Voting for AAP President-elect and national officers will take place from May 26-June 9. All terms begin Jan. 1, 2021. Voting will be conducted online only at aap.org/vote. Watch for an email message that contains your personalized link to the election ballot (no additional ballot login information will be required).
Members will choose the next president-elect: Mobeen H. Rathore, M.D., FAAP, or Moira A. Szilagyi, M.D., Ph.D., FAAP. The winner will serve as AAP president in 2022. Voters also will elect district officers in six of 10 districts: district chairpersons (who serve as AAP board members), district vice chairpersons (who assist and support the district chairperson when needed) and National Nominating Committee representatives (who nominate two candidates for president-elect).
For questions about election procedures, contact Katie Friedman at [email protected] or 630-626-6296.
All members are urged to vote.
Editor’s note:Biographies and position statements were submitted by the candidates.
The AAP National Nominating Committee has named Drs. Rathore and Szilagyi, as candidates for AAP President-elect. Below are their position statements.
Mobeen H. Rathore, M.D., FAAP
Jacksonville, Fla.
My vision is simply ABCD: Advocacy, Burnout prevention, Care access for all children, and Diversity, Inclusion and Equity. This is in line with the AAP’s strategic plan and blueprint for children. These are important issues for general pediatricians, subspecialists and surgical specialists in private practice or academics.
To achieve my vision, we must be the change catalyst and advocate for firearm safety, food security, poverty alleviation, among other issues, by forming coalitions and work at state and federal levels.
Pediatrician wellness is critical. Longer working hours seeing patients combined with electronic medical records is challenging us in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Financial stress due to high college debt and the lowest payment rates in the medical profession add to burnout. We must address burnout.
Every child must have access to the highest quality of care, and pediatricians must be paid appropriately. We need a federal health care finance plan for children not covered under their parent’s insurance, what I have dubbed as “Medikid,” a program akin to Medicare.
Increasing diversity, including voices from different backgrounds and life experiences, and equity will make our profession stronger. Although important, diversity is not only about race, skin color or faith tradition but also about the diversity of views and opinions. When we welcome those opinions, we are inclusive. Our nation is becoming more diverse in who we are, how we look and what we believe. We must embrace these differences and be different together.
Please visit my website, https://mobeenrathore.com, for more details on my positions.
Read Dr. Rathore's profile story at bit.ly/AAPRathore and view his video statement at https://youtu.be/fMAgphlHlIg.
Moira A. Szilagyi, M.D., Ph.D., FAAP
Marina Del Rey, Calif.
The seeds of health, mental health and social well-being are planted in childhood as the sciences of early brain development, childhood trauma, epigenetics, attachment and resilience confirm. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), poverty, bias and discrimination, and other social determinants of health (SDoH) can erode the wellness of children and all who care for them. None of us can avoid stress or distress in life — but we can prevent or ameliorate some and prepare children, families and ourselves to manage it in ways that promote good outcomes.
As AAP president, I will focus on three areas in line with the AAP Agenda for Children and strategic plan:
- Strong and unified advocacy with like-minded partners to promote optimal health for all children, particularly vulnerable children, by addressing poverty, bias and discrimination, ACEs and SDoH, and supporting medical home care and integrated mental health care, community-level member initiatives and appropriate payment.
- Promote child and family resilience by implementing simple, streamlined, evidence-informed, pediatric-friendly interventions to promote child and family resilience and wellness, thereby reducing the burden of trauma and toxic stress on children, caregivers and physicians.
- Supporting our primary care, medical and subspecialty, and trainee members’ wellness during a time of upheaval and transformation by improving payment for the preventive and healing work we do that prevents long-term morbidity; promoting team-based care; and helping navigate changing practice structures and maintenance of certification.
As Frederick Douglass said and pediatricians know: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
Read Dr. Szilagyi's profile story at bit.ly/AAPSzilagyi and view her video statement at https://youtu.be/SR43E5goJ3o.
DISTRICT II
Warren M. Seigel, M.D., M.B.A., FAAP (incumbent)
District chairperson candidate
Dr. Seigel has been elected secretary/treasurer of the 2020 Board of Directors.
