A quick and easy way for a grassroots pediatrician to make a big impact

During a busy day in your work in the field of pediatrics, have you ever thought to yourself,  “If I could change one thing it would be  ________”? Have you ever felt as if you had no voice, and no chance of changing the system?

Submitting a resolution to the ALF is simple, and is a great way for a busy pediatrician or pediatric subspecialist to make a significant impact.  With a small time investment a resolution can go a long way. Resolutions can be submitted pertaining to any aspect of pediatric advocacy, finance, practice, education, or AAP operations.

For information on how to submit a resolution, visit www.aap.org, log in to the member site, and click on “District X”  and then look at the bottom of the page  where you will see RESOLUTIONS in red font.   You will find a link to “Resolution Guidelines” or click on Resolution Guidelines as well as link to a blank  “2011 Resolution Template” or click on 2011 Resolution Template.

District X was the source of a number of successful resolutions at ALF 2010 including two of the top ten ranked resolutions:

·        Drs. Ed Zissman, Lisa Cosgrove ,  Sara Slovin of FL  AAP and Drs. Kathryn Cheek and Sally Goza of GA AAP were among  authors of the #1 ranked resolution of the 2010 ALF, which asks the AAP to  advocate for a national immunization registry where pediatricians  could readily  access vaccine records from all 50 states for their patients .

·        Dr. Joe Zanga of Georgia, was author of a top ten ranked resolution  recommending that AAP lifetime certificate holders be listed as Board Certified on the website of  the American Board of Pediatrics, without reference to their enrollment status in MOC.  

·        Puerto Rico Chapter AAP, Dr. Fernando  Ysern President,   Parity  for Puerto Rican Children in Health Care Reform

·        Dr. Jeannine Del Pizzo   FL AAP  Flexible Loan Repayment Options for Residents and Fellows

·        Dr. Xavier Sevilla  FL AAP   AAP Based Chronic Care Registries

The next Annual Leadership Forum will be March 25-27, 2011 in Chicago.  Resolutions must be received by the AAP central office by December  1, 2010.

It is also a good idea to submit you resolutions to your state Chapter before that time, to seek Chapter sponsorship, and potentially District X sponsorship. This improves the chances of your resolution being passed at the ALF.  I encourage you to put your great ideas in the form of a resolution template, and submit them to your chapter leadership this fall (before October 1). I am available to assist  you in this process and happy to do so,  please contact  mmichaels@optilink.us

Thank you,

Marty

Martin C. Michaels, MD, FAAP,  Dalton, GA
District X Representative to the Chapter Forum Management Committee (CFMC)