It is hard to believe that my three year tenure on the APA Board of Directors will be ending this May! It has been a tremendous privilege to serve on the Board as Treasurer, and to participate in a most exciting time in APA history. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such amazing people and to contribute to our wonderful organization. As you know by now, we are fortunate to have David Keller as the incoming Treasurer. Aside from being a whiz with numbers and budgets, David is an experienced recent past board member and a real mover and shaker – I am sure that he will serve us all well!

When we see each other at the Business Meeting in Hawaii (I hope to see you all there!), I expect to announce the results of the search for a new Journal Editor-in-Chief. We are also working on an arrangement with the Association of Pediatric Program Directors (APPD) that will give their organization some participation in our Journal (e.g., include an APPD member on the Editorial Board, give APPD a page in each issue for their association’s communications to members, and electronically publish their annual meeting abstracts). In fact, in advance of official e-publication in the May-June issue, the abstracts for the upcoming APPD meeting were just posted on the Journal website, and can be viewed at: ambulatorypediatrics.org. Hopefully this collaboration with APPD, once finalized, will serve as a model for the development of similar relationships with some of our other “sister” organizations.

And now for the last time, my pitch:

With so many exciting developments having recently occurred (and still occurring!) in the APA, this is a wonderful time to remember the importance of your involvement and support, and to make a contribution to the APA Development Fund! Just go to this link: http://www.ambpeds.org/site/about/about_apa_dev_fund.htm, download a contribution form , and send it in with your contribution or pledge. You can do this today, and then contribute once again when we see each other in Hawaii!

Once again, many thanks for the opportunity to have served as APA Treasurer!

Arthur H. Fierman, M.D.
Treasurer

Updated 04/07/08