Appointments for the 2023-2024 Academy year have been finalized. Applicants will now be considered for the 2024-2025 Academy year.
Submit AAPD Council/Committee Volunteer Form
Becoming a member of an AAPD Council or Committee is a great way to make a difference in pediatric dentistry. Council/Committee positions are minimum one-year appointments beginning in May that can be reappointed for up to six years.
The appointment process happens annually, with the President-Elect overseeing appointments for their year in office. Beginning at the Annual Session, the president-elect gathers information about members' term limits, council and committee needs, and so on.
The president-elect will consult with the district trustees to get recommendations to fill vacancies. Committee membership is often more skill-based, so the chairs' recommendations are sought for vacancies in committees.
Don't forget your State or District chapter, they need volunteers too! Contact Lee Gonzalez at the headquarters office for chapter information if needed.
Council Committee Member Responsibilities
- All members must have access to e-mail.
- Attendance at all meetings of the respective council/committee is a primary obligation of all members. Ability to fulfill this obligation should be carefully evaluated before accepting appointment. All councils/committees meet in conjunction with the AAPD annual session. Additional meetings may be conducted as necessary throughout the year. Council and committee members are expected to attend the annual session.
- Members may receive special assignments from the chair and should respond promptly to assignments.
- Each member should evaluate carefully all materials received in the course of assignments and forward comments to the chair in a timely manner.
- Developing new ideas and suggestions and the transmittal of information relating to council/committee activities to other members and the chair are on-going responsibilities of each member. This should be a spontaneous activity.
- A member who has not participated in committee activities or who finds it difficult to assume responsibility for productivity should consider relinquishing the appointment.
- A member is responsible for obtaining the views of colleagues on matters pertaining to council/committee activities and transmitting this information to the chair. The member must also assume responsibility for keeping colleagues informed about such activities in order to stimulate discussion and understanding at the local level.
AAPD Councils and Committees
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Duties:
Supervise and coordinate all aspects of the annual session. -
Duties:
Propose and develop the scientific program for the annual session. -
Composition:
The Local Arrangements Committee shall consist of the chair of the Local Arrangements Committee, who is appointed by the Board of Trustees, upon recommendation of the annual session host organization, 24 months in advance of the applicable annual session. The chair, with the approval of the Board of Trustees, shall appoint qualified members to serve in such capacities as are deemed essential to the successful operation of the annual session.Duties:
Collaborate closely with the chair of the Council on Annual Session (AAPD Vice President), AAPD Executive Committee and the Headquarters Office staff to complete all annual session local arrangements. -
Composition:
The membership of this council should reflect a broad interest, background and experience in the various aspects of the clinical practice of pediatric dentistry.
Vision:
The vision of the Council on Clinical Affairs (CCA) is to be a critical and vital aspect of American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry continuing as the world leader on children’s oral health. Formed from a group of passionate, committed and bright pediatric dentists, this council draws on its long history and responsibility to the organization and the children its members serve. With the common goal of providing the best and most current evidenced based science, documents are drafted that are relevant to healthcare providers and organizations, governmental bodies, and other industry stakeholders. With that bold platform, CCA is an invaluable resource for all of those parties that seek to impact the lives of children by vastly improving their oral health.
Mission:
To review, revise and develop the definitions, policies and guidelines using evidence-based dentistry while in congruence with the vision of the AAPD.
Duties:- Advise the Board of Trustees on matters concerning the clinical practice of pediatric dentistry.
- Review and develop oral health policies and guidelines regarding the clinical practice of pediatric dentistry and submit recommendations through the Board of Trustees.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
Please Note: Participation on the Council on Clinical Affairs requires a significant time commitment. The Council performs a comprehensive review of at least 20-25 AAPD policies, best practices, and recommendations each year. Each CCA member is assigned to multiple workgroups to assess the current evidence base and revise policies and recommendations accordingly. Further, each member is expected to review all of the other workgroup's documents for additional comment and suggestion. It requires significant work time spent individually, as a workgroup, and as a full Council, including at least one in-person full-weekend workshop, an additional weekend day virtual workshop, attendance at Annual Session (preferred), and other related meetings.
