The pediatric advocacy residency program is co-directed by Rebecca Palmer, DO, MPH and Kimberly Montez, MD, MPH, FAAP, who is an Assistant Program Director and an Associate Director for Integrating Special Populations at the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity (MACHE) at Wake Forest.
Dr. Montez advocates for child health equity nationally as Vice Chair of the AAP Council on Community Pediatrics, is co-authoring policy statements on food insecurity, paid family and medical leave, poverty and adverse police exposures. Locally, Dr. Montez is principle investigator for the Food is Health project, which is focused on mitigating food insecurity within the health system. She is the medical champion for our Medical Legal Partnership, director of the Wake Forest Health Justice Advocacy Certificate Program, a collaboration between the law school and medical school, and co-leads the Health Equity Certificate Program at MACHE. Dr. Montez is committed to training the next generation of child health advocates and enjoys mentoring trainees in advocacy.
Dr. Palmer’s advocacy efforts focus on the hospitalized pediatric patient, with particular interest in social determinants of health and firearm safety. She also champions inpatient volunteer groups which aim to increase positive experiences at the bedside in the form of arts and crafts as well as literacy exposure.
Our pediatric faculty members set the stage for advocacy through their own advocacy efforts, offering potential mentorship for innovative projects.
Additional faculty highlights include the following:
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Kimberly Gayle Montez, MD, MPH
Associate Program Director
Dr. Montez is the Associate Program Director for the pediatrics residency. She leads the residency advocacy curriculum, mentors residents in scholarly advocacy projects and implements diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. As an Associate Director of Integrating Special Populations for the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity, Dr. Montez supports investigators to increase special population representation in research. |
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Rebecca Palmer, DO, MPH
Assistant Program Director
Dr. Palmer works as both a pediatric hospitalist and newborn nursery provider. She has a special interest in inpatient advocacy efforts with a focus on injury prevention and safety. She leads a firearm injury prevention project - consisting of hospital interventions as well as community engagement. As a Certified Car Passenger Safety Technician, she is passionate about car seats and loves to help families fit and install their car seats safely. |
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Laurie Albertini, MD
Medical Director of Pediatrics at the Downtown Health Plaza
Dr. Albertini has expanded access to care for children living in poverty in Winston-Salem. Dr. Albertini has been a longstanding champion of the advocacy curriculum. She recently engaged in legislative advocacy leading to a ban on the use of tanning beds by children under the age of 18 years. |
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Jeanna R. Auriemma, MD
Co-Director of the Brenner Children's Hospital Helping Opioid Outcomes Together (HOOT) Program
Dr. Auriemma has partnered with Dr. Jennifer Check, a neonatologist, to advocate for optimal care for pregnant women with opioid use disorders and continued support of their infants after birth in an innovative program to support developmental outcomes in the first 2 years of life. Dr. Auriemma is also an Assistant Program Director and the Director of Quality Improvement for the pediatric residency program and has mentored residents in quality improvement endeavors related to this special population. |

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Joey Skelton, MD
Pediatric Gastroenterologist
Dr. Skelton has collaborated with multiple disciplines to develop Brenner FIT, to develop one of the most comprehensive pediatric weight management programs in the country. Gail Cohen, MD, a general academic pediatrician, collaborates with Dr. Skelton and extends Brenner FIT’s educational and advocacy opportunities to our continuity clinic. |

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Pediatric Hospitalist
As a pediatric hospitalist, Dr. DeWitt strives to combat pediatric food insecurity experienced by families while they remain admitted to the hospital. She has established an inpatient food insecurity screening process for all admitted pediatric families, as well as an inpatient food pantry.
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Meggan Goodpasture, MD
Director of the Child Abuse and Neglect Team
Meggan directs the child abuse curriculum that emphasizes the role of child protection in pediatric care. She is also a project mentor for our food insecurity advocacy projects.
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Anna Miller-Fitzwater, MD, MPH
Director of Reach Out and Read Program (ROR)
A champion of literacy, school readiness, population health. Anna also is the North Carolina Medical Director for ROR, an executive committee member of the AAP Council on Early Childhood, and recently joined the NC Pediatric Society’s Board. Dr. Miller-Fitzwater also a leader in our local Medicaid care management organization and co-mentors our ROR resident advocacy projects.
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