Lily J. Lou, M.D., FAAP

Palos Park, Ill

Position sought

President-Elect

City and state of residence

Palos Park, Ill.

Professional Titles

  • Professor of pediatrics and director of government relations, University of Illinois Chicago

Medical school and post-graduate education

  • M.D., University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill

Residency program and fellowship

  • University of Minnesota Hospitals & Clinics, Minneapolis
  • Fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.
  • Fellowship in medical education, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

Involvement in AAP and other organizations

  • AAP Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine chair (November 2020-October 2022), District VIII representative to executive committee (2012-’18)
  • AAP Alaska Chapter past president (2020-present), president (2014-’20), vice president (2009-’14), secretary-treasurer (2005-’09)
  • AAP representative to Maternal Mental Health Task Force, a subcommittee of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Advisory Committee for Women’s Services (2023-present)
  • AAP representative to AAP/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/ Association of State and Territorial Health Officials/American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists convening on risk appropriate perinatal care

Position statement

Inclusion of all pediatricians, a voice for children and bridging the gaps

As a subspecialty section leader, chapter leader and public health leader with broad personal experience, I hope to strengthen the unity and inclusion of all pediatricians — subspecialists or generalists, rural or urban, academic or private practice, researchers or clinicians. We must capitalize on the diversity of our membership and work synergistically for our common goal: optimizing the welfare of our children.

It is essential for leaders in pediatrics to have an accurate view of the landscape of child health. Key to this will be more pediatricians with a voice and a seat at the table in public health and health policy leadership. The AAP excels at developing advocacy skills. We need a similar strategy for public health/health policy leadership and sponsorship in order to marshal necessary resources for meaningful change.

The AAP has been a leader in the rise of equity, diversity and inclusion in our national consciousness. We must understand the specific gaps in access so we can target strategies to fill them. These include geographic availability, dearth of some subspecialties, social determinants and political determinants of health. We must support research and implementation of best practices. We need robust support for training the next generation, including pipeline strategies for the underrepresented. And of course, we need fair payment to continue to attract the best and brightest to the calling of pediatrics.

I see the AAP as the organization that can accomplish all this, as the professional home for us all.