The Section on Hospital Medicine (SOHM) was approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Board of Directors in June 1999 and held its first formal section meeting in October 2000. The SOHM serves as a forum for members with a special interest and commitment to general inpatient pediatric care.

Membership in the SOHM is open to pediatric hospitalists, general pediatricians, academicians, primary care pedia-tricians, subspecialists and residents, and physician assistants with an active interest and involvement in general inpatient pediatrics. The Section focuses on systems, logistics and organization of general inpatient pediatric care in addition to relevant clinical issues.

Areas of focus of the SOHM include education, policy, membership, communication, and research. Opportunities for involvement in each of these areas are available.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS focus on selected general inpatient topics and organization and operation of pediatric hospitalist systems.

POLICY DISCUSSIONS to date center on the nature and implications of pediatric hospitalist practice with opportuni-ties to address other general inpatient issues. Towards this end, the Section pursued a liaison relationship with the Committee on Hospital Care and the SOHM Chairperson has been approved to serve as a member on the Committee on Hospital Care.

MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT is an ongoing project and the SOHM aims to develop a broadly based membership to reflect the diversity of general inpatient pediatrics.

COMMUNICATION EFFORTS include a regular newsletter as well as electronic communication. A very active SOHM LISTSERV serves as a forum and open discussion forum for SOHM members and non-members.

RESEARCH POSSIBILITIES abound, and the membership of the Section provides a resource for investigators studying systems of delivering general inpatient pediatric care. The first research goal of the SOHM is to develop an accurate and complete database of current pediatric hospitalist systems.