Career/Mentorship Reception: Maine AAP Members and Residents/Students

Registration is Open

Breakfast with the Exhibitors

Welcome and Speaker Introduction

• Deborah Hagler, MD, MPH, FAAP President, Maine AAP and Pediatrician, MidCoast Hospital
  

  Deborah Q. Hagler, MD, MPH, FAAP serves as the current president of the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She has practiced pediatrics for 24 years in Brunswick, Maine where she served as the Brunswick school physician for many of those years. For over a decade she has been honing her clinical skills to better care for youth with mental illness and substance use disorders and has stepped into the community to work with partners to identify resources for patients and families. She has been working with an engaged coalition of committed professionals in her local community to create systemic improvements in the prevention and treatment of youth mental illness and substance use disorders. This journey led her back into the classroom where she recently completed a Master of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University focusing on youth mental health and substance use. She lives with her husband in Harpswell and has two young adult sons.

• Laura Blaisdell, MD, MPH, FAAP
  

  Dr. Blaisdell is a board-certified pediatrician, child health researcher and advocate. She received a B.A. from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, a medical doctorate and public health degree (MD/MPH) at the University of Minnesota and completed a residency in pediatrics at Maine Medical Center. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Maine AAP and is a founding member of Maine Families for Vaccines.

  Dr. Blaisdell has published research on vaccine hesitation and decision-making among parents as well as management of infectious disease in camp settings. She was a site director for the National Children’s Study, where she also led studies of new social media strategies for research recruitment. In addition to her clinical and research activities, Dr. Blaisdell served as the Chair of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at MMC, as Chief of Pediatrics at InterMed, as well as serving as a Trustee to Mercy Hospital in Portland.

  Dr. Blaisdell mentors students and residents and teaches evidence-based medicine in her role of Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and is an attending physician at Maine Medical Center’s Pediatric Clinic.

  Dr. Blaisdell is also has expertise in camp medicine, serving as Medical Director and Camp Co-Owner at Camp Winnebago in Maine. She resides in South Portland and Fayette, Maine where she lives with her two sons and husband.

Cystic Fibrosis Newborn Screening for the Primary Care Provider

• Ana Cairns DO, FAAP, FACP Maine Medical Center
  

  Dr. Ana Cairns graduated from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her pediatric pulmonary training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore hospital program in New York before coming to Maine in 1995 to start the Maine Medical Center Division of Pediatric Pulmonology. She has been the Cystic Fibrosis Center Director for 25 years and helped lead the development of the Cystic Fibrosis Newborn Screening Program in 2008, she has remained involved in that initiative. She has participated in the teaching program at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital and has participated in 33 multicenter trial for patients with cystic fibrosis in Maine through the Cystic Fibrosis Therapeutic Development Network. She is a Professor of Pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine. She lives in Southern Maine with her husband who is a retina surgeon at Maine Eye. Her two grown children live in New York City.

• Suchari Rutledge, MD Northern Light Health
  

  Dr. Suchari Rutledge graduated from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and completed her pediatric training at Maine Medical Center. She spent several years in Aroostook County, working in rural pediatric full spectrum care, before coming to NL EMMC to help start their pediatric hospitalist service. She has served as the Associate Pediatric Clinic Director for EMMC’s Affiliate Cystic Fibrosis Clinic since 2017, one of a handful of positions but by far her favorite one. She participates in the family medicine residency teaching program and serves as an assistant clinical professor for medical training at UNE. She is grateful to be able to promote pediatrics and cystic fibrosis care as President of the Medical Staff of NL EMMC. She lives in Bangor Maine with her husband and three teenaged boys.

• Meghan Dumas, MS, CGC Maine Medical Center
  

  Meghan Dumas is a certified genetic counselor who received her Master's in Genetic Counseling from Brandeis University in 2011. She has worked as a clinical genetic counselor for almost 10 years seeing pediatric and adult patients in the genetics clinic at Maine Medical Partners- Pediatric Specialty Care. As part of her responsibilities she also works with the Maine Newborn Screening Program helping to assess the need for follow-up assessment for inborn errors of metabolism and CF newborn screening care which also includes working with families in the CF clinic associated with MMP-PSC. In addition to direct patient care, Megan has provided education and supervision of genetic counseling students as well as helped support teaching of various medical students and medical residents.

