History

The Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics is a 501-c-3 not for profit incorporated educational organization/professional society for pediatric providers. Our main office is in Columbus, Ohio, but our staff members and 25 contractors work across the state on various programs, education and advocacy initiatives. 

Ohio AAP has a 85+ year history of working in a public/private partnership with state government, state-wide and local nonprofit organizations, and foundations to meet the educational needs of pediatric professionals and the public as well as to accomplish public health goals. With our visionary experienced staff, an established organizational infrastructure, and our expertise in medical education and quality improvement, the Ohio AAP strives to improve the health and well-being of Ohio’s children and their families. 

2020:

Michael Gittelman, MD, FAAP (Ohio AAP Past-President), Awarded Injury Free Coalition for Kids Principle Investigator of the Year


2019:

Promising Practice Award (Store It Safe Project), Ohio Injury Prevention Partnership


2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018:

Ohio AAP earned the AAP Outstanding Very Large Chapter Award, becoming the only Chapter to win in four consecutive eligible years.


2018:

Ohio AAP CEO Melissa Wervey Arnold earned Columbus CEO Magazine’s Healthcare Executive of the Year


2017:

Promising Practice Award (Safe Sleep Messaging Project), Ohio Injury Prevention Partnership


2017:

AAP Special Achievement Award for Ohio AAP MOC Part 2 Programs


2016:

AAP Special Achievement Award for Running QI Programs


2015, 2014:

Original Research Abstract of the Year, National Injury Free Coalition for Kids


2015, 2014:

Program Abstract of the Year, National Injury Free Coalition for Kids


1992, 1998:

Ohio AAP earned the AAP Outstanding Large Chapter Award

Awards and

Highlights

Recent

Outcomes

1/3 of Ohio’s children are overweight or obese; the Parenting at Mealtime and Playtime program provided obesity prevention materials and strategies change the health trajectory of 84,000 children in Ohio over eight waves.


In an effort to address the staggering number of teens vaping (40% of 12th graders admitted to vaping at least once in 2018), Ohio AAP created and trained over 500 healthcare providers, school administrators, community health workers, public health professionals, and law enforcement across Ohio to reach an estimated 500,000 teens with vaping prevention materials in one year.


40% of children in Ohio are exposed to second-hand smoke at home, a contributing factor to infant mortality. Smoke Free Families QI program saw a 47% reduction in-home smoke exposure impacting 40,000 children and families in four waves.


1 in 3 homes with children have a gun; the pilot of the Store It Safe Learning Collaborative provided 1,000 gun lock boxes and safety counseling to children and families in geographically diverse areas across Ohio in 2020.


85% of bicycle related head injuries can be prevented with a helmet. The “Put a Lid on It!” Bike Helmet Safety Awareness program celebrated 10 years of injury prevention in 2020, by adapting to community needs during the pandemic to provide 8,000 helmets this year, bringing the total to 65,000 helmets provided over the past decade.


HPV vaccination rates are far lower than the Healthy People 2020 goal of 90% coverage, as 59% of  females and 64% of males received the vaccine. The HPV Pediatric Practice Transformation Program reached 330 community members in geographic and demographic diverse populations across Ohio to build a strong QI program for 2021 aimed at closing the gap on disparities to increase vaccine rates.


Work launching in 2021 will address family and infant health by brining maternal health education and competence to pediatricians; a unique partnership with the March of Dimes and Ohio Department of Health will make Ohio AAP the first pediatric organization in the country to implement a QI project for maternal health on this scale.

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