Immunization
The Academic Pediatric Association: The First 50 Years
At the 1953 meeting of the American Pediatric Society and Society for Pediatric Research (APS-SPR), Barbara Korsch convened an informal gathering of individuals who shared the notion that outpatient care deserved more attention. Chairs, including those who were “not stereotyped with ambulatory pediatrics,” such as Saul Krugman and Emmett Holt, attended, validating ambulatory pediatrics as “worthy of attention.”1 Informal meetings ensued annually for several years. By the end of the decade, the sentiment of individuals such as Loren MacKinney was that it was time “to actually do some work.”2 Barbara Korsch surveyed the meeting participants to determine what that work might be.A History of the Academic Pediatric Association’s Public Policy and Advocacy Initiatives
Throughout its 50-year history, the Academic Pediatric Association (APA) has recognized the importance of social, environmental, and public policy issues for children’s health. Since the organization’s inception, the APA and its members have taken an active interest in many major child health public policy initiatives (Table). APA members have worked to promote policies that benefit children’s health on a broad scale, conducting key research on health issues and health care interventions in order to inform policy debates, providing Congressional testimony, and leading initiatives for policy change.
