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Driven to help solve the problem of too few pediatric pulmonologists available to provide care for the vast number of children struggling with asthma, Allen J. Dozor, M.D., professor of pediatrics and clinical public health and chief of the Division of Pulmonology, Allergy and Sleep Medicine at New York Medical College and director of the Children’s Environmental Health Center of the Hudson Valley, made it his mission to help educate primary care providers on the topic of pediatric respiratory disease.
“Of all of my roles, educator of primary care providers may be my most important. Respiratory disease is incredibly common in childhood, and asthma is the most chronic disease of childhood—yet, there are only about 1,200 pediatric pulmonologists, and the vast majority of children with asthma are managed completely by their primary care provider,” Dr. Dozor explains. So, when the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) asked him to co-edit a new resource aimed at quickly educating pediatricians about respiratory disorders, he jumped at the chance to lend his expertise.
Pediatric Pulmonology, Asthma, and Sleep Medicine: A Quick Reference Guide was published in April 2018, written with the help of a panel of NYMC asthma experts—recruited by Dr. Dozor—who contributed to 19 chapters. (Contributing authors include NYMC’s Sankaran Krishnan, M.D., M.P.H., Yehudit Pollack, M.D., Christy Kim, M.D., Suzette Gjonaj, M.D., Amy Brown, M.D., Elizabeth de la Riva–Velasco, M.D., Bindu George, M.D., John Welter, M.D., Priya Prashad, M.D., and Nadav Traeger, M.D.).
“Rather than another exhaustive pediatric pulmonology text, we chose to create a rapid reference guide, including useful and practical information about common respiratory disorders as well as rarer pulmonary and sleep disorders,” Dr. Dozor explains.
In addition to helping kids with asthma and allergies to breathe easier, this quick guide also addresses sleep problems in kids with respiratory disorders. “Respiratory symptoms, including sleep-related issues, are some of the most common reasons children seek medical attention and most respiratory diseases are diagnosed and managed by primary care pediatricians,” Dr. Dozer says.
So, parents of asthmatic kids may sleep a little easier knowing that, “Primary care pediatricians will be better equipped to address sleeping issues in children and adolescents, which 20 to 40 percent will experience,” Dr. Dozor says.