Dr. Seigel, a native New Yorker, is pediatric chair and director of adolescent medicine at Coney Island Hospital, Brooklyn, N.Y., associate professor of clinical pediatrics at SUNY Brooklyn, New York Institute of Technology/New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and professor of clinical pediatrics at St. George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada. He completed pediatric residency and adolescent medicine fellowship at Brookdale Hospital after receiving his M.D. from Universidad Centro de Estudios Tecnologicos, Dominican Republic. He received an M.B.A. in health care management in 2011.
Dr. Seigel participated in committees, sections, chapters and district activities and was elected District II vice chairperson in 2010.
Known for advocacy on behalf of primary care pediatricians for universal access to comprehensive medical home health care for patients of all ages, he testified before the House and Senate in Washington, D.C. Dr. Seigel served on the AAP Section on Adolescent Health Executive Committee and the Committee on Adolescence.
Position statement
It is an honor to run for a second term as District II chairperson. I am eager to continue what we have done in the past few years and address remaining and emerging challenges and threats to the health and welfare of the children and families we serve, and address issues impacting New York pediatrician well-being and satisfaction.
We effectively promoted vaccines, combated the vaping and tobacco epidemic, and helped limit firearm access. We must promote public policy that prioritizes the health and safety of all New Yorkers. We must better identify the needs of practicing pediatricians in all settings and engage politicians, payers and the public to improve the ability to effectively practice in New York. We must support the work by our pediatric councils to ensure financial stability for practicing pediatricians.
On the AAP Board of Directors, I contributed to New York’s responses to the recommendations on bias and discrimination and addressing diversity and inclusion. Bias, discrimination and hatred continue to directly and indirectly harm and threaten the most vulnerable under our care.
Together, we need to enact positive changes in health care, environmental and social policy. We need to recruit students, residents, fellows and pediatricians to ensure that our collective voice is representative and carries the full weight of all who are responsible for the care of New York’s children. I want to continue to work with you to improve the health and welfare of our state’s children, their families and our members.
Michael D. Terranova, M.D., FAAP (incumbent)
District vice chairperson candidate
Dr. Terranova graduated from the University of Rochester in 1978 and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1982. He completed his pediatric residency at the Children's Hospital of Buffalo in 1985.
Dr. Terranova co-founded Lancaster-Depew Pediatrics in 1985.
Dr. Terranova has been active in local, state and national organizations, including serving as Lancaster School District chief school physician for 35 years. He served as vice president and president of the Buffalo Pediatric Society and is an executive committee member.
He served on the Physician Advisory Committees for Independent Health Association and Univera Healthcare. He is an original member of the Physician Advisory Council for the Population Health Collaborative of Western New York.
Dr. Terranova's work for the Academy began as a member of the New York Chapter 1 School Health Committee in the 1990s. He chaired the committee for 10 years. He was the chapter’s secretary, vice president and president, and now is on the Board of Directors.
He co-chairs the District II Public Policy and Advocacy Committee.
He started and chairs the AAP Western New York Pediatric Council, which brings together pediatric and insurance company leaders to discuss financial, quality and clinical care issues.
DISTRICT III
John “Jay” Ludwicki, M.D., FAAP (incumbent)
District vice chairperson candidate
Dr. Ludwicki received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine, followed by a residency at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. Today, he owns a thriving pediatric practice in Milton, Del.
Dr. Ludwicki has been an active member and leader of the AAP Delaware Chapter since 2004, serving two years as vice president and three years as president. During his tenure, the chapter implemented the Developmental Screening Initiative throughout the state, an initiative that culminated in Delaware receiving the AAP Small Chapter Award in 2010. Dr. Ludwicki then was privileged with election to the National Nominating Committee. After AAP service, Dr. Ludwicki took time to consider how he wanted to serve next, thus running for district vice chairperson.
Due to the bylaws change, he is thrilled to run for another three years. Working with one of his favorite attendings from St. Christopher’s, it has been his honor to work with Margaret C. Fisher, M.D., FAAP, a true infectious disease pioneer. He hopes to continue building on making the district stronger, bridging leadership across six states and furthering the tradition of District III.
Ankoor Y. Shah, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., FAAP
District vice chairperson candidate
Dr. Shah, a board-certified general pediatrician, is deputy director of programs and policy of the Community Health Administration at the D.C. Department of Health. In this role, he manages the over $60 million of public health programming that aims to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities among D.C. residents.
