Pediatric Firestorm TEAM

(Transdisciplinary Team, Education, Assessment and Mitigation)

Pediatric Health on a Burning Planet: Assessment, Action, and Advocacy

December 13, 2025 Conference at CHLA

As wildfires and Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) events intensify across Southern California, the pediatric health community has come together for a groundbreaking, transdisciplinary conference: Pediatric Health on a Burning Planet: Assessment, Action, and Advocacy Protecting Children and Planetary Health in the Wildfire Era

This unique collaboration between the Pediatric Firestorm TEAM (Transdisciplinary Team – Education, Assessment and Mitigation-PFire TEAM) and Best Starts to Life will bring together clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and community partners to examine how wildfire smoke and debris impact children’s health—and to chart a path toward evidence-based action and advocacy.

Welcome | Sarah Ann Keil Heinonen, DNP, APRN, CPNP-AC/PC

Pediatric Firestorm TEAM founder and executive director Sarah Heinonen welcomes conference attendees and provides and overview of the Pediatric Firestorm TEAM mission..

Anthony M. Szema, MD, FCCP, FAAAAI, FACP, ATSF | Keynote Lecture

California Wildfires are analogous to the World Trade Center disaster, Military Burn Pits/K2, and the East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment

Dr. Szema examines the toxicity similarities among various disasters, and the specific toxic elements in the Altadena and Palisades fires.

Dr. Anthony Szema is a Clinical Professor of Medicine and Occupational Medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and Director of the International Center of Excellence in Deployment Health and Medical Geosciences. His research focuses on inhalational disasters, including burn pits, wildfires, and the World Trade Center. A national leader in mentorship and advocacy, his work contributed to the passage of the PACT Act, supporting exposed veterans.

CLICK HERE to view Dr. Szema’s slides

Juan C. Alejos, MD | Who's At Risk During a Fire - A Pediatric Cardiology Perspective

Dr. Juan C. Alejos is Medical Director of the Pediatric Heart Transplant/Cardiomyopathy Program and Director of the Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Program, and Clinical Professor of Pediatric Cardiology at UCLA. His research focuses on pulmonary vasodilator therapies, cardiomyopathy, and pediatric cardiac transplantation. He is president and founder of Hearts with Hope Foundation.

Katy Peck, MA, CCC-SLP, CLE, BCS-S | Burn Victims & Inhalation Injury

Katy Peck is a pediatric speech-language pathologist board-certified in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders, Clinical Lead at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and PhD student at Rocky Mountain University. She has over two decades of experience caring for medically complex pediatric patients and is an accomplished presenter, author, researcher, and educator.

Catherine Stanecki, DO | Mapping the Neurodevelopmental Sequela of Wildfires on Children

Dr. Catherine Stanecki completed child neurology residency and both pediatric clinical neurophysiology & epilepsy fellowships at UCLA Health. She is board certified in Neurology with Special Qualification in Child Neurology (2022). An accomplished pediatric neurologist experienced in reading neonatal and pediatric EEGs, she has prior experience in biotherapeutic manufacturing, molecular imaging research, and biosensor development.

Josh West, PhD | CLEAN: Contaminant Level Evaluation & Analysis for Neighborhoods

CLEAN: Contaminant Level Evaluation & Analysis for Neighborhoods

Protecting Health After the 2025 Wildfires

Dr. Josh West is a Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California, affiliated with the USC Environmental Studies Program and Faculty in Residence in Cowlings and Ilium Residential College. His research works at the intersection of landscapes, water, soil, the carbon cycle, climate, mountains, hazards, and Earth’s long-term habitability, with interests in natural resources, energy, and hydrology.

Nina Shapiro, MD, FAAP, FACS | Impact of Wildfires on the Pediatric Airway

Dr. Nina Shapiro is a Professor Emerita of Head and Neck Surgery at UCLA and former Founding Director of Pediatric Otolaryngology. She is currently a pediatric otolaryngologist at Westside Head and Neck. A Forbes Healthcare contributor, she is the author of multiple books focused on child health, medical literacy, and misinformation.

CLICK HERE to view Dr. Shapiro’s slides.

All Breakout Leads | Breakouts Reporting Session

Each breakout lead reports on the highlights of their session.

Ian Calderon | Insights to Crafting Policies in 2026

Former California Assembly majority leader (2012-2020) Ian Calderon discusses the overarching themes that impact California’s kids, overall health, and financial stability, and sheds light on strategic approaches to policy and advocacy.

Dr. Corpus & Dr. Heinonen | Action Planning Session

In this closing session led by Dr. Derek Corpus and Dr. Sarah Heinonen,, participants from the seven breakout groups provide specific input that the Pfire Team will translate into actionable items.

Pediatric Firestorm TEAMS Leadership

Sarah Ann Keil Heinonen, DNP, APRN, CPNP-AC/PC

Dr. Sarah Heinonen is the founder and President of the Pediatric Firestorm TEAM, a transdisciplinary research and action collaborative focused on elucidating the health impacts of wildfire and climate-related exposures on children. Her work integrates clinical outcomes research, environmental data, community-engaged scholarship, and policy translation to advance pediatric-centered mitigation, preparedness, and advocacy in the wildfire era.

She is a dual board-certified (Acute/Primary Care) Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with over 25 years of pediatric clinical and research experience across critical care, cardiology, pulmonology, and sleep medicine, serving as a Senior Advanced Practice Provider at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where she co-directs the Pulmonology Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) Program. Nationally, she chairs the NAPNAP Asthma & Allergy SIG and serves on the BPD Collaborative Board.

Derek Corpus, MBBS

Dr. Derek Corpus is a Pediatric Pulmonologist at Guerin Children’s, Cedars-Sinai and a co-lead of Pediatric Firestorm TEAM. As a Southern California native, his work focuses on protecting children’s respiratory health from wildfire smoke by translating collaborative goals into actionable, community-centered solutions.