Annual Meeting/Awards

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.

Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Annual Meeting - Marylin Dumont-Driscoll MD, PhD
Each year in addition to its other educational activities, the APA, one of the 4 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 once again, attendance reached an all time high, with close to 8000 registrants in Toronto for the May 5-8, 2007 meeting. The meeting was a diversified one with outstanding invited presentations by national and international leaders in their respective, academic fields. Innovative strategies and cutting-edge research presentations in medical education, clinical care, health services and public policy were scheduled throughout the 4 days in various formats including State of the Art Plenaries, Topic Symposia, Mini-courses, Subspecialty and Theme Platform presentations, Hot Topics, Workshops, Special Interest Groups and poster sessions.

This 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 a collegial environment to receive recognition for outstanding work. This meeting also serves as the forum for the introduction of new and innovative programs such as the New Century Scholars and the Educational Scholars Program.

Awards

Armstrong Lecture Award
The lecture is named for George Armstrong an English physician in London. In 1769 he established the first dispensary for sick children. He is honored as one of the fathers of modern pediatrics. This award is given to outstanding teachers and contributors to our knowledge of the care of children.

2007 - Thomas G. DeWitt, MD

Teaching Award
The purpose of this award is to foster interest in the teaching of general pediatrics by giving national recognition to an outstanding general pediatric program. Programs must demonstrate excellence in educational teaching methods, acceptance by students and/or residents, acceptance by the community and the institution innovations and adaptability, or outstanding quality of the individuals trained in the program. Emphasis is placed on the award being given to an outstanding program.

2007 - Ray Baker, MD and colleagues at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

APA Research Award
The APA Research Award acknowledges the contribution of an individual in advancing pediatric knowledge through excellence in research. Research excellence is characterized by originality, creativity and methodological soundness. The findings should contribute significantly to the general health of children in such areas as understanding mechanisms of health and disease, rnethods of education, and innovative ways of providing children's services.

2007 - Tracy Lieu, MD

Health Care Delivery Award
The purpose of this award is to recognize an innovative and effective program that provides health care in the context of a teaching setting. The program must include residents and/or medical students. It may provide general pediatric care, care to children with special needs (e.g., children with lead poisoning, teenage mothers and their children, or children with chronic illnesses), or a system of care (e.g., an immunization tracking system). The Award recognizes an outstanding program or system of health care.

2007 - Yes We Can, Urban Asthma Partnership, directed by Shannon Thyne, MD, Nannette Maddon, PNP, and Andrea Marmor, MD, MSEd at San Francisco General Hospital/UCSF

Public Policy and Advocacy Award
The purpose of this award is to recognize the cumulative contributions of an individual, pediatric department, or program whose public policy advocacy efforts at the state, regional, national, or international level have improved the health and well-being of infants, children, and/or adolescents.

2007 - Stephen Berman, MD

Miller-Sarkin Mentoring Award
The APA Miller-Sarkin Mentoring Award recognizes the contributions of an APA member who has provided outstanding mentorship to learners or colleagues, both locally and nationally, and serves as a model to others who aspire to mentor others as they mature.

2007 - Lewis First, MD

Helfer Award
The purpose of the award is to recognize creative, scholarly work in pediatric education that is described in a paper submitted for the Annual APA Meeting. Two awards were granted this year.

2007 -
Michael G. Gaies, Teaching Procedural Skills to Pediatric Residents: A Randomized Interventional Trial

Elwyn Chomba, Effects of the World Health Organization Essential Newborn Care Training Course on Early Neonatal Mortality by level of Maternal Education

Ludwig-Seidel Award
Abstracts submitted by fellows in pediatric emergency medicine for podium or poster presentations at the Annual Meeting of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association are eligible for the annual LUDWIG-SEIDEL AWARD. This award recognizes the abstract that represents the best research project in pediatric emergency medicine in which a PEM fellow is the lead author.

2007 - Darshan Patel, MD