Why Should I Join SOPS?

Join the SOPS today. Enhance your career by helping children.

Networking

Academy membership provides an opportunity for members to work closely with and support their pediatric colleagues who treat and refer patients. Members will receive information regarding Section programs, activities, awards, and have the opportunity to participate in member surveys and calls for expertise regarding plastic surgery. Members may also serve as an advisory to the AAP Board of Directors and may choose to run for the Executive Committee.

Collaboration

Make the most of your membership by joining other Sections if you are involved in some aspect of care in: Children With Disabilities, International Child Health, Foster Care, Bioethics, Child Abuse & Neglect, Oral Health, Dermatology, Genetics & Birth Defects, Hospice & Palliative Medicine, Hospital Medicine, and more!

Annual Business Meeting and Lecture

The AAP and the American Association of Pediatric Plastic Surgeons (AAPPS) co-sponsor an informational business meeting and educational lectureship breakfast for members in conjunction with American Society of Plastic Surgery Convention each Fall. 

Advocacy

The AAP advocates for children and those who care for them. A portion of your dues dollars goes toward an invaluable, intangible benefit– children. There is power in numbers and by speaking with one voice, AAP members maximize their credibility and influence. AAP members will continue to fight on such issues as access to care, pediatric drugs and devices, disaster preparedness, HIPAA, foster care, and many other issues that affect you and the children you care for. The AAP also advocates on coding, medicaid cuts, workforce, and certification issues. Indeed, pediatric specialists have discovered that their pediatric organization can sometimes more effectively advocate for them than their larger adult-based associations.

Education

The SOPS sponsors educational programs at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition and offers a unique opportunity to work with other Sections. Faculty chosen from the SOPS educate general pediatricians and surgical/medical subspecialists. In the past, joint programs have been held with the Section on Emergency Medicine to discuss plastic surgery issues in the pediatric Emergency Department. The pediatric surgeons and medical specialists at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition also gather for a joint conference on topics of common interest, such as: Anesthesia Neurotoxicity: Are We Poisoning Children’s Brains and Image Gently.

Policy and Publications

Sections provide a valuable reservoir of expertise to be drawn upon for guidance in the development of AAP policies, clinical reports, practice standards, and represent the AAP to other organizations. The Section co-authored national policy on Prevention and Management of Positional Skull Deformities in Infants and co-authored a policy on Hemangiomas and Vascular Birthmarks– Recommendations for Early Identification and Management.

The SOPS Editor reviews journals for the most recent advances in pediatric plastic surgery, summarizes, and adds expert commentary. These contributions may end up in AAP Grand Rounds, a monthly publication.

The Section also contributes to the AAP News Focus on Subspecialties column, and alerts general pediatricians to new developments and hot topics.​