 The
APA is thriving!
Just look at all of the activities and programs being conducted
and led by our members, and summarized in this newsletter!
I will highlight three over-arching APA activities: the strategic
plan, our focus on junior APA members, and APA’s work
for the needs of children.
The APA’s Strategic Plan
I hope you have been reading my letters about the APA’s strategic
plan. These letters serve two purposes. First, they summarize the
major programs and activities of the APA, and place these activities
into the context of child health needs. Second, they provide a
blueprint for current and future APA programs, and suggest opportunities
for your involvement in APA activities. The response to these letters
has been overwhelmingly positive. I thank each of you who read
the letters, and those who have emailed us your thoughts. Please
feel free to visit the strategic plan website and re-read these
letters. The site is: http://www.academicpeds.org/strategic_plan.htm.
At the risk of repeating myself, I would like to summarize
the crux of Letter #7: The Top Ten Things You Can Do to help
the APA Achieve its Strategic Plan:
- Make suggestions: Give us feedback
and new ideas about current activities and new directions.
- Vote for APA leadership each year.
This year, vote on the proposed name change to Academic
Pediatrics Association (APA)- see my letter #2.
- Read and Explore: Read this APA newsletter
and all APA communications. Read and submit articles to
Ambulatory Pediatrics. Explore the evolving APA Website
regularly: http://www.academicpeds.org/site/index.htm
- Respond to APA online surveys and requests for
feedback.
- Make the APA your professional home:
Work on one of our national projects as a part of your
own career development. This is a terrific way to build
a strong professional network, broaden your influence,
develop leadership skills, and enhance your promotion portfolio.
- Participate: Become an active member
of an APA Committee, join a SIG, and attend your APA Regional
Meeting. Attend some of our exciting special events such
as the APA Leadership Conference, the annual Hospitalist
Conference, and of course, the APA events at the PAS. Register
now for the 2008 PAS in Honolulu! Submit your abstracts
by December 4!
- Sponsor junior faculty, fellows and residents:
Bring a junior individual to the regional meetings, encourage
them to apply for our Young Investigator Grants, sponsor
someone for our professional development programs such
as the New Century Scholars program, the Educational Scholars
program, and the Community Pediatric Training Initiative.
Encourage more people to join the APA- both MDs and non-MDs.
Spread activities internationally.
- Join our multi-center clinical research networks—CORNET
and PRIS: make sure that your continuity clinic
is participating in CORNET, and encourage your hospitalist
program to participate in PRIS. There is power in numbers!
- Advocate: Respond to the APA’s
requests to contact your political leaders, stay involved
in local advocacy efforts, teach policy and advocacy to
students, residents, fellows, and other faculty and colleagues.
Be a strong advocate for children!
- Tell us: Let us know about the great
programs that YOU are working on and how we can help you!
Talk to your regional chair, SIG chair, an APA Board member,
or email the APA at connie@academicpeds.org.
Focus on Junior Members
If there existed a scale for Eriksonian generativity, senior APA
members would be off the chart. My most heartwarming experience
this year has been to observe senior and mid-level APA members
mentor, advise, and assist more junior APA members in a variety
of areas of professional development. The bulk of the APA’s
strategic plan involves professional development for all ages,
with a particular emphasis on junior members. A common theme
has been to improve the academics of our educational, clinical,
research, and policy activities, and to teach more junior APA
members the academic skills to achieve excellence in their professional
endeavors.
Please make the effort to mentor one individual, to really
take one person under your wing. Do this locally, and also
nationally, using your APA networks.
The Needs of Children
The APA’s compass is guided by the needs of children. We
are here to improve the lives of children, adolescents, families
and communities. Through your academic activities—educational
programs, research endeavors, writings, clinical activities, and
local, state and national advocacy efforts—you all make a
difference for children. We should always put children first.
I’d like to cite two examples of advocacy successes
by the APA: these are our two strategic plan priorities for
an equitable children’s agenda. First, the APA is smack
in the middle of the current debate about SCHIP. The reason
is that APA members have performed some of the important
research about SCHIP and health care financing; APA members
are championing SCHIP and adequate health insurance coverage
all over the US; APA members are teaching residents, students,
and the public about the value of health insurance; and the
APA as an organization is working with other major national
organizations to lobby policy-makers about the importance
of SCHIP and health insurance for all children and adolescents.
This is a classic example of the value of the academics of
the APA.
The second example of advocacy has to do with HRSA funding
for Title VII and fellowship training programs in primary
care. Please read Tina Cheng’s article in this newsletter
that demonstrates the success of an intensive advocacy campaign
that led to a reversal of some of the funding cuts by HRSA.
At the same time, APA leaders are developing a rigorous process
to evaluate and eventually accredit the academic components
of general pediatric, hospitalist, child abuse, and other
fellowship programs that are not accredited by ACGME. Two
articles in the current issue of Ambulatory Pediatrics highlight
this initiative. APA members are training the next generation
of pediatricians and academicians all over the world. This
is another example of the comprehensive value of the academics
of the APA. .
Moira and I went to a Bob Dylan concert last night. Do
you remember the days when it seemed like we could change
the world? Well, we still can change the world for children.
Remember, it is all about children.
Updated
11/1/07
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