Since its founding in 1956, the Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC) at Albert Einstein College of Medicine has provided a broad spectrum of services for infants, children, adolescents and, despite its name adults, with conditions that include autism, learning disabilities, cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities. One of the largest facilities of its kind in the United States, CERC is a voluntary, nonsectarian center whose services are essential components of the care available to individuals in the Bronx and New York metropolitan area who have a wide array of developmental disabilities. Every year, CERC’s professional staff provides more than 55,000 diagnostic, therapeutic and related visits to approximately 7,500 individuals and their families. Included in this individual population are some 1,000 individuals seen each year who have autism (a condition that appears to be occurring in epidemic proportions), as well as a large number of children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities. As part of our mission, we also provide training to nearly 1,000 professionals each year.

CERC is the major clinical component of the Rose F. Kennedy University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service (RFK UCEDD). One of only 67 designated regional centers in the Unitied States funded by the federal government. RFK UCEDD conducts training, provides exemplary clinical services, furnish technical assistance, carries out research in the field of developmental disabilities, and creates a bridge between the University and the community through various outreach and dissemination activities and by direct consumer involvement.

Publications

• Muniz EI, Silver EJ, Stein REK, "Family Routines and Social-Emotional School Readiness Among Preschool-Age Children" 2014, Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 35.93-99.  DB Fellowship Graduate 2013. 
• Scharf R, Demmer RT, Silver EJ, and Stein REK. "Nighttime Sleep Duration and Externalizing Behaviors in Preschool Children". Journal of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics. 2013, 34:384-391 PMID: 23838583. 

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Papers in Press

• Horwitz SM, Hurlburt MS, Heneghan A, Zhang J, Rolls-Reutz J, Landsverk J, Stein REK. Persistence of Mental Health Problems in Very Young Children Investigated by US Child Welfare Agencies. Academic Pediatrics. (In Press)
• Stein, REK. Are we on the right track? C. Anderson Aldrich Award presentation address. American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition. Orlando Florida, October 2013

Achievements

Congratulations are in order for Ruth E. K. Stein, M.D. for winning the C. Anderson Aldrich Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics at its National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida in October, 2013. Dr. Stein, a relatively recent addition to CERC, but a long-time faculty member at Einstein, delivered the presentation address—“Are we on the right track?”

During the past year, Ruth has collaborated with Einstein colleagues and co-authored four articles related to the care of children and adolescents, including one which should be of great interest to CERC staff, entitled “Chronic Conditions Among Children Investigated by Child Welfare,” Pediatrics, 2013. She continues to be active in research, with an additional two papers in press and three presentations at national meetings.

Dr. Susan Chinitz, Director of the Early Childhood Center and professor of clinical pediatrics, participated in a public policy forum at the Center for New York City Affairs, The New School, on Friday, October 4th, 2013. The subject of this discussion was “Baby Steps: Poverty, Chronic Stress & New York’s Youngest Children.”

Presentations

Abstracts Accepted for Pediatric Academic Society’s 2014 Meeting (presenting authors): 

• Lauren Tarnok, MD (DBP Fellowship Graduate, 2014): How Competent Do Pediatric Residents Feel About Assessing Children's School Experience and Mental Health?
• Marie Clark, MD, MPH (DBP Fellowship Graduate, 2014): Are Very Preterm Infants on TPN at Risk for Carnitine Deficiency? A National Survey
• Maria Valicenti-McDermott, MD, MS: Sleep Disorders in Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities
• Lisa Shulman, MD: Stability of Autism Diagnosis in Children Under 24 Months

Below is a recent list of presentations at national meetings: 

• Clark MA, Benenson B, Stein REK. The EMPOWER Curriculum: Expanding DBP into the Community. Workshop presentation at the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Baltimore, MD Sept. 2013
• Trimm, F. Rosenberg, M, Voigt, R, Incorporating Entrustable Professional Activities into Fellowship. Workshop presentation at the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Baltimore, MD Sept. 2013
• Tarnok LA, Silver EJ, and Stein REK. Are We Successfully Training Pediatricians to Assess Children’s School Experience? Poster Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Baltimore, MD Sept. 2013