The Annual Leadership Conference (ALC) is an annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics chapters, committees, councils and sections to advise the Board of Directors of the AAP. The ALC has five primary aims:

  1. To draw upon multiple areas of expertise within the Academy to advise and make recommendations to the Board of Directors.
  2. To promote communication and networking among the leaders of chapters, committees, councils and sections.
  3. To incorporate diverse perspectives in the discussion and debate of leading pediatric issues.
  4. To integrate and promote understanding of AAP strategic priorities and the policy development, education and advocacy functions of the Academy.
  5. To provide leadership education and inspiration for Academy volunteer leaders.

Every year, members have an opportunity to ask our leaders to make changes, to improve children’s health, to optimize pediatrician education and to update our organizational procedures. You can do this by writing a resolution! Scroll down to the section of this page on Writing a Resolution, which includes a comprehensive guide on how to write a resolution, workshop training, templates, resources and more.

 

Outline of this page:

  • Resolutions from Annual Leadership Conference 2022
  • Resolutions from Annual Leadership Conference 2021
  • Resolutions from Annual Leadership Forum* 2020
  • Writing a Resolution – Workshop, templates, resources and more

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Annual Leadership Conference 2022

ALC 2022 was the first in-person gathering since 2019, held in August at AAP Headquarters in Itasca, IL. There were 48 total resolutions,  including 3 late-breaking ones. Of these, there were 9 sponsored resolutions with at least one author from District IX, and 5 had at least 1 author from our chapter. Seven of these were adopted, including 4 of the 5 resolutions from our chapter. These were:

  • Resolution 8: “Combatting Censorship Promoting Open Access to Books and Information for Children”, authored by Dr. Heidi M. Feldman
  • Resolution 12: “Support Orphaned and Vulnerable Children of the COVID-19 Pandemic”, by Dr. Magi B. Ishak Gabra with coauthors from Texas and Washington
  • Resolution 33: “Improve the Ability of Small Independent Pediatric Practices to Recruit High Quality Pediatricians”, by Chapter 1 Treasurer Dr. Niki Saxena and Chapter 1 member at large Dr. Graciela Wilcox
  • Resolution 41: “Transparency of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Outcomes for Medical School Pediatric Departments” by Dr. Gregg Lund with co-authorship by Dr. Kimberly Móntez of the North Carolina Chapter 

We reccomend you read Dr. Webb’s and Dr. Saxena’s experience with attending the conference and direct account and more important updates in this Vice President’s Column from attending the conference.

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Top 10 National ALC Resolutions for 2022

  1. Supporting Pediatrician Advocates Experiencing Adversity
  2. Equitable Access to Quality Healthcare for Patients with Public and Private Insurance 
  3. Inclusion of Administrative Costs in Chapter Grant Opportunities
  4. Expanded Education and Training on Transgender Care
  5. Labeling of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Screening on Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) to Support Adolescent Confidentiality
  6. Alleviating Childhood Poverty Through Tax Credit Policies
  7. Promote Sustainable Staffing Models for Pediatric Physicians and Their Healthcare Teams
  8. Combatting Censorship: Promoting Open Access to Books and Information for Children and Adolescents (AAP Chapter 1 resolution)
  9. Improving Training for and Management of Pediatric Behavioral Health Crises in the Emergency Room Setting
  10. Incorporating Environmental, Social, and Governance Principles in the AAP’s Investment Strategy

The full text of the resolutions and the voting results can be viewed here.

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Annual Leadership Conference 2021

A call for foundational change to the Medicaid program for children and young adults topped the list of resolutions prioritized by AAP leaders during the Leadership Conference, a combined meeting of the Annual Leadership Forum and the District meetings. The conference, which was held virtually on August 5-8, 2021, brought together AAP chapter, committee, council and section leaders from around the country, drawing on their diverse perspectives and expertise to advise the AAP Board of Directors.

Top 11 National ALC Resolutions for 2021

Due to a tie at No. 10, there are 11 top resolutions. Following are the top resolutions they approved, which will be referred to areas of the Academy with related expertise for a review and potential action.

  1. The Medicaid Program for Children and Young Adults Requires Foundational Change: National Standards and Full Federal Funding
  2. Formation of a National Bureau for Firearm Injury Prevention
  3. Establishing the United States as a Global Leader in Child Well-Being
  4. Combatting Racism in Graduate Medical Education Through Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Curriculum Changes
  5. Developing Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) Measures to Reflect all Aspects of Preventive Care According to Bright Futures
  6. Accountability through Measurement—Improving Diversity and Inclusivity in Pediatrics Through Metric-Driven Data to Better Address Members’ Needs
  7. AAP Support for Gender Pay Equity for its Members
  8. A Toolkit to Address Pediatric Mental Health Needs Resulting From Pandemic
  9. Advocate for Federal Reporting Requirements of Adverse Pediatric Firearm Events
  10. Promotion of Early Evidence-Based Screening Tests for Reading and Systematic Reading, Instructional Interventions in Elementary School to Promote Life-long Literacy
  11. Every Child Deserves Good Pain Control – Ending Structural Racism in Pediatric Pain Management

These resolutions were chosen from 60 submitted by AAP groups and members for consideration. Members were able to comment on them online before the conference.

To view the full text of the resolutions, visit https://collaborate.aap.org/alf/Pages/2021-Resolutions.aspx.

