Why Should I Join SOHPM?

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

Advocacy

We actively engage in state and federal advocacy for the needs of palliative care specialists, pediatric clinicians, and trainees. We offer two members scholarships to attend the AAP Advocacy Conference to help strengthen our pediatric palliative care voice. Additionally, the Section’s Advocacy Subcommittee which serves as the lead point of contact for advocacy activities related to pediatric palliative care within the Section. The SOHPM Advocacy Subcommittee works closely with the AAP federal and state advocacy teams to coordinate all advocacy efforts.

Policy Development

Our section authors AAP policies on topics relevant to palliative care, including the following:

• Supporting the Family after the Death of a Child or Adolescent
• Pediatric Palliative Care and Hospice Care Commitments and Recommendations. 
• Pain Assessment and Treatment in Children with Significant Impairment of the Central Nervous System
• Guidance on Forgoing Life-Sustaining Medical Treatment
• Guidance for End of Life Care

Our Section is in the process of developing other policies related to pediatric hospice and palliative medicine. Our Section also participates in the peer review of other AAP policy whenever there is relevance to palliative care or children with serious illness. We engage early career physicians and trainees in authorship and policy technical reviews.

Education and Quality Improvement

Our Section supports education and quality improvement for its members and the broader pediatric palliative care community.

• We implemented a quality improvement learning collaborative called Are you Hurting? Pain Assessments in Pediatric Palliative Care Consultation. Participants of this collaborative were eligible to receive Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part 4 points upon completing all requirements.
• We collaborated with the Center to Advance Palliative Care to launch the EQIPP course titled, “Talking About Serious Illness.” The course offers Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit as well as Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part 4 Credit and was reaffirmed through July 2024.
• The Section also recently launched a PREP Self-Assessment focused on palliative care skills for general pediatricians.
• Our Section also offers CME sessions at the Academy’s National Conference and hosts an abstract program and business meeting at the National Conference annually. Members can submit abstracts in numerous categories, including quality improvement projects. Eligible submissions can receive MOC Part 4 points for quality improvement related abstracts.

Membership Engagement

The SOHPM relies on its members to contribute to and lead Section activities. Below is a list of a few membership engagement opportunities for those who join the Section.

• Contribute to quarterly e-Newsletters. View a sample e-Newsletter here.
• Disseminate our Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Medicine Career Guide as well as our residency curriculum, Resilience in the Face of Grief and Loss.
• Author articles for AAP News on topics of relevance to palliative care
• Provide suggestions for topical sessions at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition
• Serve as a Section Executive Committee member
• Vote for Section Executive Committee members

Section Awards and Grants

• Abstract Award (5 awards given per year at the SOHPM H program during the AAP National Conference & Exhibition)
• AAP Advocacy Conference Scholarship (2 available)