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

The SONu needs your membership and support.  Join your pediatric neurology colleagues and you will have access to tangible member benefits and numerous opportunities to connect, learn, and engage in volunteer activities.  Here’s just a sample of the member value the SONu has to offer.

Advocacy

Members in the SONu do amazing things for children and their families. We need your help to support key federal advocacy issues and initiatives of importance to pediatric neurologists.  SONu members have been active participants by:

  • Participating for a third year as a partner in the Infantile Spasms (IS) Advocacy Network via the Child Neurology Foundation (CNF)
  • Collaborating with many organizations to increase IS awareness and education during IS Awareness Week
  • Hosting Facebook Promoted Posts, launching a HealthyChildren.org campaign, and participating in IS Lobby Day at the annual American Epilepsy Society (AES) meeting in Washington, D.C. via funds from CNF
  • Collaborating with the CNF and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) on advocacy for improved pricing and access to Sabril, a pharmaceutical used to treat infantile spasms
  • Participating in a Stakeholder Summit for Pricing and Access for Critical Therapies to advocate against high pricing for pharmaceuticals in collaboration with the AAP DC office, the AAN, CNF, and Global Genes

Policies, Guidelines, and Research

SONu members participate in the development of policies, guidelines, and research in pediatric neurology.  Join the SONu and help with the technical review of AAP clinical policies, external policies, and endorsement requests.  Some recent examples include:

  • Co-authoring a clinical report, “Neuroimaging the Preterm Brain” with the AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn and the AAP Section on Radiology
  • Co-authoring a clinical report, “Health Supervision for Children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)” with the AAP Council on Genetics
  • Spearheading AAP endorsement of the AAN evidence-based guideline, “Practice Guideline: Acute symptomatic treatment of migraine in children and adolescents”
  • Writing a Technical Report, “Diagnosis, Therapies, and Treatments for Pediatric Leukodystrophy Patients”

Education

Members in the SONu develop and have access to the ‘gold-standard’ in information and educational resources.  In addition, SONu members help develop and deliver education for general pediatricians and parents/caregivers on relevant topics in pediatric neurology that impact practices and families.  Some educational initiatives include:

  • Developing programming and courses at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition for pediatricians and pediatric neurologists
  • Development of a PediaLink module, “The Importance of Early Recognition of Infantile Spasms, Catastrophic Epilepsy of Infancy”, a collaborative course with American College of Emergency Physicians
  • Section experts participated in the CDC-AAP Zika Virus task force and communicated task force information via webinars and participated in Zika Virus Project ECHO
  • In conjunction with Dept of Education, the SONu Education Subcommittee will be launching a series of short Patient Care Online (PCO) webinars for 15-10 minutes on child neurology topics that are popular with pediatricians

Engagement Opportunities

Members in the SONu engage in activities to enhance their careers and help kids at the same time.  Here are just a few of the ways in which members can network, contribute, and develop career pathways:

  • Participation in SONu subcommittees such as:
    • Legislative and Regulatory Affairs
    • Education
    • Membership
    • Guideline Review
    • External Affairs and Publications
  • Collaboration and partnership with other organizations such as CDC, CNS, CNF, AAN, AES, PCN on areas of mutual interest. Some examples include:
    • Attendance at the AAN-hosted Brain Death Summit
    • Joining the Child Neurology Workgroup, an AAP-CNF-AAN-Professors of Child Neurology (PCN) collaborative to increase communication and collaboration between organizations and reduce duplication of effort
    • Participated in CDC-AAP Zika task force
    • Participated in CNF Transition Project Advisory Committee (child to adult transition)
  • Publishing topic-specific articles to pediatrics, HealthChildren.org, AAP News and other publications
  • Annual Trainee Travel Award recognizing a trainee author of an abstract/poster/case as it pertains to the broad spectrum of Pediatrics which may impact pediatricians’ practice.
  • SONu members have been investigating Physician Burnout and Wellness and plans to work with other AAP groups, the AAN and CNS on related initiatives
  • Partnering with Private Payer Advocacy (PPA) to provide clinical evidence in support of payment for treatment of important child neurological conditions
  • Created and disseminated e-Newsletter and e-blasts
Last Updated

05/01/2024

Source

American Academy of Pediatrics