The AAP Section on Early Career Physicians (SOECP) invites nominations for the 2024 AAP SOECP Leadership in Advocacy Award. One individual person or entity is awarded the SOECP Leadership in Advocacy Award each year. The award recipient will be honored during an SOECP Networking and Awards Reception in 2024. The award provides full general registration for the 2024 AAP National Conference and Exhibition and a $1,000 honorarium.
Note: Checks can be made out to individuals or institutions. Checks payable to individuals require a social security number in order to be processed. If chosen as a recipient, you will be contacted for that information if you request the check to be payable to you. Please note that you will receive a tax statement from the AAP if you receive $600 or more from the AAP in the calendar year. Scholarships are not transferrable and not redeemable for cash.
Award Criteria:
The award is presented to an early career physician or entity (chapter or AAP group) that has empowered early career physicians to accomplish one or more of the following:
- Implement an initiative or project that brought about a positive impact on children’s health and/or physician wellness in a practice, institution, community, or public policy
- Demonstrate a consistent commitment to child health and/or physician wellness advocacy in their practice, institution, and community through regular engagement with local, state, or national policymakers, community partnerships, their local AAP chapter, and/or local institutions
- Lead the execution of an advocacy initiative that may serve as a pathway to health equity
Examples of awardee accomplishments may include:
- Being a change-agent in policy change or a community initiative
- Impacting organizational protocol within a practice/institution that improves involvement in advocacy initiatives or advocacy education for trainees and/or hospital staff
- Building successful community advocacy-related partnerships to improve outcomes for families of diverse cultural, linguistic, and immigrant backgrounds
Award Eligibility:
- For consideration, a nominee must be an early career physician practicing in pediatrics, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and a resident of the United States or Canada. Early career physicians are defined as within 10 years of residency or fellowship training.
- For group (chapter, section, institution, team, community, etc.) nominations, an individual must be identified as the project lead for all communications regarding the nomination and project.
- Nominees are not required to be members of the Section on Early Career Physicians.
- Members of the SOECP Executive Committee, members of the Review Committee, and the AAP Board of Directors are not eligible to receive this award during their term of service.
- Deceased persons are not eligible for awards.
- An individual may only receive one SOECP award per year.
- A project that has previously been granted the award may not be resubmitted. If not awarded, the project may be resubmitted.
In alignment with the AAP Equity Agenda, the SOECP is committed to celebrating the work of members from groups underrepresented in medicine. We encourage nominations for diverse candidates in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, subspecialty, practice location, and/or national origin.
Nomination Process: A diverse group of early career pediatricians from the SOECP Leadership Council will select the award recipient through a competitive nominations process. This Review Committee will include members from the SOECP Executive Committee, SOECP Workgroups, and SOECP Nominations Committee. These individuals will review all nomination materials.
Nominating an Individual: To nominate a physician, a nominator who is familiar with the candidate’s career/work must:
- Notify the candidate of the nomination prior to submission.
- Complete and submit the Nomination Form below.
Note: If nominating a physician, this form will automatically email the nominee and request that they complete the remainder of the application, including submitting a Bio-Sketch and an optional letter of support.
Please submit nominations with ample time before the deadline to ensure that nominees are able to complete an application on their behalf.
Nominating an Entity: To nominate an entity, such as an institution, work team, community group, AAP group, chapter, or other type of collective group, you must:
- Complete and submit the Nomination Form below.
- (Optional) Submit a letter of support from an individual who is knowledgeable of the entity's accomplishments. A letter may be submitted by a community partner, colleague, or family that benefited from the group's work.
Self-Nominations and Nominees: To self-nominate, you must:
- Complete the application, including the Statement of Merit
- Submit a 1-page Bio-Sketch. Click here to download a template (.docx)
- (Optional) Submit a letter of support from an individual who is knowledgeable of your accomplishments. A letter may be submitted by a community partner, colleague, or family served by you.
- Please do not send any additional letters of support or materials; additional letters or materials will not be reviewed.
Deadline: Sunday June 23, 2024, 11:59pm Central Time
Questions? Please contact Elisha Ferguson at eferguson@aap.org.