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Duties:
- Provide technical assistance to state licensing boards drafting or modifying sedation or general anesthesia legislation or regulation.
- Review AAPD Guidelines and Policies on sedation and anesthesia for scientific and clinical accuracy and make recommendations for updates.
- Maintain information on state statutes and regulations concerning the administration of sedation and general anesthesia in the dental office.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
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Duties:
- Develop recommendations for future AAPD action based on the Symposium on Lifetime Oral Health Care for Patients with Special Needs.
- Review AAPD policies and guidelines related to patients with special health care needs, and make recommendations for updates and revisions.
- Regularly review scientific literature in this area.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
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Duties:
- Monitor member needs and desires regarding continuing education courses sponsored by AAPD.
- Plan and implement AAPD continuing education courses in collaboration with the Headquarters Office.
- Make recommendations to the Board of Trustees regarding the continuing education activities of AAPD.
- Recommend faculty for continuing education courses.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
Specific guidelines concerning new and ongoing continuing education programs:
The Council on Continuing Education shall:- Identify topics for new continuing education courses.
- Develop proposals for new continuing education courses to submit to the Board of Trustees for approval.
- Identify the target audience and intended outcomes for the course.
- Recommend the course chair.
- Recommend course speakers.
- Recommend the course program outline and agenda.
- Require course faculty to provide written documentation to validate the sound clinical, scientific and efficacy basis of the course and any related material validating evidence based dentistry for course offerings. This documentation may be in the format of a course syllabus, bibliography of resources or other substantiation. This documentation is to be reviewed by the Council.
- Require the course director/chair of each continuing education course offered on a repeated basis to annually review its content with course faculty to ensure material presented is timely and provides a sound scientific base. Copies of the review will be provided to the Council and kept on file at the Headquarters Office.
- Identify potential exhibitors and sponsors, as needed.
- Suggest ideal and alternative dates, with advisement of AAPD staff, so as to avoid conflict with other upcoming AAPD meetings and events.
- Suggest desired course locations.
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Duties:
- Develop, monitor, implement and evaluate the Journal-Based Continuing Education Program.
- Promote participation in the Journal-Based Continuing Education Program by AAPD members.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
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Composition:
The Speakers’ Bureau Committee shall consist of seven (7) voting members, one of whom shall be appointed chair. Members should be selected for their interest and expertise in pediatric dentistry continuing education.
Duties:- Identify and recruit the most competent content area experts to meet the needs of AAPD and district and state chapters for exceptional continuing education program speakers.
- Maintain an AAPD Speakers Bureau listing that is conveniently accessible by AAPD, district and state chapter leadership, with periodic updates.
- Manage an ongoing process for speaker evaluation, recruitment, and monitoring.
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Vision:
To promote the oral health of children by supporting pre-doctoral pediatric dental education to assure that graduating general dentists can provide the highest level of pediatric dental care.
Duties:- Monitor and recommend to the Board of Trustees activities concerning pre-doctoral pediatric dentistry education.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
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Vision:
The vision of the Council on Government Affairs is that all children have access to quality dental care within the dental home. To attain this vision the Council will educate membership and advocate on the national level for fair and equitable treatment for all children.Duties:
- Monitor legislative and regulatory activities at the national level that may affect the health of children and make recommendations to the Board of Trustees regarding AAPD policy on these matters.
- Collaborate with related organizations on legislative and/or regulatory matters of mutual interest, including the ADA’s legislative offices in Washington, D.C. and Chicago.
- Provide information to district organizations and state units that would be of benefit in their regional and local legislative and regulatory efforts.