Previously, he was medical director of the IMPACT DC Asthma Program at Children’s National Hospital and a primary care pediatrician in a patient-centered medical home located within a community, cultural and social services campus.
As president of the AAP Washington, D.C., Chapter, he has grown partnerships between clinics, community organizations and government entities.
Dr. Shah has written opinion pieces for The Washington Post and The Hill, and was named a “40 under 40” leader in minority health by the National Minority Quality Forum.
He graduated magna cum laude from Emory University and completed his medical and public health training at Emory School of Medicine and Emory Rollins School of Public Health. He received his M.B.A. from the George Washington University School of Business. He finished his pediatric residency and chief residency at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.
Priscilla M. Mpasi, M.D., FAAP
National Nominating Committee candidate
Dr. Mpasi desires to enhance diversity of AAP officers through intentional engagement and recruitment of members from diverse backgrounds.She believes leadership diversity promotes a more inclusive environment for all members and ensures multiple perspectives in business discussions and program implementation.
She has vast Academy experience that includes the Young Physician Leadership Alliance, past Section on Pediatric Trainees Executive Committee member and chapter involvement. She is a National Medical Association officer for Region II and the Pediatric Section. She also served as national vice president and physician adviser for the Student National Medical Association. She would offer leadership experience, diversity and innovation to the National Nominating Committee.
As a National Health Service Corps scholar, she practices as a community pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she incorporates advocacy and research to improve health system navigation and resource allocation for low-income and medically complex children.
Dr. Mpasi completed the National Clinical Scholars Program health policy fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her B.S. in psychology from Duke University and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. She completed residency at the University of Maryland and is pursuing a master of science in health policy from the University of Pennsylvania.
Justin W. Schreiber, D.O., M.P.H., FAAP
National Nominating Committee candidate
Dr. Schreiber hopes in the National Nominating Committee position to expand the tent of AAP leadership by identifying candidates who have diverse skills reflecting the changing needs of children. He started this work by co-authoring the resolution that recently diversified the AAP board.
Dr. Schreiber is medical director of Outpatient Behavioral Health Services for UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He hopes to use this experience to identify candidates who can address the growing need for behavioral health.
Dr. Schreiber served on the AAP Section of Pediatric Trainees board, the Pennsylvania Chapter board, the AAP NewsEditorial Advisory Board, has written forAAP Grand Rounds, and created a liaison between the trainee sections of the AAP and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The AAP needs leaders ready to address topics of social media communication, physician wellness, trauma and much more.
Dr. Schreiber practices as a general pediatrician, child psychiatrist for medically complex children and in a new medical home, where he serves as pediatrician and child psychiatrist. He received an M.P.H. at Boston University, his doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from Touro University Nevada, and his residency in pediatrics, psychiatry, and child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh.
DISTRICT V
Jeannette L. Gaggino, M.D., FAAP
District chairperson candidate
Dr. Gaggino’s passion has been children’s mental health, adolescent health and suicide prevention.
She has been president and vice president of the AAP Michigan Chapter (MIAAP), has chaired the MIAAP Developmental Behavioral Health Committee and has served as National Nominating Committee chair.
She is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and completed her residency in Kalamazoo where she has practiced for the past 31 years. She holds a faculty position at the Zero Suicide Institute and has worked with the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to create a practical guide for youth suicide prevention in primary care.
She was a consultant to the University of Michigan Child Collaborative Care (MC3) initiative connecting primary care providers to child psychiatrists. She continues to work closely with MC3, serves on the state suicide prevention Youth Advisory Group and participates in work groups locally and at the state focused on children’s mental health issues, including psychiatric emergency care for children with autism and developmental delays. She spearheaded work on positive body image for girls and was a content expert for The American Girl The Caring and Keeping of You – The Body Book.
Position statement
Pediatricians advocate tirelessly on behalf of children in our practices, hospitals, universities and in public and private agencies by sharing our best research, best practices and best ideas. I am continually reminded of the amazing talent and compassion that pediatricians possess. We care about children and their families, always striving to make our communities stronger through the lens of doing right by children in all that we do.
Pediatricians are on the front line with patients and their families as their most-trusted child-advocacy resource. In today’s health care environment, many constraints are placed on pediatricians, and the stresses are even more demanding on the children we serve. The AAP is the voice for the work we do, and collectively we are stronger.
