Moving From Adverse Childhood Experiences to Celebrating Supportive Nurturing Relationships.

Abstract

The editors of the Section on Pediatric Trainees feature in Pediatrics are deeply pleased to share the winning submission from the feature's seventh annual essay competition. This year's competition was informed by the 2022-2023 Section on Pediatric Trainees Advocacy Campaign: "Races against ACEs," which encouraged trainees to understand, witness, and act upon the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in pediatric medicine, and youth welfare more broadly. In the essay competition, we asked writers to reflect not only on the effects of ACEs on the well-being of young people, but also on how pediatricians can address these issues in venues ranging from patient encounters to training programs to public policy. We were impressed by, and grateful for, the thoughtfulness and vulnerability of trainees in sharing their experiences related to this critically important topic. This winning essay, by Dr Chelemedos, weaves the author's lived experiences with childhood trauma alongside clinical experiences caring for patients facing similar, though distinct, challenges. In doing so, Chelemedos' work sheds light on the ubiquity, and long-term impacts, of ACEs across the life span in a deeply human way; simultaneously, it exemplifies the critical role physicians play in combatting social malaise, one full set of swings at a time. The runner-up essay, by Dr Alessandra Angelino, will appear in next month's issue.