UCSF Residents Receive Advocacy Awards

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has named two UCSF pediatric residents winners of the Anne E. Dyson Child Advocacy Award. Mana Golzari, MD, and Alex Zusman, MD, MPH, each received a Dyson Award in recognition of their efforts to improve the health of children. Golzari received the Dyson Award for her project, titled “Medical Homes for Youth Exiting Juvenile Detention.” Zusman — along with colleagues Tricia Michels, MD, MPH, and Kajal Kahana, JD, MD — received the award for their project, called “Bulletproof: Media Advocacy for Youth Affected by Community Violence.” All four physicians are current or former Pediatric Leadership for the Underserved (PLUS) residents. The PLUS program aims to train and inspire future leaders in pediatrics to address the issues that affect the health of underserved children. The program is directed by Anda Kuo, MD, assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at UCSF. “We are really proud of the hard work and commitment of the PLUS residents,” Kuo said. “I think these Dyson awardees exemplify the type of physician leader whom we aim to cultivate through our program.” The Dyson Awards celebrate the outstanding efforts of pediatricians in training as they work in their communities to improve children’s lives. The AAP awards only three Dyson Awards each year, making it a significant achievement for a single residency program to be represented twice in the same year. The awards were presented on October 11, 2008, at the AAP National Convention and Exhibition in Boston.