Welcome to the medical student homepage for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)! This website is an excellent source for you to learn how the AAP can serve as your professional home as your career in pediatrics unfolds. Medical students are welcome as affiliate members of the AAP in the Section on Medical Students, Residents, and Fellowship Trainees (SOMSRFT). We are the Academy’s largest Section with well over 13,000 members, including over 1000 medical student members.

Even though medical students were first offered membership in the AAP just over 10 years ago, our focus on medical students has greatly expanded recently, with significant increases in the opportunities and resources for you. If you are not already a member, we hope that you will consider joining (annual dues are only $20 for medical students!). Please click here for more information and an application form.

Our primary purpose is to improve the professional (and scholarly!) activities of our members. To that end, we created a special national Medical Student Subcommittee in January 2008. This outstanding group of medical students from across the nation has been working with the SOMSRFT Executive Committee to develop resources for both medical students and pediatric interest groups. Check out our most recent newsletter and our Pediatric Interest Group Resource Guide. Also available is the Medical School to Residency publication. Created in collaboration with national pediatric medical educators, this publication serves as a personal companion to exploring pediatrics during medical school, applying to a pediatric residency, and beginning life as a pediatric resident. Please keep checking this website as we continue to post more information.

And remember, you can learn more in person at the Academy’s annual meeting, the National Conference and Exhibition (NCE). Take note that you can’t beat the price; the registration is FREE for medical student members! The upcoming 2013 NCE will be held in Orlando, FL, from October 26-29. The SOMSRFT Annual Assembly will be a full-day meeting for medical students, residents, and fellowship trainees on Saturday, October 26th. This will include programming specific to medical students. These specific medical student sessions are recent additions to our program, and have been a huge success. We hope to see you in 2013!

To our members, we hope your interest in the AAP will continue to thrive! And to those interested, we sincerely hope you will join us. Who knows, maybe you will be selected to join next year's Medical Student Subcommittee! And we always remember our mission to serve you; please feel free to contact us with any questions or suggestions as to how our Section can best serve your needs.

Thank you for visiting and welcome to the American Academy of Pediatrics!

Natalie Riedmann, MD
Chairperson
AAP Section on Medical Students, Residents, and Fellowship Trainees (SOMSRFT)

Lisa Costello, MD
Medical Student Subcommittee Chair
AAP Section on Medical Students, Residents, and Fellowship Trainees (SOMSRFT)