IN THIS ISSUE
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AAP/MCAAP News:
- AAP/MCAAP Opportunities
- AAP Resolutions - Due April 1, 2025
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WEBINAR: Heartfelt Wisdom: Lessons from the Blue Zones and Raising Healthy Hearts in Pediatric Practice - January 24, 2025 from 1-2:30 pm EST
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SAFEST Choice National Learning Collaborative - Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs)
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Health Connector Survey - Your feedback is requested on Health Connector plans for 2026
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New Online Form for MassHealth - Education and Community Outreach Support
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Call for Nominations: AAP National Committees
2025 Member Positions
The AAP Board of Directors is soliciting nominations to fill member vacancies in the following AAP National Committees for terms beginning July 1, 2025:
- Committee on Child Health Financing
- Committee on Coding and Nomenclature
- Committee on Continuing Medical Education
- Committee on Federal Government Affairs
- Committee on Fetus and Newborn
- Committee on Hospital Care
- Committee on Infectious Diseases
- Committee on Medical Liability and Risk Management
- Committee on Native American Child Health
- Committee on Pediatric and Adolescent HIV
- Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Committee on Pediatric Research
- Committee on Philanthropy
- Committee on Practice & Ambulatory Medicine
- Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child & Family Health
- Committee on Substance Use and Prevention
- Council on Children and Disasters
- Council on Immigrant Child and Family Health
You can find the requirements, the statements of needs for each position, and the application materials on the Committees, Councils, and Sections collaboration site (AAP login required). To be considered complete, an application must include a (1) factsheet, (2) biographical summary, (3) letter of nomination, and (4) letter of support. Once submitted, candidates will receive a request to complete their conflict of interest disclosure. Completion of this disclosure will finalize the application process.
As part of the AAP Equity Agenda, the Board of Directors is committed to increasing the percentage of members from groups underrepresented in medicine that are serving in Academy leadership positions. Diverse candidates in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or national origin are encouraged to apply. To ensure a diverse pool of applications, the call for nominations will be widely distributed.
The deadline for nominations is February 14, 2025. Nominees must submit the completed application package to their chapter president (AAP login required) and the AAP Nominations team. The AAP Board of Directors will meet in May 2025 to review nominations and make final appointments.
Please email any questions to the AAP Nominations team.
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MCAAP/AAP Opportunities
MCAAP Opportunities:
Legislative Committee Voting Member Position:
Here is information about the legislative committee voting member position and here is information about the the MCAAP Legislative Committee. Appointed members will have voting privileges and serve a two-year term. Elected MCAAP Board members are not eligible for this position because their seat on the board already allows them to vote on legislation brought forth by the committee.
Nominating Committee Member Position:
The Nominating Committee consists of 5 members who prepare a slate of candidates for offices that will be filled by election prior to the next Annual Meeting in May. This year the open positions are for Secretary, Region 1 Representative (Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes Norfolk, Plymouth and Nantucket Counties) and two at-large positions. Most of the work will be done by email with the possibility of one or two conference calls. This is a two-year term that coincides with the President's term.
Bylaws Committee Member Position:
The MCAAP Bylaws Committee consists of 5 members who recommend amendments to the bylaws to ensure consistency with the actions of the policy-making bodies of the Chapter; and to best prepare amendments which it considers advisable to facilitate the work of and best interest of the Chapter. These amendments are on voted at the MCAAP Annual Meeting in May. This is a two-year term that coincides with the President's term.
Other Open MCAAP/AAP Positions:
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MCAAP CME Committee Member - For more information click here.
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MCAAP Membership Champion - For more information click here.
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MCAAP Pediatric Council Chair - For more information click here.
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MCAAP Infectious Disease Expert - For more information click here.
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AAP Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) Facilitator - For more information click here.
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AAP New Chapter Champion Program: Early Career and Senior Member Champions – For more information click here. Nominations Due December 15
From Chas Hannum, MD, District 1 Representative
for the AAP Section on Early Career Physicians (SOECP)
Calling all early career pediatricians! The Section on Early Career Physicians is an active AAP section which helps those in their early career, no matter what age, find resources for leadership skills, networking, work-life balance and well-being, and general learning. By being a member of the Section, you become eligible for awards and grants, can become an active and engaged member on work groups and help build community amongst early career physicians.
Please see this brochure for more information. You can reach out to your District 1 representative, Chas Hannum (charles.d.hannum@gmail.com) for more information or how to engage with the AAP.
Contact Cathleen Haggerty at chaggerty@mcaap.org to apply for any of these positions or for more information about MCAAP/AAP opportunities.
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AAP 2025 Resolution Process
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) resolution process is a way for members to bring important topics to the AAP leadership. Resolutions are heard at the Annual Leadership Conference in July 2025.
