Global Child Health

Abstract

<P>As pediatricians, we serve an important role as advocates for children and child health. Over the past few decades, that role is no longer confined to children who were born in the United States but reaches to children all across the world. Increased globalization has led to porous boundaries between industrialized and non-industrialized countries. Our recent encounters with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and avian flu prove that changes in the health of people in one area of the world can quickly affect the well-being of people globally. Large numbers of babies are being adopted from less developed countries, and a substantial number of families are immigrating to the United States. Thus, pediatric practices are evolving, not just in urban areas but also in suburban and rural areas. A practicing pediatrician may be faced with treating a baby adopted from India, with a child whose family has newly migrated from Bangladesh. It is increasingly important for us to be trained in recognizing and managing health conditions not seen routinely in the United States.</P> <h4>ABOUT THE GUEST EDITOR</h4> <P>Deepak Kamat, MD, PhD, is Professor of Pediatrics, Director of the Institute of Medical Education, and the Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Pediatrics at Wayne State University and Children’s Hospital of Michigan. </P> <P>Dr. Kamat received his medical and doctorate degrees from University of Bombay, India, and then completed his residency in pediatrics and fellowship training in immunology at the University of Minnesota. He is board certified in Pediatrics and in Clinical and Laboratory Immunology. </P> <P>Dr. Kamat served as Director of the combined Medicine/Pediatrics Residency program at the University of Minnesota. He developed an international pathway for residents at the University of Minnesota and at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. He recently started the Pediatric Global Health Certificate Program at the Wayne State University. He has been honored with Teacher of the Year awards by medical students and residents on multiple occasions. </P> <P>Dr. Kamat is very active in multiple national and international medical societies. He has authored and co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts, review articles, book chapters, and case reports. He serves on the editorial board of five journals and as manuscript reviewer for numerous journals. He is one of five editors of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) first textbook of pediatrics, <cite>Textbook of Pediatric Care</cite>, and also editor-in-chief of the AAP’s <cite>Pediatric Care Online</cite>. He is editor for the Index of Suspicion of Pediatrics in Review. </P>