My greatest strength is collaborating with others across disciplines, and one of my greatest joys has been meeting pediatricians from around the country and the world. I want to use my experience to bring the perspective of District V chapters to the AAP board. Chapters move member ideas and initiatives upstream and at the same time bring national AAP work downstream back to the grassroots. District V subspecialists from AAP sections, councils and committees and pediatric trainees further inform, support and join primary care pediatricians creating a powerful synergy. These are the voices that need to be heard on the national level. Our passions have a place at the heart of the AAP. I would be proud to represent District V as your chair and ask for your vote.
Andrew S. Garner, M.D., Ph.D., FAAP
District chairperson candidate
Dr. Garner is a graduate of Swarthmore College (B.A. with distinction in psychobiology), the Medical Scientist Training Program (M.D., Ph.D. in neuroscience) at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and the Pediatric Residency Training Program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. A clinical professor of pediatrics at CWRU, he has practiced primary care pediatrics with University Hospitals Medical Practices since 2000.
At the local level, Dr. Garner has served on the Community Advisory Board for the Cuyahoga County Department of Child and Family Services and on the Board of Directors for a social service agency (OhioGuidestone). At the state level, Dr. Garner has served as president of the AAP Ohio Chapter. At the national level, he has participated in three AAP leadership workgroups (epigenetics, poverty, and early brain and child development). As a member of the AAP Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, Dr. Garner co-authored the policy statement and technical report on childhood toxic stress. Dr. Garner also is co-author of the AAP-published book Thinking Developmentally: Nurturing Wellness in Childhood to Promote Lifelong Health.
Position statement
Is it just me or is it getting harder for pediatricians to do the right thing? That is what we have trained for years to do: the right thing to help our patients, their families and their communities. Due to inordinate numbers of prior authorizations, electronic medical records that prioritize documentation over patient care and a rising awareness of the importance of the social determinants of health, there are simply more barriers to providing comprehensive care. These barriers, in turn, lead to what some have inappropriately called “burnout.” Rather, these barriers lead to a “moral wounding” from an inability to do what we know is right for kids.
As hard as it is to be a pediatrician these days, it is even a harder time to be a kid. From family separations at the border, to poverty, to racism, to declining life expectancies and falling numbers of children with access to health care, the unassailable message is clear: We are failing our kids.
Now, perhaps more than ever, the Academy needs to be a powerful voice for the powerless and the voiceless. Investing in kids, their families and their communities is not only the right thing to do ethically or economically, it is the right thing to do developmentally and biologically.
If I am given the honor of being your District V chairperson, I will focus on making it just a little easier for pediatricians to raise their voice and to do the right thing for kids, their families and their communities.
DISTRICT VI
Jeffrey W. Britton, M.D., FAAP
National Nominating Committee candidate
Dr. Britton is a general pediatrician with Aurora Children’s Health in Sheboygan, Wis., and past president of the AAP Wisconsin Chapter. He received his B.S. degree in molecular biology and his M.D. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He completed his residency in pediatrics at Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, Va., and served as a general pediatrician for four years at Naval Hospital, Camp Lejeune, N.C. During Operation Desert Storm, he served on the USS Iwo Jima as part of the ship’s supplemental medical company.
Dr. Britton has been an employed pediatrician with Advocate Aurora Health for 25 years. He serves on the Aurora Children’s Health Council, where he heads up quality improvement initiatives. He serves on two Wisconsin newborn screening program committees and the Sheboygan County Child Death Review Committee. He completes his term as the District VI Chapter Forum Management Committee representative in March.
During his term as president, the Wisconsin Chapter focused on early brain and child development, mental health, poverty and child health, and quality improvement in pediatrics. The Wisconsin Chapter received an AAP Award of Chapter Excellence each year of his three-year term.
DISTRICT VIII
Martha C. Middlemist, M.D., FAAP (incumbent)
District chairperson candidate
Dr. Middlemist is a board-certified general pediatrician at Pediatrics 5280 in Centennial, Colo. Her practice is actively involved in quality initiatives, practice transformation and participates in a clinically integrated network of care.
Dr. Middlemist earned her medical degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency training at Children's Hospital Colorado.
