April 7, 2006

Pediatric residents rally on Beacon Hill

More than 30 pediatric residents from hospitals across Massachusetts — including MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHC) — gathered March 28 at the State House to support a variety of legislative measures that promote the health and well-being of children. The residents met with a number of legislators and leading children's advocates — including Massachusetts Senate Majority Leader Frederick Berry and Margaret Blood, president of Strategies for Children — to discuss the agenda's key issues of car safety, obesity prevention and early childhood education.

"As young pediatricians, our commitment to children requires our involvement in the political process," says Anna Wheeler, MD, a first-year resident with MGHC. "The state legislature can have a tremendous impact on the lives of children in Massachusetts, and we're excited to lend our perspective to the discussion."

In addition to Wheeler, other MGHC residents involved with coordinating the event were Tanya Pastra-Landis, MD; Ariel Frey, MD; Jess Kaplan, MD; Suzanne Boxer, MD; Kathryn Brigham, MD; Anne Light, MD, and Katharine Zuckerman, MD.

The 2006 Residents' Day at the State House was co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Massachusetts Medical Society. Other hospitals represented by residents at the event were the Bay State Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital Boston, Tufts-New England Medical Center Floating Hospital and the University of Massachusetts Children's Medical Center.



MGH residents at the State House