May 27, 2025
Dear APA friends,
I was fortunate to see many of you in Honolulu at PAS a few weeks ago. The weather and meeting were perfect! Most of us left feeling rejuvenated, inspired and recommitted to the work that we do. I’m grateful for Dr. Tiffani Johnson’s visionary presidential sessions and APA events that she led calling all of us to do better, and be better, in the work that we do to advance child heath equity and inclusivity in our field.
It was also wonderful to see so many families especially young children at PAS. The last time PAS was in Hawaii was 17 years ago; at the time, I was completing my academic general pediatric fellowship, my wife was finishing up her pediatric chief residency year and our 16-month-old daughter was afraid of sand. This time, our two teen daughters had a blast at the beach and exploring the island with my former co-fellow’s children. Although time has flown by, I am grateful that the APA remains a central part of my professional identify and has allowed me to grow in a myriad of ways. As I stated at the meeting, the APA facilitates like-minded individuals to do impactful work together while becoming life-long friends.
In these unsettling times, with attacks on science and our core values of equity, inclusion and diversity and with NIH grants being stripped away from our colleagues due to their scientific focus or due to their place of employment, we need each other and the APA more than ever. With this backdrop, I’m committed to doing the following this year during my presidency.
- First, I will increase our communication efforts with members. I’ll be sending a note like this every 6 weeks to provide an update on what the APA and our Board are doing.
- We will also be sending more direct updates from our legislative advocacy efforts as part of the Pediatric Policy Council (PPC) and ways members can get involved.
- We will offer more virtual opportunities to engage with each other and APA leaders throughout the year so we can stay more connected.
- Second, we will be re-doubling our commitment to our values, mission and vision. We are not going to shy away from who we are or who we have always been. We are here for each other and importantly we are here for the children we serve who continue to be the poorest, and most diverse, population in our society.
- Third, this year we will honor APA’s 65th birthday! I’ve been starting to learn more about its incredible history. Did you know that the idea for the APA first started at the 1953 American Pediatric Society (APS) and Society for Pediatric Research (SPR) meeting when Dr. Barbara Korsch brought together members who felt that outpatient pediatric care deserved more attention? And just like that, we started out as the Association for Ambulatory Pediatric Services in 1960. Stay tuned for more historical nuggets throughout the year!
The APA is truly a special community that has existed across generations. And community is what we all need especially in difficult and challenging times. I hope this year, no matter what lies ahead both professionally, personally and in society at large, we will feel even more connected and move a little closer to our vision of “a thriving academic pediatric community that ensures optimal health and well-being for all children, particularly for those most vulnerable.”
Please reach out to me anytime with your ideas, suggestions and concerns.
In community with you, our colleagues and the children, families, and communities that we serve,
Arvin
