When he takes over as AAP president on Jan. 1, 2019, Kyle Yasuda, M.D., FAAP, will draw on three decades of experience with the Academy.
Dr. Yasuda, of Seattle, was elected president-elect in the 2017 election. Chair of AAP District VIII since 2011 and a former Washington Chapter president, Dr. Yasuda said his background gives him a great foundation to go forward.
“I believe the Academy is a relationship organization, and I look forward to fostering relationships, not only within the Academy but outside,” he said.
He’ll need to apply those skills when advocating for children and families, and promoting pediatrician resiliency — his top two priorities.
Acknowledging the rapidly changing landscape of health care, Dr. Yasuda said, “I think we just need to be very strategic and focused on advocating for kids — nationally and at the state level.”
He also considers pediatrician resiliency to be a “huge issue on the radar screen.
“I think the best way to articulate my concerns or interests would be that the health and well-being of pediatricians and their practices are really important to me, and we have to focus on preventing and mitigating physician burnout,” said Dr. Yasuda, a former chair of the AAP Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine.
He will serve as president-elect beginning Jan. 1, and will follow AAP President Colleen A. Kraft, M.D., FAAP, in 2019. He ran against Michael A. Weiss, D.O., FAAP, of Coto de Caza, Calif.
Dr. Yasuda is medical director for children and families for public health at Best Starts for Kids, a county initiative that focuses on prevention and early intervention. Before that, he worked at University of Washington School of Medicine, serving as both clinical professor of pediatrics for 16 years and medical director of the associated pediatric clinics.
Read more about Dr. Yasuda at http://bit.ly/2rJ4JcR. Follow him on Twitter at @KyleYasudaMD.
The following national officers will take their positions on Jan. 1, 2018:
DISTRICT II
Chairperson
Warren M. Seigel, M.D., M.B.A., FSAHM, FAAP
DISTRICT III
Vice Chairperson
John “Jay” Ludwicki, M.D., FAAP
National Nominating Committee Representative
Danielle G. Dooley, M.D., M.Phil., FAAP
DISTRICT V
Chairperson
Richard Tuck, M.D., FAAP (re-elected)
DISTRICT VI
National Nominating Committee Representative
Barbara W. Bayldon, M.D., FAAP
DISTRICT VIII
Chairperson
Martha Middlemist, M.D., FAAP
Vice Chairperson
Greg S. Blaschke, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP
National Nominating Committee Representative
Melissa E. Mason, M.D., FAAP
DISTRICT X
Chairperson
Lisa A. Cosgrove, M.D., FAAP
Vice Chairperson
Mobeen H. Rathore, M.D., FAAP
National Nominating Committee Representative
Evelyn D. Johnson, M.D., FAAP
Look to future issues of AAP News for profiles of the new district chairs.