• Jodi Philippon, RN, BSN Department of Health and Human Services, State of Maine
  

  Currently, as the Newborn Bloodspot Screening and Follow-up Nurse for the Maternal and Child Health Program, Jodi is responsible for reporting out newborn bloodspot screening results to medical providers. She ensures that all babies are tested and followed until the suspected condition is either ruled out or confirmed. Prior to this role, Jodi worked for Child Protective Services, Department of Support Enforcement and Recovery, Behavior Management Program Coordinator, and Office of Family Independence providing various forms of case management. Jodi holds a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Southern Maine. She loves to read, paint, and go to Red Sox games.

• Ann Ladner, RN Maine Medical Center
  

  Ann Ladner originally trained as a Pediatric Nurse in the UK. After working for a short time in Saudi Arabia, Ann moved to the US in 2000. After working at The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center she transitioned to MMP Pediatric Specialty Care as a Pulmonary RN in 2013. Currently, Ann works as the Nurse Coordinator of the Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Clinic at Maine Medical Partners in Portland, Maine.

BREAK

Monoclonal Antibodies and Infectious Diseases

• Mary Herbert-Grant, MD Northern Light Health
  

  Pediatrician Hospital Medicine

  Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist

Twist Around: A Tale of Intertwined Lives in the MDA Clinic in the Golden Age of Genetic Therapies

• Tom Reynolds, DO Maine Medical Center
  

  Tom Reynolds has been in practice in pediatric neurology in Maine since 2011. He is the division director for pediatric neurology at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital and is also the medical director of both the pediatric MDA clinic and the spina bifida clinic. In addition to practicing general pediatric neurology, he also plays a large role in medical education as the associate program director of the general pediatrics residency.

Scoliosis; Diagnosis, Treatment, and When to Refer

• William Paul Bassett, MD Northern Light Health
  

  William “Paul” Bassett M.D is the new Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon who recently joined the Northern Light Health system as of Fall 2021. As the newest physician to this group, he is proud to offer orthopedic surgical options to the pediatric population at Eastern Maine Medical Center. He attended medical school at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and completed an orthopedic residency at Rutgers in New Jersey. He also completed an advanced subspecialty fellowship in pediatric orthopaedics and scoliosis at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, Texas. His wife and son are also extremely excited about the move to Maine, as they are all thrilled to experience four seasons once again while taking part in their love of camping, hiking, and exploring the great outdoors.

  Dr. Basseett has multiple clinical interests within the realm of pediatric orthopedics including scoliosis, fracture care, hip dysplasia, slipped capital femoral epiphysis, lower extremity deformity, leg length discrepancy, club feet, benign bone tumors, slipped capital femoral epiphysis, and foot reconstruction. He is a member associate of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA), as well as the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), American Orthopaedic Association (AOA), and the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS).”

Lunch

Awards Presentation

• Deborah Hagler, MD, MPH and Laura Blaisdell, MD, MPH

Harnessing Innovation: On the Path to a Future Free of Dental Disease

• Becca Matusovich, MPPM Maine Children's Oral Health Network
  

  Becca is the founding Executive Director of the Partnership for Children’s Oral Health. Her 25-year career in public service includes work in education, substance abuse prevention, chronic disease, public health infrastructure, refugee & immigrant health, child welfare, and community engagement. Becca brings a deep passion for improving the systems that serve Maine children and families, and she has extensive experience in catalyzing complex system change and forging partnerships with a common vision. Her state government posts include Prevention Team Manager for the Office of Substance Abuse, Chronic Disease Division Director at Maine Center for Disease Control and Maine CDC’s first Cumberland District Public Health Liaison. She also spent several years as a Policy Associate at the Cutler Institute within USM’s Muskie School for Public Service prior to her current position. While crossing sectors and disciplines in many ways over the years, her work has always gravitated around a core interest in children’s well-being, health equity, and systems thinking.

• Stephen Mills, DDS MaineHealth
  

  Dr Stephen Mills is a Board Certified pediatric Dentist and has practiced in Maine since 1987. He completed his DDS Degree at the SUNY at Buffalo School of Dentistry in 1981. After three years on active duty in the US Army he obtained his certificate in Pediatric Dentistry at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry of the University of Connecticut in 1987 and achieved board certification in Pediatric Dentistry in 1995 becoming the first board certified pediatric dentists in the State.

