Society News
APS - ABP Announce New Award to Honor Dr. David G. Nichols
New Endowment Established to Honor Dr. David G. Nichols
The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Foundation recently awarded the American Pediatric Society (APS) a new grant to honor the career of David G. Nichols, MD, MBA, ABP President and CEO. This is the second award established to honor Dr. Nichols in as many months as he nears retirement in December 2021.
The David G. Nichols Health Equity Award is an endowed award that will be distributed on an annual basis to recognize an individual or group who has demonstrated excellence in advancing child and adolescent health, well-being, and equity through quality improvement, advocacy, practice, or research.
“Diversity, equity, and inclusion and child and adolescent health advocacy are cornerstones of the APS mission,” says Mary Leonard, MD, MSCE, President of the APS and Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine. “Our membership and leaders are passionate about health equity and are nationally recognized for their commitment and expertise in the field. The new award will provide a platform to underscore this commitment to child and adolescent health equity and diversity.”
Award recipients will be honored at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Meeting, and their presentations will be published in Pediatric Research, the official publication of the American Pediatric Society, the European Society for Paediatric Research, and the Society for Pediatric Research. The endowment’s distinction from other awards is that it will honor individuals and programs with a far-reaching impact on health equity.
Victoria Norwood, MD, Immediate Past Chair of the ABP Board of Directors, says award recipients will be leaders, innovators, implementors, and researchers who can help pediatricians move the equity needle. Dr. Norwood, a Professor of Pediatrics and the Pediatric Nephrology Program Director at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, was instrumental, along with other ABP volunteers, in securing the award.
“Enormous percentages of childhood disease and ill health are the result of systemic and personalized disparities,” she says. “Learning from the very top leaders and experts in this arena is the way to spread the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to improve.”
Distributions from the $125,000 endowment will cover the recipient’s honorarium, PAS registration, and travel, while the APS will donate services in-kind to cover the award administration. The first award will be presented at the PAS 2022 Meeting. Information about the nomination process will be forthcoming soon from the APS.
“David has been the ultimate change agent in very challenging times, and his successes are deeply admired, appreciated, and acknowledged by all,” says Dr. Norwood. “Honoring him in this way — a way that keeps his energy going — is what we set out to do.”
Dr. Norwood announced the David G. Nichols Health Equity Award during the ABP’s quarterly Board of Directors meeting in October 2021.
“I want to thank everyone for this incredible honor,” said Dr. Nichols, shown here during the virtual presentation with his wife, Mayme Boyd. “To have my name attached to such a prestigious forum is of course a huge honor, but more importantly, I hope the award will energize the work of thousands of pediatricians all over the country to improve the care of children, to advance child health, and to promote health care equity.”
“I believe in the power of QI to make change,” he added. “We can do this. I am convinced we can all do this together.”
Dr. Leonard says the APS and its members are delighted to honor the tremendous leadership and achievements of Dr. Nichols. “We are grateful for the partnership and financial support of the American Board of Pediatrics Foundation which made this award possible,” she says. “The timing of this award could not be better.”
Dr. Megan A. Moreno Announced as the 2022 Norman J. Siegel Outstanding Science Award Recipient
The American Pediatric Society (APS) is pleased to announce Megan A. Moreno, MD, as the recipient of the 2022 Norman J. Siegel Outstanding Science Award for her considerable contributions to pediatric science. The award will be presented to Dr. Moreno during the APS Presidential Plenary at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2022 Meeting.
Dr. Richard J. Whitley Announced as the 2022 John Howland Award Recipient
The American Pediatric Society (APS) is pleased to announce Richard J. Whitley, MD, as the 2022 APS John Howland Award recipient, the highest honor bestowed by the APS. The prestigious award signifies the society’s recognition of Dr. Whitley for his significant contributions to advancing child health and the profession of pediatrics. The award will be presented to Dr. Whitley on during the APS Presidential Plenary at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2022 Meeting in Denver, Colorado, April 21-25, 2022.
Important Changes to Your APS Dues
We would like to make you aware of important changes related to APS membership dues that the Society is making in response to member requests and feedback.
In December, APS will launch auto-renewal, a more convenient way for members to pay and remain current on membership dues. By using this now widely adopted approach, we aim to increase convenience for members while reducing the number of dues-related emails members receive. Details on this change follow.
- How will auto-renewal work? The debit or credit card used by a member to pay current dues (by January 2022) will be automatically charged when dues are once again owed in January 2023. Prior to an auto-renewal charge, members will receive an email alert and may stop the charge or change/update the card on file. For members who have already pre-paid 2022 dues, auto-renewal will begin in 2023.
