PROS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The AAP PROS program is the largest national multi-site pediatric primary care practice-based research network (PBRN), which has successfully translated research into practice and improved child health over four decades. We here at AAP PROS identify topics and develop research studies in partnership with other researchers, content experts, practicing pediatric clinicians, families, and other stakeholders.

The AAP PROS program was founded in 1986 after the Chair of the AAP’s Task Force on Collaborative Research, Evan Charney, MD, recommended its establishment in 1985.

AAP PROS was founded to study pediatric issues relevant to office-based practice or similar primary care settings. Our founders understood the value of connecting practicing pediatric clinicians in community settings across the United States with pediatricians and other professionals at academic institutions with research expertise.

AAP PROS offers a unique network of pediatric primary care practices that’s designed to assess outcomes with national scope, situated within and benefitting from the resources and expertise of the AAP.

Over 460 unique practices in communities across the United States have participated in at least one AAP PROS study since 2010.

This is determined on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes AAP PROS seeks approval for certain studies from the AAP IRB directly while other studies have AAP PROS rely on other institutions’ IRBs.

Alexander G. Fiks, MD, MSCE, FAAP, is the AAP PROS Director and Melissa S. Stockwell,MD, MPH, FAAP, is the AAP PROS Associate Director. PROS is governed by long-standing Rules of Governance that guide a Steering Committee and a national group of pediatrician PROS Coordinators, all of whom advise on study research questions, methodologies, implementation, and results dissemination.

No, there are no term limits for the length of time that a pediatrician may serve in the role of AAP PROS Coordinator. Each AAP PROS Coordinator can decide when to exit this role. To date, the average amount of time pediatricians have served in the AAP PROS Coordinator role is 11 years (ranging from < 1 year to ≥30 years), but most tell us they want to keep coming back!

AAP PROS is a program of the AAP itself. Additionally, AAP PROS has also received funds from grants awarded by various institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH),Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among others.

From 2012 to 2024, AAP PROS has received funding for 76% of the grants we’ve submitted.

AAP PROS has conducted over 50 studies since it was originally founded.

First, someone with a study idea or suggestion contacts us here at AAP PROS. Then, PROS assesses whether their idea has merit given our current priorities, the various priorities within pediatric primary care, and our ability to form an investigative team with the needed expertise. If PROS decides to move forward, we assemble a team to prepare the study proposal for said idea. Once developed the study team then presents their proposal to the multidisciplinary AAP PROS Steering Committee for their feedback. Afterwards, the study proposal is revised according to this feedback and then presented to our cadre of pediatrician AAP PROS Coordinators who examine the study for feasibility in their busy community-based practices. Once both our Steering Committee members and Coordinators review the finalized study proposal and vote to move forward, the study team identifies a funder and funding mechanism, writes a grant for this study proposal, and submits the grant to said funder. Please note that this process may take 1 - 1.5 years to complete.

AAP PROS mostly conducts randomized controlled trials but also has experience conducting quantitative research (i.e., surveys), qualitative research (i.e., focus groups, interviews), secondary data analyses, and dissemination projects.

AAP PROS undertakes rigorous research on the most salient topics for primary care across the United States and studies timely topics such as antibiotic stewardship, telemedicine, teen substance use prevention, teen suicide prevention, social determinants of health, injury prevention, and obesity as well as other disease prevention. The topics that AAP PROS studies change over time, too.

Yes! In 2012, AAP PROS launched the “Comparative Effectiveness Research through Collaborative Electronic Reporting Consortium,” called CER² . Currently, CER² includes electronic health record (EHR) data from > 3 million children across 7 organizations and 222 practices. We designed CER² with the explicit goal of gathering data for research from both health systems and independent practices that would reflect the various settings across the US from which children receive primary care. CER² has distinct strengths in successfully gathering data from a wide range of health systems and independent pediatric primary care practices, including urban, suburban, and rural practices staffed by pediatricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs), and physician assistants / associates (PAs).

Since its inception, AAP PROS has published > 130 peer-reviewed manuscripts, generating ~13,500 citations that inform the field of pediatrics. View a list of all AAP PROS citations.

If you are a pediatric clinician or you work at a pediatric primary care practice, please fill out the PROS Practice & Clinician Intake Form and then we’ll be intouch! 

Click here to complete and submit this form: Practice & Clinician Intake Form

There are multiple benefits to joining PROS, most of which are focused on camaraderie and intellectual stimulation! These include:

• Working with colleagues from around the United States.
• Collaborating meaningfully to improve pediatrics, child health, and prevention.
• Interacting with top notch researchers and contributing meaningfully to cutting edge research about the day-to-day practice of primary care pediatrics.
• Gaining new skills and having access to new resources and tools (study dependent).
• Receiving preliminary reports of research results as soon as they are available (study dependent).
• Obtaining CME (Continuing Medical Education) credits or MOC (Maintenance of Certification) Part II or IV credits (study dependent), honoraria and incentives (study dependent), and / or authorship or recognition in publications and presentations.

No! Participation in any AAP PROS study or program is voluntary. Practices can
pick and choose which studies they’d like to join based on their interest, availability, and eligibility. Just because your practice joins AAP PROS does not mean you are required to take part in any studies or study activities. When a new study opportunity presents itself, we send information about the study, including practice and pediatric clinician recruitment goals, to our practices so they can decided whether they’d be interested.

No! For most AAP PROS studies, a single pediatric clinician at any practice can join the study. We do, however, require that at least one pediatrician per practice is an FAAP (Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics).

We regularly share information with our members when there are new opportunities for them to participate in focus groups, interviews, and / or surveys. We also call on them sometimes to fill certain position vacancies, such as pediatrician PROS Coordinator, and communicate with them frequently through our bi-annual PROSpectives e-newsletter and our monthly THIS MONTH IN AAP PROS email updates. If you aren’t already on our mailing list, feel free to contact us so we can add you and keep you updated on what PROS is doing!

Again, please feel free to contact us any time!