Her passions are advocacy, physician wellness and promoting child health and well-being. Dr. Middlemist led the legislative committee for the AAP Colorado Chapter for the last eight years, helping to promote child health issues in Colorado. She has been a member of the American Board of Pediatrics Maintenance of Certification Assessment for Pediatrics exam committee and has represented community pediatricians on the Children’s Hospital Colorado Board of Directors for the last three years.
Dr. Middlemist and her spouse, Scott, reside in Greenwood Village, Colo., and have two young adult children. In her free time, she enjoys skiing, golfing, running and travel.
Position statement
The American Academy of Pediatrics is my professional home. It has allowed me to strengthen my role as a practicing pediatrician through its policies, practice guidelines, education and advocacy for children. The AAP has also been a key component of my personal and professional development.
Over the last three years, I have had the opportunity to serve as the District VIII chairperson. This position has been an amazing journey, allowing me to meet, network and work with many individuals who share my passion for the improvement of child and family health as well as the health and well-being of their pediatric providers.
I am excited at the prospect of continuing my work for the Academy as the District VIII chairperson. Having served on the Board of Directors for three years, I am invigorated about the direction the Academy is headed. The advocacy work of the Academy is truly inspiring, taking the lead on local and federal child health issues.
As members, we should continually work to innovate and improve all aspects of the Academy. I am supportive of the Academy’s focus on diversity and inclusion as well as bias and discrimination. It has been very exciting to be a part of the implementation of our physician health and wellness project.
I believe that my progression from an engaged chapter member to chapter president and finally as a district leader gives me a unique perspective and approach when serving District VIII.
Greg S. Blaschke, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP (incumbent)
District vice chairperson candidate
Dr. Blaschke graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin, completed residency at Naval Hospital, Oakland, Calif., and an academic pediatric fellowship including developmental-behavioral training at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Following fellowship, he become pediatric residency program director at Naval Medical Center San Diego. After Navy retirement, he transitioned to civilian academics and continues to see patients, teach and advocate in Portland, Ore. His 32-year clinical, academic and leadership career includes experience in clinics, community hospitals and academic centers spanning five states and humanitarian assistance/education in 11 countries.
Dr. Blaschke is an Oregon Pediatric Society board member and a member of AAP sections (Uniformed Services, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, International Child Health, LGBT Health and Wellness) and councils (Child Abuse and Neglect, Community Pediatrics). He has AAP committee experience (Pediatric Education).
In 2006, he received the AAP Education Award and in 2012 the Association of Pediatric Program Directors Walter W. Tunnessen Jr. MD Award for the Advancement of Pediatric Resident Education.In 2019, he was recognized as a Keep Oregon Well: Mental Health Hero by Oregon’s largest community benefit provider for children’s mental health, Trillium Family Services.
He is a passionate advocate for vulnerable children, including the underserved, LGBTQ and children and youths with special health care needs communities.
Thomas S. Patterson, M.D., FAAP
National Nominating Committee candidate
Dr. Patterson trained at the University of Arizona, graduating medical school in 1995 and completing pediatric residency in 1998. He relocated to Idaho after residency to his wife’s hometown where they raised three amazing young men.
During his 18 years in private practice, he became active in the WWAMI program as clinical associate professor of pediatrics. In May 2016, Dr. Patterson moved from private practice to core pediatric faculty for Family Medicine Residency of Idaho to teach full time.
He served as treasurer, vice president, president and Community Access to Child Health facilitator for the AAP Idaho Chapter and served District VIII most recently as Chapter Forum Management Committee representative. He also is a member of the Council on Community Pediatrics.
For the last decade, he has had an interest in quality improvement and served as medical director for quality improvement for St. Luke’s Children’s, 2016-’20. His advocacy efforts focus on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and resilience work, stepping out as the pediatric champion for ACEs in Idaho.
Dr. Patterson has spent much of his career serving various roles in the AAP and looks forward to many more years of service.
DISTRICT X
Lisa A. Cosgrove, M.D., FAAP (incumbent)
District chairperson candidate
Dr. Cosgrove has a longstanding history of leadership positions in health care, government and clinical research.
Medical society elected positions include AAP District X chair and vice chair; AAP Chapter Forum Management Committee member; board member and subspecialty society representative to the Florida Medical Association; president and board member of the AAP Florida Chapter (FCAAP); and president and board member of the Brevard County Medical Society.
