Diego Chaves-Gnecco, associate professor at the Pitt School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, has been named 2019 Pediatrician of the Year by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania Chapter (PA AAP).
The Pediatrician of Year award recognizes a chapter member who exemplifies excellence in the profession. The award was presented during the group’s annual meeting on May 4.
Diego’s clinical and academic interests include the diagnosis and treatment of children with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, providing care to families and children with disabilities, providing care to children from minority and underserved populations and addressing barriers to health care access.
He has been a long-time PA AAP chapter member and involved with many chapter activities including Healthy Teeth, Healthy Children and the Traffic Injury Prevention Project. In the summer of 2002, Diego created the First Pediatric Bilingual-Bicultural Clinic in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Since its creation, this clinic has expanded to the program Salud Para Niños (Health for the Children), which provides culturally and linguistically competent primary care for children and families is complemented with activities oriented toward prevention and empowering the community about its own health.