Thomas K. McInerny, MD, FAAP, was elected the next president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), based in Elk Grove Village, Ill. 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. McInerny will take office as president-elect Oct. 17 at the 2011 AAP National Conference & Exhibition in Boston and will serve as the 2012-2013 AAP president.
“The highest priorities for the AAP and its membership are to ensure that, as health care reform continues to unfold, all children have access to high-quality health care,” Dr. McInerny said. As president, he will work with legislators and other organizations to promote “facilitated enrollment,” which identifies and encourages eligible families to acquire continual health insurance for children. Dr. McInerny will also press for pediatricians to be paid appropriately for providing a coordinated medical home for children.
“Cutting costs on Medicaid and the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will not yield substantial savings and potentially can lead to a decrease in access to quality health care for children,” said Dr. McInerny. “Delivering this message will require a concerted effort of the AAP at the national and state level. I look forward to working with our dedicated membership in achieving these priorities.”
Dr. McInerny has been a primary care pediatrician in private practice at Panorama Pediatric Group in Rochester, N.Y. for 40 years and is professor and associate chair for clinical affairs in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center and Golisano Children’s Hospital. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Medical School and did his pediatric residency training at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital Boston.
Dr. McInerny has held many elected and appointed positions in the AAP, and is editor-in-chief of the AAP Textbook of Pediatric Care and Pediatric Care Online. He served on the AAP Task Force on Mental Health, which developed the AAP Mental Health Toolkit and was one of the authors of the EQIPP module on the medical home. He is a member of the American Pediatric Society, the Academic Pediatric Association, and a certified physician executive and fellow of the American College of Physician Executives. He served on the board of directors and was chief medical officer of the Rochester Community Individual Practice Association serving 500,000 patients.
Dr. McInerny and his very supportive wife, Beverly, have been married for 46 years and have four wonderful children and five terrific grandchildren.