- When are dues owed? January 15. This new payment date is adopted to facilitate the transition to auto-renewal. For 2022 dues, members will be invoiced on December 1, 2021, for payment due January 15, 2022. Subsequent auto-renewal charges will be applied yearly on January 15, unless a member opts out of auto-renewal.
- Will a receipt suitable for reimbursement be available? Yes. A detailed receipt will automatically be emailed upon payment and will remain available via the APS Members Center.
- May I opt-out of auto-renewal? Yes. A member may opt-out at any time and may subsequently rejoin auto-renewal.
We trust these changes will both enhance your APS member experience and facilitate your support of the Society’s mission-critical initiatives. Member dues provide vital funding for strategic programs such as the APS John Howland Award, advocacy through the Pediatric Policy Council and APS-supported scholars in PSDP, RAPID, NCS and the APS SPR Journeys programs – to name only a few. Thank you for your continued membership and engagement. If you have questions, please feel free to contact the APS Office at any time.
APS 2021 Council Election Results
Dr. Lisa R. Young Announced as the 2021 Norman J. Siegel Outstanding Science Award Recipient
The American Pediatric Society (APS) is pleased to announce Lisa R. Young, MD, as the recipient of the 2021 Norman J. Siegel Outstanding Science Award for her considerable contributions to pediatric science. The award will be presented to Dr. Young on May 3 during the APS Presidential Plenary at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2021 Virtual Meeting.
Dr. Sherin U. Devaskar Announced as the 2021 John Howland Award Recipient
The American Pediatric Society (APS) is pleased to announce Sherin U. Devaskar, MD, as the 2021 APS John Howland Award recipient, the highest honor bestowed by the APS. The prestigious award signifies the society’s recognition of Dr. Devaskar for her significant contributions to advancing child health and the profession of pediatrics. The award will be presented to Dr. Devaskar on May 3 during the APS Presidential Plenary at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2021 Virtual Meeting.
Accidental Discovery That Lead to Parkinson’s Disease Cure in Mice
While attempting to better understand the function of a protein in connective tissue cells, UC San Diego School of Medicine scientists found a way to transform multiple types of cells into neurons. This discovery has led to the development of a treatment that eliminates symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in mice. Read study co-authored by 23-year APS Member, Dr. William Mobley here..
Q&A: Journal Retractions ‘Due to a Rush to Publish’ Information on COVID-19
As researchers work rapidly to publish research on COVID-19, major medical journals have retracted articles because of issues regarding data transparency and methodology. 26-Year APS Member, Dr. Eugene Shapiro, professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health, discussed the flaws with the peer-review process, as well as possible solutions. Read the interview with Dr. Shapiro here.
Texas’ Early Reopening and Surge in Coronavirus Cases
In a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, 4-year APS Member, Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, comments on why companies and civic leaders should delay reopenings and keep workers at home until the surge in coronavirus trends down. Read Dr. Hotez’s remarks here.
Expectation of Coronavirus Surge in D.C. Region
APS CODI Committee Co-Chair, Dr. Joseph Wright, Interim President and CEO, and Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Capital Region Health within the University of Maryland Medical System, and new member Dr. Roberta DeBiasi, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s National Hospital, comment in The Washington Post article about areas opening and the expectation of a coronavirus surge in D.C. Read Drs. Wright and DeBiasi’s comments here.
12-Year APS Member, Michael DeBaun, MD, MPH, Named to Maryville University Board of Trustees
Congratulations to Dr. Michael DeBaun! He is founding director of the Vanderbilt-Meharry Center for Excellence in Sickle Cell Disease and has been named to the Maryville University Board of Trustee. “Dr. DeBaun . . . has dedicated [his career] to ensuring young people are able to reach their full potential, especially young people of color and young people from underrepresented groups,” the president of Maryville University said in a statement. Read more about Dr. DeBaun’s career and selection here.
APS Past President and 12-Year APS Member, Elena Fuentes-Afflick, MD, MPH, Announced as Home Secretary of the National Academy of Medicine
Chair of Pediatrics at UCSF, Chief of Pediatrics at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, and Vice Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Medicine, has been appointed as Home Secretary of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Read more about the NAM and Dr. Fuentes-Afflick’s service to the NAM here. Congratulations Dr. Fuentes-Afflick!
Kathryn Edwards, APS 2020 John Howland Awardee and Member of 18 Years, and Paul Offit, MD, 8-Year APS Member, Share Optimism in Search for COVID-19 Vaccine
Dr. Edwards, scientific director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program, shared her thoughts on the research pace and safety of these vaccines. Dr. Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, discussed the number of vaccines and dosage. Read more of their comments here.