  Dr. Mills’ current activities center on his interest in sports related orofacial injury treatment and prevention and his involvement with the Academy for Sports Dentistry (ASD). A past president and longtime board member, he is a Fellow of the ASD and was awarded the Academy’s Lifetime Distinguished Member Award in 2015. He lectures widely on Sports Dentistry and Athletic Mouthguards and has served as a team dentist for the University of New England.

  Dr. Mills serves on the Board of Directors of the Partnership for Children’s Oral Health for the State of Maine, and is a member of Maine’s Children’s Oral Health Network. The Children’s Oral Health Network is a non profit organization which strives to unite various groups and individuals across the State of Maine that work towards improving the oral health of all of the children of the state. He is also a Public Policy Advocate for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

  Dr Mills was inducted into the International College of Dentists in 2016. He is a dual member of the International Association of Dental Traumatology as well as the ASD. He writes, and lectures widely on sports dentistry both in the USA and abroad. He has been married to Loretta for forty years and has three grown children.

• Jeffrey Stone, DO, FAAP Northern Light Health
  

  Jeffrey Stone, DO, FAAP is a pediatrician on the Northern Light Health - Inland Hospital staff. Dr. Stone is a graduate of the University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and did his residency at Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania.

  Dr. Stone began practicing in his hometown of Waterville in 1992 and founded Waterville Pediatrics with fellow pediatrician Dr. John Salvato in 1996. He practiced at Waterville Pediatrics until 2022. He has been a champion for oral health and has worked with From the First Tooth and the Partnership for Children’s Oral Health for many years to promote oral screening, fluoride varnish application and improve referrals to dental care for children across the State. Locally he serves as a Chapter Champion for oral health, and nationally he represents our State as the Oral Health Advocate for Maine.

  Dr. Stone became a doctor because he cares deeply about children’s physical and mental health, and is passionate about giving them every opportunity to learn, grow, and achieve their dreams. He lives and works in Maine because he believes this youth-centered value is at the core of who we are – healthy kids, strong families, resilient communities, and opportunities for all.

• Amber Lombardi, IPDH Mainely Teeth
  

  Amber Lombardi is a graduate of the University of New England, a Master's of Public Health candidate at Southern New Hampshire University, and a member of the American Dental Hygiene Association. She understands the barriers many people face getting access to dental care.

  
  Amber Lombardi started Mainely Teeth to bring community access to quality dental care. There's a large gap between private insurance and government-funded insurance. She wants to help close this equity gap by breaking down the barriers to oral health care.

  
  Amber works with her patients to create a plan to achieve overall oral health. Her greatest hope is that her mobile clinic will make it more accessible for those in need. She loves working with children and has been providing care in Maine schools for the past year. Amber hopes to make every dental experience a positive one!

• Courtney Vannah, IPDH Medical Care Development
  

  Courtney E. Vannah, IPDH, MS, MPH, is a veteran dental hygienist from the Mid-Coast area of Maine. She began her career in oral health as a dental assistant at the age of 16. Courtney completed her undergraduate degree in dental hygiene and a master’s degree in public health at the University of New England, as well as a master’s degree in dental hygiene at the University of Texas, Health Science Center, San Antonio.

  After a varied career in many practice areas of dentistry including oral surgery, cosmetic dentistry, and general practice, she turned her focus to public health as the founding director of the Children’s Outreach Program at the University of New England. She spent a decade in higher education before joining Medical Care Development to engage fully in creative solutions to the access to care crisis.

Hands-On Innovations

• Jennifer Jewell, MD, MS, FAAP - moderator Maine Medical Center, The Barbara Bush Children's Hospital
  

  Jennifer Jewell, MD, MS, FAAP is a Hospital Medicine Pediatrician at The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, Maine Medical Center and an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Maine Chapter and is the Chair of the Education and Conference Committee. Dr. Jewell is also Medical Staff President-Elect at Maine Medical Center and Chair of the Credentials Committee and Health Information Management Committee.

