RFDASH was founded in 2005 by residents in the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children Pediatrics residency program, and is now organized through a collaboration of all the Massachusetts pediatrics residencies. It was established as a time for the pediatric trainees of our state to come together as advocates for the children of our shared community. Since then, we have advocated for over 30 bills, many of which have been passed and are current Massachusetts law. 

During this yearly event, pediatric residents, fellows, and medical students (from all over Massachusetts) pick 2-3 state bills that they want to advocate for, learn about bills/themes from pediatric advocates, have official lobby training and then meet with legislation and advocate for the bills at the Massachusetts State House.

This yearly event would not be possible without the invaluable mentorship and support from the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MCAAP).  We are very proud of where RFDASH is today and are ever grateful for the help and guidance from MCAAP leaders. We are also exceedingly grateful to the Massachusetts Pediatric Residency programs and Massachusetts hospitals that help fund this event.

And finally, we would like to thank you. You, a physician leader, have the vision, the knowledge, and the experience to truly make a difference in the lives of children and their families through advocacy. If this is your first exposure to physician advocacy, we welcome you and are here to guide and support you throughout this exciting event. 

You are our greatest asset and we could not affect change without your support and commitment. 

2025 RFDASH Chairs:
Chelsey Lim
Jane Howe
Edric Ramirez-Valdez

2024 RFDASH Chairs:
Molly Snyder
Chelsey Lim
Jane Howe

2023 RFDASH Chairs:
Anna Klouda
Molly Snyder
Chelsey Lim

2022 RFDASH Chairs:
Mallory Mandel
Anna Klouda
​Molly Snyder

2021 RFDASH Chairs:
Anisha Gundewar
Mallory Mandel

2020 RFDASH Chairs:
Anisha Gundewar
Mallory Mandel
Ashley Shaw

2019 RFDASH Chairs:
Michelle Chiu
Sarah Servattalab

2018 RFDASH Chairs:
Nicole de Paz
Rachel Erdil

2017 RFDASH Chairs:
​Helen Healy
Aisha James

Questions? Please email:
[email protected]

RFDASH is made possible by the generous support from the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MCAAP).