ITASCA, IL – Lee Beers, MD, FAAP has been hired by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as Chief Medical Officer. In this role she will serve as the organization’s leading clinical and scientific advisor, providing strategic guidance to the Board of Directors, CEO and leaders regarding medical, clinical and policy initiatives to advance the Academy’s mission and organizational priorities.  
Dr. Beers will lead AAP-wide initiatives to support and enhance primary and specialty pediatric care and practice, including health policy, pediatric population health, health care financing, practice innovation and transformation, quality improvement, and health information technology, ensuring the highest standards of medical integrity.  
Dr. Beers currently is a pediatrician at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC and professor of pediatrics at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She has served in numerous leadership positions at the AAP, including a term as AAP president in 2021. She begins her new role on staff at the Academy in January 2026. 
“Dr. Beers is a pediatric leader who can connect the clinical setting, the community and the policy environment to improve access to quality health care for all children,” said Mark Del Monte, JD, CEO/Executive Vice President of the AAP. “As AAP president, she helped guide the field through a pandemic, and at Children’s National Hospital she has built systems of care to bring mental and behavioral health to pediatric care. Her breadth of experience in clinical care, hospital and university systems, quality improvement, and population health are vitally important to the AAP as we navigate the future of pediatrics and continue to be the voice of children. The AAP is incredibly fortunate to have Lee join the leadership team.”  
In addition to serving as AAP President, Dr. Beers has served in numerous other AAP leadership roles including Vice-President, Uniformed Services East Chapter; President, Washington DC Chapter; Chairperson, Committee on Residency Scholarships; District III Representative, Chapter Forum Management Committee; and most recently as Medical Director of the AAP Pediatric Mental Health Education Center.  
Dr. Beers was named as the A. James & Alice B. Clark Distinguished Professor of Early Childhood Intervention and Advocacy at Children’s National, an endowed professorship focused on improving systems of care to support early childhood development and mental health. She received a B.S. in chemistry from College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., and her medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga. She completed her residency in pediatrics from the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, VA.    
"It is a tremendous honor to have been selected for this role and to be able to join such an incredible team,” said Dr. Beers. “The AAP has been an integral part of my professional journey since I was a pediatric resident, and the organization has shaped my leadership, clinical practice and work to address the broader factors impacting child health. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the Academy’s mission and support pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgeons to deliver optimal care for children.” 
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org or follow us on social media @AmerAcadPeds.