August 26, 2026
Dear APA Colleagues,
I hope you are all having a wonderful summer! I returned from Kansas City and the annual Pediatric Hospital Medicine recently. It was a fantastic meeting- I was so impressed by the enthusiasm of the PHM community. I thought the science was as good as it has ever been including multiple presentations by teams doing multi-center studies (EMO, IPASS, and I know I am missing many others!). This work is critical to understanding how to (and how not to) care for hospitalized children. I was also so delighted to see how many trainees and early-stage faculty were there presenting. With so much threatening science and research, it was great to see it flourishing there. I’ll also put a plug in for the Pediatric Research in Inpatient Settings preconference workshop for early-stage researchers; this was a great opportunity to learn about research careers and get advice from more senior researchers. The APA is the host society for the 2027 meeting in New Orleans. Don’t forget to save July 29 – August 1 on your calendars.
On another note, I wanted to personally thank everyone who completed the recent membership needs assessment. We are grateful for your time, your candor, and your continued engagement. Several themes emerged from the feedback. Members expressed interest in
- Year-round engagement through SIGs, regions, mentorship, and collaborative projects;
- Clearer information about how to get involved;
- Intentional support for trainees and early-career members, and
- More opportunities to connect with colleagues who share similar roles, interests, or professional challenges.
In response to this feedback, we are actively strengthening member engagement and PAS programming in several areas through these mechanisms:
- Hosting new member orientations throughout the year to introduce programs and communities that support the development of our workforce and educate new members on how to get involved.
- Highlighting the annual Call for Member Leaders to communicate opportunities for members to get involved and gain national leadership experience.
- Organizing the Call for Member Leaders by career stage to highlight opportunities for our trainee community
- Launching a monthly Trainee E-News that outlines relevant programming and news.
- Continued structured support for SIGs, regions, and member-led communities led by the SIG and Region Directors, Drs. Cara Haberman and Dan Rauch.
- Hosting Affinity Group meetings to support more intentional networking opportunities by role, career stage, geography, specialty, and area of interest;
- Implementing an RSVP system for the Membership Meeting and Luncheon at PAS.
- Communicating the Membership Meeting and Luncheon agenda to strengthen recognition of APA awardees.
We appreciate the many members who noted that time, institutional demands, travel costs, and competing professional obligations can make engagement difficult. Especially as changes at the federal level continue to affect institutional budgets, the APA remains committed to investing in its members and reducing barriers to participation. For many years, program pages have encouraged members to contact the APA when fees or tuition present a barrier to application and/or participation. Given the exceptional circumstances currently facing our field and institutions, members who need additional assistance are encouraged to contact us with their membership history and a statement of need for the Board’s consideration.
The APA is all about supporting the scientists, scholars, and educators who help children lead healthier lives. I want to take a minute to highlight the work of Dr. Alisa Khan, an APA member who presented at the opening plenary session of the PHM meeting.
Dr. Khan’s work is inspiring and has the potential to encourage medical students and residents to pursue careers in academic pediatrics. As we continue to navigate how fellowship changes may affect the field and address longstanding workforce challenges, I wanted to share the Pediatric Workforce Initiative’s (PWI) COMSEP-developed resources for educators and learners. These materials are designed to support conversations that encourage students and trainees to pursue pediatrics and academic careers.
Exploring Pediatrics as a Career: A Guide for Learners
Pediatrics as a Career: A Toolkit for Medical Students
Additionally, if you are meeting with congressional representatives, the PWI has developed an advocacy guide with key messages and talking points to help prepare for those conversations. The toolkit is unique as it was developed by a public relations firm that specializes in compelling language to Congressional staff.
Amplify the importance of children’s health
With the Medicaid changes going into effect in January, your voice matters now more than ever to safeguard our nation’s children. Thank you for engaging in this critical work and in this community. To close, I’d like to echo Dr. Lauren Gambill’s PHM plenary speech: where collective action is possible, it is impactful. Regardless of the ubiquitous challenges we face, working together, we can safeguard an equitable child health agenda.
Best,
Karen Wilson, MD, MPH
President
Academic Pediatric Association