She led the Florida Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act Medical Home Project for five years.
Dr. Cosgrove is bilingual. Her National Committee for Quality Assurance enrolled practice participates in the AAP Pediatric Research in Office Settings network and several Quality Improvement Innovation Networks committee projects.
She has practiced medicine in the Caribbean, Mexico and Ecuador and is a member of the AAP Section on International Medical Graduates. Dr. Cosgrove is an integral part of the Space Coast of Florida community where her 24-year practice is located and where she raised her children. She is the proud mother of three young men, two daughters-in-law and two grandsons, some of whom live in Ecuador.
Dr. Cosgrove volunteers as director of the Home At Last Adoption Agency, which offers adoption services in Central Florida and internationally.
Position statement
When I was young, I had a vision of working with kids. My dream was fulfilled when I became a pediatric intensive care nurse and subsequently a pediatrician.
One of the reasons I became involved with the FCAAP and AAP is to make a difference in children’s lives. Every small accomplishment means I have changed a wrong in the lives of the most vulnerable. My motto is "Children First."
As FCAAP president, I became a seasoned spokesperson representing chapter membership in two lawsuits. The first was a class-action lawsuit initiated by the Florida Chapter, the Florida Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the parents of children under Medicaid in 2005. The case settled in 2016. The second was state legislation on gun safety, which became known as “Docs v. Glocks.” A federal appeals court recently cleared the way for Florida doctors to talk to their patients about gun safety, overturning a 2011 law that pitted medical providers against the state’s powerful gun lobby.
I have enjoyed serving as district chair and getting to know chapters during your annual meetings. I believe I have given you good information on what is going on at the national level. I would like to serve this last term. I will give 100% to support the AAP’s goals and vision and endeavor to give all children access to quality health care and good lives. I will continue fights similar to the ones mentioned above and will be a spokesperson for children's rights every chance I get.
Madeline M. Joseph, M.D., FAAP
District chairperson candidate
Dr. Joseph is a professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville. She is the associate dean for inclusion and equity, assistant chair for pediatric emergency quality improvement, division chief and medical director of the UF Health Pediatric Weight Management Center.
She completed her pediatric residency and pediatric emergency medicine fellowship training at the University of Florida and the Children’s Hospital of Birmingham in Alabama, respectively.
Dr. Joseph has served in leadership positions on numerous national committees and sections at the AAP and the American College of Emergency Physicians. She has won several awards for her work to improve emergency care for children. She also served as one of the main authors on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on the assessment and management of mild traumatic brain injury in children. Recently, she has been appointed as the implementation scientist for the new AAP clinical practice guidelines for childhood obesity.
Dr. Joseph is immediate past president of the AAP Florida Chapter and is involved in numerous advocacy and quality initiatives to improve health care for children in Florida. She is a proud wife and mother of three young adult children.
Position statement
There are many challenges threatening the health care and well-being of children and the practice of pediatricians and subspecialists in our nation. The AAP responds and prepares for such challenges in a progressive and strategic way. As president of the AAP Florida Chapter, I led with the core principle of “doing the right thing for children and pediatricians who care for them.”
I also had the opportunity to interact with AAP leadership to achieve many advocacy and legislative successes in Florida. This included increased payments for pediatricians and subspecialists caring for children on Medicaid, increased HPV vaccination rates and funding to develop workshops to support pediatricians as they responded to the mental health needs of children following the Parkland school shooting.
As a practicing pediatric emergency medicine physician for over 25 years and caring for children with severe obesity in a clinic setting, I have the unique understanding of the spectrum of care. My longstanding journey of leading and serving on pediatric committees and sections at the AAP and other national organizations has taught me the strength in collaboration to achieve high-quality health care for all children. As the district chair, I would bring the same talents to establish common goals and initiatives among District X state chapters.
I am honored to have the opportunity to dedicate my time and energy to serve as the chairperson of District X, and I look forward to contributing as an AAP board member to achieve a brighter future for our children.
Michael J. Ramsey, M.D., FAAP
District vice chairperson candidate
Dr. Ramsey is a private pediatrician and managing partner at Dothan Pediatric Healthcare Network in Dothan, Ala. He serves as District X Chapter Forum Management Committee representative and chairperson of the Alabama Pediatric Council. Dr. Ramsey is past president (2013-’15) of the AAP Alabama Chapter.
