31
January
2023
|
15:55 PM
America/New_York

MetroHealth Staff Author Chapters for Influential Pediatric Mental Health Textbook

Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics (Cover)

The MetroHealth System and its providers have been leading voices in the field of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology for decades. Now, those voices have been amplified to train the nation’s next generation of providers.

Fourteen current and former members of MetroHealth’s staff have written chapters for the 5th edition of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, the publishing house Elsevier’s definitive textbook and reference for professionals in a range of fields, including medicine, health care, education, social service and public policy.

Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics is a medical subspecialty that cares for children with complex needs by recognizing the many factors that influence their conditions. These caregivers address these challenges by building upon children’s strengths and helping them live the best quality of life.

One of the textbook’s five editors is Terry Stancin, PhD, former MetroHealth Chief of Psychology, Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology and Vice-Chair for Research in Psychiatry. Dr. Stancin, who recently retired after 36 years with the health system, was inducted into the MetroHealth Medical Hall of Honor in 2022. She is currently Professor of Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Psychological Sciences at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine.

Dr. Stancin said this edition of the textbook is updated to reflect the great diversity within the field, both in conditions and therapies and in the authors themselves. Contributors come from diverse backgrounds and experiences and represent a range of disciplines involved in child and adolescent behavioral health. They include developmental-behavioral pediatricians, psychologists,palliative care physicians and school health professionals.

According to the publisher, the 1,161-page book “contains up-to-date chapters on celebrating socio-cultural diversity and addressing racism and bias, acute stress and post-traumatic stress disorder in youth, sexuality and variation and alternatives to strict guardianship.”

Chapter authors from MetroHealth include psychologists Lisa Ramirez, PhD, Associate Director of Pediatric Psychiatry; Melissa Armstrong-Brine, PhD, Clinical Psychologist and Director of MetroHealth Autism Assessment Clinic (MAAC), who contributed to two chapters; Kathryn Mancini, PhD; Marsheena Murray, PhD; Brittany Myers, PhD; Leslie Speer, PhD, (formerly of MetroHealth); Dr. Stancin; Jessica VanOrmer Simpson, PhD, (former fellow at MetroHealth);  physicians Irene Dietz, MD, Pediatrics; Raman Marwaha, MD, Child Psychiatry; Laura Mintz, MD, Internal Medicine-Pediatrics; Robert Needleman, MD, Pediatrics; Margaret Stager, MD, Pediatrics; and Katie Davis, MSN, RN, PHNA-BC, Executive Director, Center for Community and Corporate Health.

“We couldn’t be more proud of the work that our caregivers and providers are doing around child and adolescent mental health,” said MetroHealth President & CEO Airica Steed, Ed.D., MBA, RN, FACHE. “We all understand the importance of this topic, and it is exciting to see the MetroHealth team’s expertise helping to shape the future of this field and to provide support for young people who struggle with mental health issues.”

Dr. Stancin said MetroHealth’s representation in this foundational textbook reflects its staff’s reputation for groundbreaking work.

“Childhood behavioral health is a jewel in the crown of MetroHealth,” said Dr. Stancin, whose own career was influential in building that reputation. As a former president of the Society of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, a member of the American Psychological Association Council of Representatives and a board member for the Society of Pediatric Psychology, she is a leader in the field.

“We were able to make strides because MetroHealth believed in the importance of this field and supported it,” she continued. “ I am very grateful for that support. I’m also grateful that, since I’ve left, there has been continued investment in this area and talented individuals are carrying on the work, including those who contributed to this major textbook.”

Dr. Ramirez, who has taken on some of Dr. Stancin’s work as Associate Director of Pediatric Psychology, credits Dr. Stancin for creating an environment where she and her colleagues could pursue their passions and MetroHealth for embracing innovation and nurturing a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion where they can achieve the extraordinary.

“When people ask me ‘why Metro?’, part of my answer is that I don’t know any other place where I can feel valued for my brain, my profession and also where I feel supported as a woman of color with leadership investing in my ideas,” she said, noting that the inclusion of so many of colleagues in textbooks like the 5th edition of Behavioral-Developmental Pediatrics demonstrates the effectiveness of MetroHealth’s approach.

“Pediatric mental health is getting a lot more attention. We are more in demand and invited to more tables than ever before. Now, after the book, we will be contributing to these national conversations even more, and we are ready to do that.”