Executive Summary The energy of the APA membership was palpable this year, beginning immediately after the 2006 meeting in San Francisco and carrying on through to the 2007 meeting in Toronto. The fall 2006 Board retreat provided a catalyst for change. The Board undertook an active process to develop a strategic plan and to explore an organizational name change and revision of the mission statement. Task forces were assigned to four focus areas for fine-tuning: Equitable Children’s Agenda, Membership Collaboration, Faculty Development, and an overarching plan. Membership participation in the process included representatives from the regions, special interest groups (SIGs), standing committees, and other stakeholders. The strategic plan was presented and refined at the 2007 annual meeting. The APA has a membership of 1832 dedicated pediatricians and other health professionals who are involved in the education of future pediatricians. Members are responsible for educational research and scholarship, clinical research, as well as patient care and advocacy focusing on the whole child in the context of the family and community. The organization publishes a scientific journal and newsletters, hosts annual and regional meetings, and carries out numerous activities designed to further its mission. Special accomplishments of members and programs are honored with prestigious annual awards. Programs which support trainees and junior faculty are especially important, as are activities to enhance networking, research, education, and leadership.
The APA, as one of the four PAS partner organizations, provides leadership and shares joint responsibility for the successful development, production and evaluation of the PAS program. The PAS meeting, one of the largest pediatric scientific conferences held annually, attracts academicians who represent over a dozen pediatric professional societies. This year’s meeting in Toronto attracted nearly 8000 registrants. The meeting represents the APA’s single largest educational activity of the year and provides members with networking opportunities, additional avenues for contributing to the direction of the organizational course, and provides a forum for presentation of awards for outstanding work in several venues.
The purpose of the 2007 Board of Directors Retreat was to identify and plan strategic directions and initiatives for the APA for the next 3–5 years. Participants included current APA Board members and a broad and diverse representation of various APA constituencies. The retreat resulted in the development of a strategic action plan addressing four key areas: Equitable Children’s Agenda, Membership Collaboration, Faculty Development, and an overarching plan. Task forces were developed to refine the action steps to make recommendations to the Board for implementation of the strategic plan. Major topics addressed included organizational name change, revision of the mission statement, and transitioning the APA to a “remarkable association.”
Ambulatory Pediatrics, a bimonthly journal, focuses on advancing the field of general academic pediatrics with articles on pediatric education, health policy and general pediatric research. The journal continues its leadership in a number of important areas of general academic pediatrics. The journal has become the leading journal in pediatric education research and has an excellent reputation as the top forum for pediatric health services research.
The APA has a long history of involvement in innovation in pediatric
medical education. In its professional development role to improve faculty
skills, the APA supports programs that have been highly successful in
advancing training in the field. These programs include Environmental
Scholars, Educational Scholars, New Century Scholars, Academic Generalist
Program, Educational Guidelines for Residency Training, TIDE (Teaching
Immunization Delivery and Evaluation), and Literacy Promotion. The 2007
National Leadership Conference in Academic General Pediatrics was focused
on developing leadership skills, networking, and developing action plans
regarding strategic planning for divisions of academic general pediatrics. The financial base of the APA continues to grow, with an operating budget of $1.2 million for 2007. The association’s investment portfolio also continues to grow. It is currently valued at $1.3 million, with a 14.8% annual rate of return on our investments from January 2006 to the present. Since the APA Development Fund was established in 2003, a total of $95,718 has been raised. In 2006, 100% of the membership of the Board of Directors, 63% of region chairs, 42% of SIG chairs, and 26% of our general membership contributed to the fund. Efforts will continue to increase member participation and to identify other potential donors for this important APA effort.
The APA is an organization of 1832 members. Most members are pediatricians, nurse practitioners, or professionals involved in improving the health and well being of children and families. The APA has four standing committees, 10 regions, and 36 special interest groups (SIGs). SIGs varies from year to year depending on the needs of the membership. Our four standing committees are open to all interested members. All these groups meet at the annual meeting, and many of them have other activities planned throughout the year. Claibourne I. Dungy, MD, MPH |
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