- Make recommendations to the Board of Trustees concerning the Academy’s legislative and regulatory priorities and additionally recommend activities related to these priorities.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
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Composition:
The Pediatric Dental Medicaid and CHIP Advisory Committee shall consist of one (1) member from each of the eleven (11) federal regions, one of whom shall be appointed chair. In addition, the AAPD representative to the Dental Quality Alliance (DQA) shall serve as a special consultant. Because of the goal of securing long term relationships with Medicaid and CHIP state officials, members of this committee may serve beyond the Terms of Office specified in Section 8.B.Duties:
- Regularly communicate with state and regional Medicaid and CHIP officials to advocate for children’s oral health, provide the perspective of a pediatric dentist, disseminate AAPD views and strategies, and encourage adoption of model Medicaid and SCHIP dental programs in states.
- Act as conduit for Medicaid and CHIP information from state units to the AAPD headquarters office.
- Provide information to district organizations and state units that would be of benefit in their legislative and regulatory efforts.
- Assist state units to formalize leadership in each state on Medicaid and CHIP issues, utilizing trainees from AAPD legislative workshops, and assist with linkages to organized dentistry.
- Mentor other pediatric dentists interesting in advocating on these issues.
- Make recommendations to the Council on Government Affairs concerning Medicaid and CHIP issues.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
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Composition:
All committee members should have knowledge, expertise and/or experience in dental care insurance programs for children and patients with special health care needs (SHCN) and related dental reimbursement mechanisms, as well as in dental and medical coding. One of the members shall also be appointed by the Board of Trustees as the AAPD’s representative to the ADA’s Code Maintenance Committee (CMC).Vision:
The vision of the Committee on Dental Benefit Programs is that all infants, children, and adolescents have access to meaningful dental benefits, thereby affording them the opportunity of lifetime optimal oral health.Mission:
The mission of the Committee on Dental Benefit Programs is to maintain and expand access to oral health services for infants, children and adolescents through the support and promotion of robust and equitable third party payment systems. We accomplish this by enabling our members to assist their patients in obtaining dental benefits to which they are entitled and by working with other professional organizations and the dental benefits industry to continually improve dental benefit programs.Duties:
- Formulate and recommend official AAPD policies to the Board of Trustees related to pediatric oral health care in various health care insurance programs for children and SHCN patients and related reimbursement mechanisms.
- Monitor and investigate developing trends impacting pediatric oral health in health care programs and related reimbursement mechanisms.
- Provide review and feedback to AAPD staff assisting individual members with third party insurance matters.
- Provide review and feedback to the AAPD’s CMC representative on all matters related to dental coding, including development of code proposals by the AAPD and review of code proposals submitted by other organizations.
- Serve in a support capacity or as faculty for AAPD coding workshops offered at the state level or during the annual session.
- Closely coordinate all activities related to publicly subsidized health insurance programs (such as Medicaid, CHIP, and ACA) and government regulated private health insurance programs, with the Council on Government Affairs.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
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Composition:
The membership of this council should reflect a broad interest, background and experience in membership issues.Vision:
The vision of the Council on Membership and Membership Services is to evaluate, address and support the needs of the membership and to promote the growth and longevity of the Academy.Duties:
- Monitor membership trends.
- Make recommendations to the Board of Trustees regarding mechanisms for recruiting and retaining members.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
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Composition:
Each member of the committee shall be a current Active member and a former Post-Doctoral Student member of AAPD who has completed training in pediatric dentistry within the past ten (10) years; this time period shall also serve to define whether a member is a "early career pediatric dentist." The chair of the Pediatric Dental Resident Committee shall serve as an ex-officio member of this committee.Duties:
- Encourage the participation of new pediatric dentists in AAPD activities.
