American Academy of Pediatrics Celebrates 75 Years

In 1930, a group of 35 pediatricians who felt that an independent forum was needed to address children’s health issues came together in Detroit to form the American Academy of Pediatrics. Today the organization is celebrating its 75th anniversary and boasts 60,000 members.

“The AAP has a direct impact on the future because today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders,” said Dr. Carol Berkowitz, AAP president. “By advocating for and providing the means for children to be emotionally and physically healthy, the AAP is instrumental in ensuring that the future is bright.”

Here are some of the most notable advancements the AAP has helped bring about in the past 75 years:

* Increased immunization rates and lower incidence of infectious diseases such as polio, measles, chickenpox and pneumonia;

* Increased folic acid consumption among pregnant women in order to reduce birth defects;

* More than 1 million pediatricians have been trained in the AAP’s Neonatal Resuscitation Program;

* More than 350 AAP policy statements have been released, influencing debate on topics such as pediatrician reporting of...