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District IX Sponsored Resolutions for 2021

  1. Advocate for Research Funding to Study Disparities in Outcomes in Pediatric Surgery for Minoritized Groups – Anita Hokanen, MD, MS, FAAP
  2. Combating Natural Hair and Cultural Headwear Discrimination Among Children – Multiple Authors including Alec Calac, BS
  3. Establishing the United States as a Global Leader in Child Well-Being – Mikah Owens, MD & Rita Nathawad, MD
  4. Facilitate Communication Between Physician and Parents with Limited English Proficiency – Meera Sankar, MD, Mindy Ju, MD & John Takayama, MD
  5. Promote Recycling of Personal Protective Equipment – Robin Winokur, MD
  6. Combating Racism in Graduate Medical Education Through ACGME Curriculum Changes – Christin Folker, MD & Brittany Flemming, MD
  7. Combating Racism in Graduate Medical Education Through Online Education – Christin Folker, MD & Brittany Flemming, MD
  8. Every Child Deserves Good Pain Control – Ending Structural Racism in Pediatric Pain Management – Multiple Including Rita Agarwal, MD
  9. Promoting Diversity of Business Relations with AAP – Sabrina Perrino, MS, MD
  10. Inclusion of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Populations in Academy Priorities and Publications – Joyce Javier, MD, MS, MPH & Aimee Grace, MD, MPH

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Annual Leadership Forum* 2020

*Annual Leadership Conference was formerly known as Annual Leadership Forum

AAP leaders emphasized the need to combat racism and improve mental health care, placing several resolutions about each in the top 10 during the Annual Leadership Forum. During the meeting, leaders also approved the development of an anti-racism bylaws referendum. Read the published article HERE.

Top 10 National ALF Resolutions for 2020

Below are the voted top 10 resolutions for 2020. These resolutions were chosen from about 90 submitted by AAP groups and members for consideration.

  1. Addressing Structural Racism Within Healthcare (Co-Author is AAPCA1 Immigrant Health Task Force Chair Alexandria Valdrighi, MD)
  2. Supporting Child and Youth Mental Resilience in Schools
  3. Creation of Task Force on Immunization Advocacy and Hesitancy
  4. Ask All Children, Adolescents and Their Families About Racism, Discrimination and Bias (Author is AAPCA1 member Gretchen Graves, MD, FAAP)
  5. Developing a Pediatric Model for Value Based Payment
  6. Prohibit the Use of Race-Based Medicine
  7. Unmet Need of Inpatient and Outpatient Mental Health for Children
  8. Advocate for Paid Parental Leave and Mother Baby-Friendly Workplaces
  9. Physician Burnout Must be Prevented by Change in Healthcare Delivery Systems
  10. Expanding Training on Psychiatric Conditions for General Pediatricians

To view the full text of the resolutions, visit https://collaborate.aap.org/alf/Pages/2020-Resolutions.aspx

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Chapter Sponsored Resolutions for 2020

All of our chapter sponsored resolutions this year passed. Thank you to the authors for putting their resolutions forward and congratulations!

  1. Collaborate with Early Childhood Education and Child Care Providers to Identify Children with Developmental, Behavioral or Emotional Challenges – John Ichiro Takayama, MD, MPH, FAAP, Steven Merahn, MD, FAAP, & Jennifer Zubler, MD, FAAP
  2. National Standards for Nutritious School Meals and Beverages Should be Followed – Nivedita More MD, FAAP
  3. Make Protecting LGBTQ Children a Priority Federal Advocacy Issue – Abby Walch, MD, FAAP
  4. Reuse the Styrofoam! – Robin Winokur, MD, FAAP
  5. Standardized Protocol for Rapid Response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Healthcare Facilities – Alexandria Valdrighi & Allison Black, MD, FAAP
  6. Ask All Children and Their Families About Racism, Discrimination and Bias – Gretchen Graves, MD, FAAP
  7. Incorporation of Climate Change Into Annual Well-Child Checks – Amanda Millstein, MD, FAAP & Lisa Patel, MD, FAAP
  8. Preventive Mental Health Care for Pediatric Residents – Zoey Goore, MD, MPH, FAAP
  9. Political Misinformation on Social Media Impacts Child Health – Rhea W Boyd MD, MPH, FAAP
  10. Correct Spelling and Pronunciation of Names – John Ichiro Takayama, MD, MPH, FAAP & Abimbola Dairo, MD
  11. Addressing Structural Racism Within Healthcare – Alexandria Valdrighi, MD & Marsha Spitzer, MD, FAAP
  12. Racism and Police Brutality are Public Health Crises that must be Addressed – Alexandria Valdrighi, MD & Marsha Spitzer, MD, FAAP

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Writing a Resolution:..

What’s a resolution?

Every year, chapter members can submit a “resolution” to the Academy (national AAP) to advocate for change – to improve the health and well-being of children, youth and families; to support pediatricians; and to make AAP a better organization. ALF resolutions are reviewed, confirmed and prioritized by leaders of chapters, sections, councils and committees, at the Annual Leadership Conference (ALC), which usually takes place in March every year.

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Who can write a resolution?

Anyone who is a chapter member can submit an ALF resolution. Resolutions should address the Academy’s mission, core values or strategic plan (https://services.aap.org/en/about-the-aap/strategic-plan/); and they tend to ask the Academy to take action on a specific issue not already addressed or to establish a new program or activity.

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How to write a resolution:

ALF resolutions use a specific format that begins with “whereas” and ends with “resolved.” “Whereas” is where one lists the reasons why the Academy should consider the resolution; and “resolved” is where one specifies what the Academy should do or change. Resolutions often include key action verbs such as advocate, collaborate and educate. Before drafting a resolution, it’s helpful to review past resolutions, to make sure that a recent resolution did not ask the Academy to do something similar. We’ve listed resolutions from our chapter and state from the past few years above.  Here are all of the relevant resources and links you’ll need:
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Resolution Writing Workshop:

Slides can be viewed HERE

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