- Make recommendations to the Board of Trustees regarding issues of interest to new pediatric dentists.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
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Composition:
The Pediatric Dental Resident Committee shall consist of at least six members, one of whom shall be appointed chair, and six consultants. Each member of the committee and each consultant shall be a Post-Doctoral Student member of the AAPD. Each member shall be in their second year of training, and serve a one-year term, after serving as a consultant during their first year of training; provided that the newly appointed residents will attend the annual session prior to the commencement of their term of service. After graduation members may continue for one year as consultants to the committee. The chair shall serve a one year term comprising either their second year of training or their first year post-training, after serving either as a member the previous year or as the Harris Fellow. The chair’s term shall begin on October 1 of each year. The applicable year of training is based on the resident’s status as of the July 1st following the AAPD’s annual session.Vision:
The vision of the Resident Committee is to evaluate, address, and support the needs and desires of residents in order to establish a lifelong relationship with the AAPD.Duties:
- Provide a forum for residents’ issues and a communications mechanism to link residents across the country.
- Facilitate opportunities for residents to contribute to AAPD activities and initiatives.
- Assist residents’ education about the AAPD as well as current issues facing pediatric dentistry on a local, national, and global level.
- Cultivate future pediatric dentistry leaders.
The application process is from July 15 – Sept 1 for the Pediatric Dental Resident Committee for first-year residents only. Information for joining will be emailed to all registered first-year students. Contact Vice President for Membership and Chapter Relations Suzanne Wester for details.
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Composition:
The membership of this committee should reflect a keen interest and knowledge in communicating and marketing member services and critical information of value to AAPD membership, and be regular readers of AAPD publications.Vision:
The vision of the Committee of Communications is to interact as an advisory body to the AAPD staff and serve as consultants when required.Duties:
- Periodically review communications concerning AAPD member services and make recommendations for enhancement of such communications.
- Periodically review PDT (Pediatric Dentistry Today) and assist with the development of reader surveys and other feedback mechanisms to enhance the magazine’s quality, with an ultimate goal of making PDT the premier magazine for children’s oral health care issues.
- Make recommendations and justifications regarding the need for the development of new AAPD publications, including books.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
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Composition:
The Affiliate Advisory Committee shall consist of the current Affiliate Trustee, who shall serve as chair, the immediate past Affiliate Trustee, and at least one (1) Affiliate member from each of the five (5) trustee districts. In addition, one pediatric dentist member from each of the following councils or committees shall serve as liaison to the Affiliate Advisory Committee: Scientific Program Committee of the Council on Annual Session, Council on Continuing Education, and Council on Predoctoral Education. The liaison shall be appointed by the chair of the respective council or committee.Duties:
- Identify Affiliate members interested in participating in councils and committees of the AAPD, and convey this information to the President-elect for consideration during the appointments process.
- Identify and inform the Council on Membership and Membership Services on issues and concerns of Affiliate members, and make appropriate recommendations.
- Implement marketing strategies for maintaining and growing Affiliate membership, based on recommendations of the 2015 Affiliate Task Force Report per the timeline approved by the Board of Trustees.
- Assist in the content development of any annual session or other CE programming targeted to Affiliate members.
- Assist in support of Predoctoral Student Chapters, in collaboration with the Council on Predoctoral Education.
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Composition:
The Council on Post-Doctoral Education shall consist of at least one (1) member from each of the five (5) trustee districts. A chair may be appointed from the district members or may be an additional member who has special knowledge and expertise in the subject matter of the council.
Vision:
To assist, support, and provide resources for post-doctoral pediatric dentistry programs to help assure that all advanced education students in pediatric dentistry receive optimal didactic and clinical education.
Duties:
- Recommend criteria for establishment of acceptable training for the current practice of pediatric dentistry.
- Monitor and recommend to the Board of Trustees activities concerning workforce issues.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
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Composition:
The Committee on the Post-doctoral In-service Examination shall consist of at least five (5) members, one of whom shall be the appointed chair.
Vision:
To support advanced education programs in Pediatric Dentistry by providing outcome measures for post-doctoral students which enable graduates to meet the oral health needs of infants, children, adolescents and those with special health care needs.
