PriMera Scientific Medicine and Public Health (ISSN: 2833-5627)

Review Article

Volume 8 Issue 3

Bridging Clinical Medicine and Public Health: The Expanding Role of Pediatricians in Community Health Systems

Venugopal Reddy Iragamreddy*

February 27, 2026

DOI : 10.56831/PSMPH-08-276

Abstract

The evolving healthcare landscape has blurred the traditional boundaries between clinical medicine and public health. Pediatricians, once primarily focused on individual patient management, now face growing responsibilities in addressing population-level determinants of child health. Rising antimicrobial resistance, vaccine hesitancy, climate-related illnesses, nutritional disorders, and emerging infectious diseases underscore the urgent need for integrated strategies. This article explores the expanding role of pediatricians as community educators, disease surveillance contributors, health policy advocates, and system-level leaders. Strengthening collaboration between hospital-based care and public health frameworks is essential for sustainable child health improvements. Integrating preventive strategies into routine pediatric practice can enhance population health outcomes, reduce healthcare burdens, and promote resilient health systems globally.

Keywords: Pediatrics; Public Health; Preventive Medicine; Community Health; Health Systems; Antimicrobial Stewardship

References

  1. World Health Organization. Global action plan on antimicrobial resistance. WHO (2015).
  2. UNICEF. State of the World’s Children Report (2023).
  3. World Health Organization. Immunization Agenda 2030: A Global Strategy. WHO (2020).
  4. IPCC. Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.
  5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Antibiotic resistance threats in the United States. CDC (2019).
  6. United Nations. Sustainable Development Goals Report (2023).
  7. World Health Organization. Mental health of children and adolescents. WHO (2022).
  8. Black RE, et al. “Maternal and child undernutrition and overweight in low-income countries”. Lancet 382.9890 (2013): 427-451.
  9. O’Neill J. “Tackling drug-resistant infections globally”. Review on Antimicrobial Resistance (2016).
  10. American Academy of Pediatrics. “Policy Statement on Climate Change and Child Health”. Pediatrics 136.5 (2015): 992-997.