There is now an online form for resolution submissions in 2025. All resolutions will need to be submitted using this form. Click here to learn more about the resolution process.
The Resolution Deadline remains April 1, 2025, 11:59pm Central Time. The new late resolution deadline is July 17, 2025 at 11:59pm CT. This is two weeks before the Leadership Conference.
Mark your Calendars! 2025 Virtual Reference Committee Hearings are tentatively scheduled for the evenings of July 9, 15, and 17 and the 2025 Leadership Conference is Thursday, July 31 – Sunday, August 3, 2025.
As a reminder, once submitted, resolutions are the property of the AAP and open to vigorous membership debate and scrutiny. No sharing of resolutions outside of AAP membership should be done before, during or after the resolution process.
The Leadership Conference website with much more resolution information can be found here.
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Heartfelt Wisdom: Lessons from the Blue Zones
and Raising Healthy Hearts in Pediatric Practice
Description:
This webinar, hosted by the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Integrative Medicine, brings together two pediatric cardiologists who also specialize in lifestyle medicine to share transformative insights. Dr. Drant will explore the principles behind the Blue Zones—regions of the world known for longevity and vitality—and their application to both patient care and clinician well-being. Dr. Schratz will discuss the Raising Healthy Hearts program at Massachusetts General Hospital, emphasizing strategies for fostering lifelong heart health in children. Through actionable guidance, participants will learn to improve pediatric care outcomes while enhancing their own wellness and resilience.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Integrate lifestyle medicine principles from the Blue Zones into pediatric practice to support heart health, nutrition, and overall well-being in patients.
- Apply strategies from the Raising Healthy Hearts program to foster cardiovascular health in pediatric populations, focusing on evidence-based approaches to diet, activity, and stress reduction.
- Enhance clinician vitality and longevity by adopting self-care practices inspired by the Blue Zones, improving professional resilience and the ability to provide high-quality care over time.
Date: Friday January 24, 2025 from 1-2:30 pm EST
Speakers:
Stacey Drant, M.D.
Professor, Pediatric Cardiology
Director, Pediatric Connective Tissue Disease Program
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Lorraine Marasco Schratz, M.D., FAAP, DipABLM, DABOM
Division of Pediatric, Fetal and Congenital Cardiology
Director, Raising Healthy Hearts Program
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Link to Register: https://aap.webex.com/weblink/register/r1b38e9777c3d8a8ab715f48604072aa3
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SAFEST Choice National Learning Collaborative
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) are a range of conditions attributable to prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) that include behavioral, learning, and physical problems. Alcohol is a teratogen which adversely affects fetal brain development throughout all gestational stages. FASDs are permanent and the most common preventable developmental disability in the US.
The HRSA-funded SAFEST Choice National Learning Collaborative is a joint program between Boston Medical Center and Proof Alliance that helps clinics address FASDs in prenatal and pediatric care settings through virtual ECHO education. Clinic teams will learn how to screen for PAE, counsel patients and families, and manage the care of patients with a suspected or diagnosed FASD. Participants receive free continuing education credits (physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, certified counselors).
SAFEST Choice is currently enrolling pediatric care teams to begin in February 2025 and prenatal care teams to begin in September 2025. For more information on how your clinic can be part of the SAFEST Choice National Learning Collaborative, email safestchoice@bmc.org or visit safestchoice.org.
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Your feedback requested on
Health Connector plans for 2026
From the Health Connector:
The Health Connector is seeking feedback from stakeholders about priorities for its 2026 health plan contracting process, known as the Seal of Approval process. We would value your input about health care affordability and access, specifically:
(1) Coverage priorities in the areas of maternal health, cardiometabolic health and dental care;
(2) provider contracting;
(3) the collection and use of data related to health equity;
(4) insights on the relationship between the health care system and climate change; and
(5) any other feedback you think could help improve plan offerings from the Health Connector.
The topics included in this survey do not necessarily indicate that related provisions will be included in the Seal of Approval Request for Responses (RFR) that will be published over the winter. The Health Connector seeks to better understand market perspectives on these topics and to inform potential policy and programmatic strategies.
To access the survey, click here. Please submit your responses by December 20, 2024.
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New Online Form for MassHealth Education
and Community Outreach Support
From MassHealth:
We invite you to use the MassHealth Education and Information Request Form to:
- Request education on MassHealth eligibility, initiatives, and programs.
- Learn how to help members access the services MassHealth provides.
- Explore how MassHealth impacts the communities you serve.
We can also assist with supporting enrollment events or providing resources for those applying for coverage.
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MCAAP newsletter archives can be found here. | |
MCAAP| 781-895-9852 | 860 Winter Street, Waltham, MA 02451 | www.mcaap.org | | | | |