Dr. Ramsey was an adviser to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama’s Medical Home Demonstration Pilot, during which he led his practice’s transformation to become the first Alabama practice recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as a patient-centered medical home. He was a member of the AAP Accountable Care Organizations workgroup and has been tapped by AAP News for his expertise on the medical home. He was honored to serve on Gov. Robert Bentley’s Medicaid Advisory Commission and the Medicaid Pharmacy Advisory Commission.
Dr. Ramsey was honored in 2009 when he received the Children’s of Alabama’s Master Pediatrician Award. He also received the AAP 2017 Council on Community Pediatrics Local Hero Award and the 2017 Marsha Raulerson Advocacy Award for his advocacy work on Medicaid funding in recent years.
Dr. Ramsey and his wife, Cindi, have three children: Rebecca, Wilson and Sara Beth.
Robert H. Wiskind, M.D., FAAP
District vice chairperson candidate
Born in Pittsburgh, Dr. Wiskind grew up in Akron, Ohio, and attended college at Dartmouth. He went to Atlanta for medical school at Emory and stayed, completing residency at Emory and spending his career at Peachtree Park Pediatrics, where he is managing partner of a seven-physician practice.
His wife, Anne, is a urogynecologist. They have two children in their 20s. In 2017, he ran unsuccessfully for a Georgia state Senate seat.
His involvement in the AAP Georgia Chapter began on the Breastfeeding Committee and culminated in a term as president from 2012-’14. He later served as District X representative to the Chapter Forum Management Committee through four Annual Leadership Forums and spent three years as a member of the AAP Insurance Trust.
In Atlanta, he served four-and-a-half years as the inaugural board chair for The Children’s Care Network, a clinically integrated network composed of over 1,200 primary care and specialty pediatricians throughout the city. In addition, he has been a longtime board member of Kids Health First, an independent practice association representing 40 Atlanta primary care practices.
These leadership positions have helped him understand the needs and challenges primary care and specialty pediatricians face in a variety of practice settings.
Grant R. Allen, M.D., FAAP
National Nominating Committee candidate
Dr. Allen is in private group practice in Florence, Ala. He attained his medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Louisville.
Over the past 17 years, Dr. Allen has served in numerous positions on the AAP Alabama Chapter (AL-AAP) Executive Board and committees, including president from 2011-’13. He has played lead roles in the chapter’s oral health project, young pediatrician and resident initiatives, and worked with business leaders. He served as American Medical Association representative to the American Dental Association Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations, as well as medical director of a regional Alabama Medicaid accountable care network.
He is founder of his practice’s Reach Out and Read program, for which he has raised thousands of dollars for early literacy. In 2014, he founded and chaired Reach Out and Read-Alabama’s Grand Pediatric Pentathlon, a fundraising race activity for families at the AL-AAP annual meeting.
Dr. Allen has participated in and led practice and state quality improvement projects in asthma, oral health, immunizations, literacy, and most recently Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes/behavioral health.
Dr. Allen, his wife Brandi, and children Drew, Lucy and Ruth enjoy traveling and hiking.
Yvette L. Piovanetti, M.D., FAAP
National Nominating Committee candidate
A graduate of Yale University School of Medicine and a primary care pediatrician since 1982, Dr. Piovanetti has been involved in various community projects as a child advocate.
Her longstanding relationship with the AAP started soon after residency. She started as a member in 1982 and advanced to secretary, treasurer, vice president and president of the Puerto Rico Chapter for two terms. She has been involved in programs and grants with the national AAP, including First Ride Safe Ride coordinator, executive committee member of the Committee on Community Health Services, Community Access to Child Health coordinator, chapter breastfeeding coordinator, immunization champion and recipient of a Healthy Tomorrows Health Resources and Services Administration grant as well as early child care advocate. In collaboration with the Puerto Rico Department of Health, mother-child support networks were formed that helped develop initiatives in breastfeeding support and legislation.
A clinical professor in pediatrics at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine since 2001, Dr. Piovanetti teaches medical students and pediatric residents.
Since 2017 after witnessing the disasters caused by Hurricane Maria, she has worked with Save the Children to organize training workshops including multidisciplinary teams to help prioritize efforts to promote safe infant feeding, specifically breastfeeding during disasters.