• Vinny Seiverling, MD MaineHealth
  

  Skin Conditions: Dermascope

  Dr. Elizabeth “Vinny” Seiverling is the Dermatology Division Director for Maine Medical Center and an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Tufts University School of Medicine. She is the medical director for Maine Medical Partner’s Skin Oncology clinic. She has a special interest in noninvasive tools for the detection of skin cancer such as dermoscopy, reflectance confocal microscopy and total body photography. Her research focuses on studying the impact of dermoscopy training in the primary care setting. She has created innovative care delivery models utilizing teledermatology and teledermoscopy to improve access to care in rural settings. The eConsult platform she developed was rapidly disseminated across the state of Maine in March of 2020. The program has demonstrated dramatic improvements in access to care, cost savings and delayed time to melanoma diagnosis and treatment of high-risk infantile hemangiomas. She has also developed multiple dermoscopy curricula and is on the American Academy of Dermatology Basic Dermatology Curriculum Work Group to add dermoscopy to standard medical student education. She is a member of the International Dermoscopedia Academy Work Group aimed at optimizing dermoscopy training for all types of learners.

• Mahmuda Ahmed, MD, FAAP Northern Light Health
  

  Diabetes: Pumps and Monitors

  Mahmuda M Ahmed, MD, FAAP is a board-eligible Pediatric Endocrinologist and board-certified Pediatrician. She was born and raised in Canada to a trilingual Indian family. She received her MD at the Universidad Iberoamericana in 2007, did her pediatrics residency at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, NY and a fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at Baystate Children’s Hospital in Springfield, MA in 2016. Dr. Ahmed joined the medical staff at Northern Light in August 2016 and has been working hard to provide care to children in the northern part of Maine. Since joining the pediatric endocrinology department at Northern Light, Eastern Maine Medical Center, she has started and built up the pediatric gender clinic, has started to the pediatric lipid disorder clinic and has tried to increase communication between primary care providers the pediatric endocrinology department.

  Dr. Ahmed believes examining a child’s history and doing a thorough physical examination is paramount in trying to find an endocrinological pathology. In children, the growth pattern for both height and weight are extremely important and can relay quite a bit of information about hormones. She specializes in all hormone-related pathology, but she has special interest in type 1 diabetes and gender dysphoria. She has given grand round lectures for both topics to medical students, resident and attending physicians.

  Dr. Ahmed lives in Bangor with her husband and their young son who was born in Bangor, Maine. She enjoys being outdoors in the summer and not leaving the house in the winter.

• Duska Thurston, MD Northern Light Health
  

  Hearing Loss App

  Dr. Thurston received her medical degree at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. She completed her residency in pediatrics at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. She is currently Pediatric Faculty and Associate Program Director at the Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center Family Medicine Center and Residency Program in Bangor, Maine. Dr. Thurston is currently serving as the Maine AAP EHDI Chapter Champion. She also serves as Chairperson for the Maine Newborn Hearing Advisory Committee. She is a mom to two amazing teenage boys and one Fox Red Labrador puppy!
  

• Theodore Curtis, MD Northern Light Health
  

  Vision Screening

  Dr. Theodore Curtis, a pediatric ophthalmologist, returns to Maine to specialize in all aspects of children’s eye disease, including medical and surgical treatment for vision problems, tearing, crossed eyes, inflammatory eye diseases, diabetic eye conditions, congenital eye conditions, and eye misalignment for both children and adults.
  
  Dr. Curtis grew up in Eddington, Maine, attended John Bapst High School, and studied pre-med at the University of Maine in Orono. He says, “I am excited to join the growing and active pediatric practices at Northern Light Health. I wanted to return to my hometown to serve the community and provide specialized pediatric eye care in as stress-free and enjoyable environment as possible.”
  
  Dr. Curtis received his medical education at Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey. He completed a residency in ophthalmology at University of Colorado, an internship at Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati, and a pediatric ophthalmology fellowship at Oregon Health & Science University. He is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.
  
  Dr. Curtis provides specialty eye care for babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and children on Grant 8 Pediatrics at the Medical Center in Bangor.

BREAK

Reception - all attendees are welcome

Breakfast

Maine AAP Annual Members Meeting

Gettin' By: A Game of Scarcity

• Linda Riddell, MHPM
  

  Linda Riddell is an epidemiologist, specializing in poverty and social-economic status issues. She has a master’s degree in health policy and management and keeps abreast of developments with courses at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Michigan. She has a bachelor’s in English.

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