Duties:
- Develop, monitor, implement and evaluate the Post-doctoral In-service Examination.
- Promote participation in the Post-doctoral In-service Examination among program directors.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees
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Composition:
The membership of this council should reflect a broad interest, background and experience in research in pediatric dentistry.Mission:
The mission of the AAPD’s Council on Scientific Affairs (CSA) is to ensure that the organization’s policies, guidelines and programs are evidenced based and supported by the most recent and up to date science. The CSA also sets AAPD Research Agenda, which is used for allocation of research funding support.Duties:
- Make recommendations to the Board of Trustees relative to research priorities and involvement for AAPD;
- Administer the NuSmile Graduate Student Research Award (GSRA) Competition;
- Plan the Contemporary Clinical Issues Workshop at the AAPD annual session in collaboration with the Scientific Program Committee;
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
Note:
Prospective members of the Council on Scientific Affairs must already have account access to the scientific literature (for example, PubMed database) and must be able to execute meaningful literature searches. -
Composition:
The membership of this committee should reflect a keen knowledge of the current science, adult learning, and effective consumer messages concerning children’s oral health care.Duties:
- Develop a protocol, consistent with the Principles for Interaction with Industry and Other Organizations described in Section 13.K, for determining whether the AAPD should review or develop scientifically accurate consumer messaging that is adjunct to the marketing of a consumer product and or included in a commercial print or electronic publication intended for consumers.
"The information presented in this ______ has been reviewed [or provided] by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and is consistent with the current science related to oral health care for children. This does not represent any endorsement by the AAPD of the product [or service or publication]." - Implement licensing agreements with such organizations permitting use of the AAPD logo as indicated in paragraph 2, in exchange for an appropriate organization commitment to AAPD Foundation. Such commitments may be via a direct charitable contribution, or via a percentage of proceeds from sales being donated to AAPD Foundation.
- Regularly report to the Board of Trustees concerning such reviews.
- Perform such other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
- Develop a protocol, consistent with the Principles for Interaction with Industry and Other Organizations described in Section 13.K, for determining whether the AAPD should review or develop scientifically accurate consumer messaging that is adjunct to the marketing of a consumer product and or included in a commercial print or electronic publication intended for consumers.
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Composition:
This committee shall consist of up to eight individuals – two CSA and two CCA members – that are nominated by their councils and approved by the Board of Trustees, the Journal editor-in-chief who shall serve as an ex officio member, and up to three other members with experience and interest in evidence-based dentistry. The committee chair shall be selected from the appointed committee members by the Board of Trustees. Additional expert consultants deemed necessary to fulfill the charges of the committee may be appointed by the President with the approval of the Board of Trustees. There shall also be a board liaison to the committee.Mission:
To promote optimal pediatric oral health through evidence-based clinical guidelines that improve patient outcomes.
Duties:
The duties of the Evidence-Based Dentistry Committee, as listed in the AAPD Administrative Policy and Procedure Manual, are to provide oversight and management of the clinical practice guideline development process, and in the course of its activities shall:
- Attend in-person and virtual EBD Committee meeting(s)
- Participate in conference calls before and after the meeting.
- Determine whether specific topics are a high priority for the EBD process, a lower priority, or not appropriate.
- Review/evaluate any existing guidelines and systematic reviews.
- Make recommendations for an endorsement if appropriate.
- Nominate a workgroup for each specific clinical practice guideline.
- Prioritize a list of guidelines and the timing for production of such guidelines, for review and approval by the Board of Trustees.
- Approve a Protocol and PICO (P-Patient, Population, or Problem, I-Intervention, Prognostic Factor, or Exposure, C-Comparison or Intervention, O-Outcome you would like to measure or achieve) for each guideline.
- Based on a summary of findings, grade the overall quality of evidence across outcomes and make recommendations.
- Review each guideline and coordinate external review.