American Pediatric Association

The American Pediatric Association (APA) is dedicated to improving the teaching of general pediatrics, improving services in general pediatrics, and affecting public and government opinion regarding issues vital to teaching, research, and patient care in general pediatrics. The association has also developed a web site entitled “APA Online” that is dedicated to extending the research of the APA to a worldwide audience via the Internet. The Ambulatory Pediatric Association was founded in 1960 and currently consists of approximately 1,500 members. To fulfill its mission and goals, the association has standing committees on education, research, health care delivery, and public policy and offers a variety of special interest groups on such interests as adolescence, advocacy training, AIDS/HIV, behavioral pediatrics, child abuse, complementary and alternative pediatrics, emergency medicine, injury control, international health, managed care, medical informatics, medical student education, nutrition, pediatrics for family practice, school and community health, and serving the underserved. The American Pediatric Association’s activities include providing recognition through several awards, such as the APA Health Care Delivery Award, Research Award, Teaching Award, Distinguished Career Award, and International Health Award; offering APA-NET, an electronic bulletin board that enables members to communicate about shared concerns via the Internet; and publishing the “Journal of the American Pediatric Association.” The principal purposes of the journal are to provide a forum for the publication of general pediatric materials, further define the field of academic general pediatrics, and strengthen the field’s research and educational base.