American Academy of Pediatrics Strategic Plan

Learn more about the AAP strategic plan designed to prepare our organization for the future. The plan addresses environmental realities and plays on our strengths to outline what we must do to achieve our mission, advance our Agenda for Children and remain the nation’s leading organization for child health.

Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Academy Today

At a significant time of transition and transformation in the pediatric care landscape and the broader health care context, it is important that the Academy clearly define and hone its future direction. In this context, the Academy finds itself at a strategic inflection point in which it must articulate its full value to members and stakeholders in order to achieve its mission.

A strategic planning data gathering process helped clarify key trends shaping the future of pediatric health care and the imperative for the Academy to respond. This strategic plan is developed to be forward-looking with these trends in mind:

Increasing racial and ethnic diversity of patient population
Increasing need for pediatric behavioral and mental healthcare
Evolution towards team-based care
Evolution towards value-based payment models
The need for pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and surgical specialists to function in an evolving array of health delivery systems
Demographic changes within the profession of pediatrics
Evolving concerns and focus of pediatricians, pediatric medical and surgical subspecialists, especially around the social and environmental determinants of health
Enhanced use of technology by both patients / families and health care providers

Given the significance of these trends on the pediatric and broader health care landscape, the Academy is seeking to strengthen its role and mission in order to attain optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.

2023 Goals and Objectives

GOAL #1: Strengthen the Academy’s impact on health and health equity for infants, children, adolescents and young adults through clinical guidance, policy, advocacy, and education.

Objectives

1.1. Develop and disseminate content on mitigating racism and promoting equity, diversity and inclusion across all clinical guidance, policy, advocacy, and education

1.2. Utilize data and metrics to develop and prioritize specific needs for child health policy

1.3. Develop and implement timely, accurate, evidence-based policies

1.4. Incorporate lessons from the COVID-19 rapid response in addressing child health emergencies and other pressing issues

1.5. Enhance the Academy’s impact by continuing to collaborate with US and global stakeholders in clinical guidance, policy, advocacy, and education

GOAL #2: Enrich and promote member value and engagement.

Objectives

2.1. Attract and represent a diverse membership by serving their evolving needs based on key data and metrics.

2.2. Enhance and provide state-of-the-art pediatric practice and management resources in the context of a changing industry and professional landscape.

2.3. Promote wellbeing and safety of all members.

2.4. Enhance and strengthen relationships with US and global stakeholders, medical societies and other child health providers.

GOAL #3: Broaden and diversify leadership pathways for general pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, pediatricsurgical specialists, and trainees within the Academy and the broader public sphere.

Objectives

3.1. Utilize EDI principles to diversify the Academy’s board of directors to represent a broader array of Academy members.

3.2. Review the role and structure of Academy leadership positions and pathways to facilitate broader access to leadership opportunities.

3.3. Foster participation in leadership by historically under-represented member groups at all levels of the Academy.

3.4. Cultivate members’ leadership skills and support their participation as leaders in evolving healthcare systems and other settings beyond the Academy.

GOAL #4: Enhance the Academy’s communication and information sharing with members, stakeholders and public.

Objectives

4.1. Ensure that the Academy’s digital platform is user-focused, user-friendly and data informed.

4.2. Prioritize equitable, multi-directional communication and information sharing among the Academy members, leaders, Board and staff.

4.3. Provide clinicians with current, user-friendly point-of-care resources that are free of bias and draw upon the highest quality, peer-reviewed clinical information available.

4.4. Strengthen member, stakeholder, and public awareness regarding the Academy’s resources and successes in child health.

4.5. Actively address mis- and disinformation concerning pediatric health and the AAP.

GOAL #5: Support strong relationships, interactions, and leadership development between AAP and chapters.

Objectives

5.1. Collaborate with chapters and districts on implementing EDI best practices.

5.2. Continue to support chapters with meaningful tools for financial and organizational success.

5.3. Assist chapters with member recruitment, retention, and EDI goals.

5.4. Foster alignment of the national and chapter strategic goals and child health priorities.

5.5. Foster alignment of federal and state advocacy initiatives.

GOAL #6: Continuously improve AAP member activities in education, advocacy, and policy by strengthening the structure and function of committees, councils, and sections.

Objectives

6.1. Encourage diversity and inclusion of all kinds among committee, council and section members and promote diversity in leadership roles within AAP.

6.2 Align entities to support optimal collaboration.

6.3. Improve the linkage and communication between AAP policymaking entities and the Board.

6.4. Improve members knowledge of the structure and operations of committees, councils and sections and opportunities for leadership and engagement.

6.5. Optimize committee, council and section operations and integration with routine evaluation and oversight.

By creating shared priorities, the Academy will be better able to focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure that employees and other stakeholders work towards common goals, establish agreement around intended outcomes, and assess and adjust the organization's direction in response to a changing environment.

Indeed, the AAP board of directors and numerous stakeholders participating in the strategic planning process cited the Academy's primary focus on promoting child health and mission-driven culture as its strongest asset, and one that must be maintained. The strategic plan and its core goals, therefore, build on organizational baseline strengths while identifying how the Academy will adapt to the myriad changes in its broader operating environment in ways that ensure its continued leadership championing U.S. children's health and well-being.

AAP Core Values

The American Academy of Pediatrics is dedicated to promoting optimal health and well-being for every child as well as helping to ensure that Academy members practice the highest quality health care and experience professional satisfaction and personal well-being.

The Academy achieves this mission through provision of consistently high levels of value to member pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and surgical specialists, trusted advice to children and families, and professional development opportunities for pediatric leadership. Indeed, as a mission-driven membership-based organization, enhancing child health is at the heart of the Academy's work. Its strengths include a strong emphasis on policy, advocacy, and education; serving as a public face for children's health and the profession; and a mission-driven culture. These services are driven by the Academy's core values and commitments as an organization

​Challenges ​and Opportunities ​Facing the Academy Today

2023 Goals and Objectives

AAP Core Values

Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Academy Today