FAAP | Contact

Oregon

The Oregon Chapter of AAP-Oregon Pediatric Society (OPS) hosted several webinars that are available on the OPS website as enduring content with CME opportunities. They recruited a chapter ambassador that is a true champion for TIC in Oregon, R.J. Gillespie MD, MHPE, FAAP who co-authored The Trauma-Informed Pediatric Practice, A Resilience-Based Roadmap to Foster Early Relational Health as part of their ambassador work.  

ORAAP Chapter Ambassador: RJ Gillespie MD, FAAP | Contact

Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Chapter of AAP (PA AAP) surveyed their members to assess the comfort and confidence levels related to providing trauma-informed care, as well as talking to children and families about traumatic events and adversities they may have experienced. PA AAP used the survey results to guide the topics of their “Let’s Talk” educational series, the first of which was titled “Pediatric Community Forum - Thinking in a Trauma-Informed Way: Why and How”. This approach helped the chapter to guide the educational opportunities offered based on what their members needed, and the feedback PA AAP received was overwhelmingly positive. PA AAP developed an infographic, A Providers Guide to Incorporating Trauma-Informed Care into Practice for Youth, to help build the capacity of pediatric providers when implementing TIC.  

PA AAP Chapter Co-ambassadors: Norrell K. Atkinson MD, FAAP | Contact and Amy G. Nevin MD, FAAP | Contact

Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Chapter of AAP (PRAAP) hosted multiple educational opportunities to help increase awareness, understanding and capacity of pediatric providers around trauma-informed care. Additionally, they recruited 4 TIC Resident Champions to train on TIC and bring their learnings back to their respective residency programs. The TIC Resident Champions published an article in the magazine “Mi Pediatra” on TIC. This chapter is currently working with 4 different residency programs to ensure that TIC is included in curricula.  

PRAAP Chapter Ambassador: Marie Ilarraza-Lugo MD, FAAP | Contact  

Texas

The Texas Chapter of AAP (TPS) is in the process of establishing a new Resiliency Task Force, and are currently developing objectives and goals that integrate Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) with an early relational health perspective. They are developing mini educational sessions to increase the capacity of providers and understanding of relational health. Session #1, focused on Early Relational Health, is scheduled for May 2025.  

TPS Chapter Ambassador: Anu Partap MD, FAAP | Contact  

Wyoming

The Wyoming Chapter of AAP (WMS) has hosted multiple educational opportunities both in-person and virtual to help increase the capacity and awareness of Wyoming pediatric providers. They have also ensured that information about pediatric TIC is shared with other medical societies in Wyoming, as well as shared information with members and the public through a communications campaign.   

WMS Chapter Ambassador: Bird Gilmartin MD, FAAP | Contact  

This program is supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through cooperative agreement numbers CDC-RFA-OT18-1802 and DD-23-004. The information and opinions expressed reflect solely the opinions of the authors and are not the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Last Updated

06/23/2025

Source

American Academy of Pediatrics