Chicago - The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has elected Robert W. Block, MD, FAAP, of Tulsa, Okla., as its new president-elect. The AAP is the nation's largest pediatric organization, with a membership of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists.
Dr. Block will take office as president-elect Oct. 4 at the 2010 AAP National Conference and Exhibition in San Francisco and will serve as the 2011-2012 AAP president.
Dr. Block is an award-winning teacher in general pediatrics and manages a thriving pediatric clinic for more than 12,000 children. In 1972, He received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and completed three years of pediatric residency at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. After completing residency, Dr. Block joined the U.S. Army. In 1974, Dr. Block was board certified and elected as a Fellow of the AAP. A year later he joined the faculty at the University of Oklahoma, where he currently serves as professor and Daniel Plunket chair in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine in Tulsa.
During his 37 years of practice, Dr. Block has focused on adolescent behavioral medicine, particularly drug abuse, teen pregnancies, learning disabilities and ADHD. The prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect has been a priority for the past 25 years. Dr. Block was the founding chair and remains a member of the newest American Board of Pediatrics sub-board, Child Abuse Pediatrics. Having presented more than 2,000 community and professional talks, Dr. Block often serves as a media spokesperson for children's health issues both locally and nationally for the AAP.
Creating and sustaining the best environment for the healthy development of all children is the ultimate goal of the AAP, and Dr. Block will continue to work with the AAP to improve children's health and well-being. One of his priorities will be prevention of child maltreatment and neglect, Dr. Block said. He also will focus on health care policy development that benefits children and the pediatricians who care for them.
"Delivering the best health care has only limited value unless all children have equal access," Dr. Block said. "In my role at AAP, I will support programs that give pediatricians the resources they need to provide comprehensive care."
