When we started brainstorming about the idea of virtually interviewing ABP-certified pediatricians who are conducting outstanding work in behavioral and mental health pediatrics for World Mental Health Day and Healthcare Quality Week this October, Eugenia Chan, MD, MPH, was one of the very first people who came to mind.

Dr. Chan is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and an Attending Physician in the Division of Developmental Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Chan’s background is unique. Not only is she a leader in developmental-behavioral pediatrics, she also has expertise in quality, safety, and cost.

When Dr. Chan and I spoke, the conversation touched on several critical questions, including:

• Why is quality improvement (QI) so important for linking children’s behavioral and mental health care provided by clinicians in academic medical centers and by pediatricians in practice?
• What are some barriers — logistic, financial, and cultural — to improving children’s behavioral and mental health?
• How can QI address those barriers?

Thanks for watching!

Related Outstanding QI Projects Submitted to the ABP

• Santa Barbara Resiliency Project: Implementation of Screening and Intervention for ACEs in Pediatric Practice (PDF)
• Addressing Adolescent and Young Adult Depression in Primary Care (PDF)

Continued Learning Opportunities for Board-Certified Pediatricians

• NEW Question of the Week (QOW) — Mental health conditions: prevalence here and elsewhere in the world (Part 2)
• QOW — Mental health issues in refugees and asylum seekers (Part 2)
• Performance Improvement Module (PIM) — Developmental and Behavioral Screening (Part 4)

About the Author

Laurel K. Leslie, MD, MPH, is Vice President for Research at the American Board of Pediatrics and a Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine. She has extensive research experience identifying, treating, and delivering health services to children and adolescents with medical, developmental, and mental health needs.