Celebrating the diversity of children and families and promoting nurturing, inclusive environments means actively opposing intolerance, bigotry, bias and discrimination. The AAP is committed to using policy, advocacy and education to encourage inclusivity and cultural effectiveness for all.

AAP Recommendations

The following is a list of AAP policy statements that address youth and family equity:

Headlines

Dr. Wright Named as the First Chief Health Equity Officer
Dr. Joseph Wright will oversee the AAP's national strategy to promote and achieve health equity for all children and advance equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts within the organization.
AAP Awarded Grant to Develop Race Conscious Approach to Policy
AAP was announced as an awardee to the Doris Duke Foundation Racial Equity in Clinical Equations initiative. The Academy will work to develop a race-conscious approach to clinical guidance in pediatric care.
AAP's Ongoing Work to Address Disparities in Safe Sleep Outcomes for Infants
Roundtable conversation including AAP Manager Bonnie Kozial, discussing the need to consider health disparities and culture in safe sleep initiatives.
AAP Statement on Supreme Court Decision Restricting Race as a Consideration in College Admissions
AAP statement about the impact of today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Harvard and the University of North Carolina’s admissions programs on the future physician workforce.
AAP Receives Grant to Support Research in Equity-Focused Health Care
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has awarded the AAP funds to support research in addressing health care disparities for children and adolescents.

AAP Equity Agenda Workplan: An Update

The AAP Equity Agenda guides the Academy's efforts to achieve health equity and actualize our goals to become a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive organization.
The Workplan progress report provides a detailed outline of the progress the Academy has made between 2015 and 2023.

Download Progress Report

AAP Equity Agenda

This workplan serves to guide the Academy’s efforts to achieve health equity and actualize our goals to become an equitable, diverse and inclusive organization by setting forth explicit and intentional actions to support this commitment and ensure it permeates all aspects of the Academy’s functioning.

Diversifying the Workforce

The AAP is committed to efforts that strengthen and diversify the pathway for the future pediatric workforce. Learn more about these efforts here.

Words Matter: Guidance on Inclusive, Anti-biased Language

Guidance in the development of AAP content and resources that includes strategies that can be used to make content more inclusive and enable rather than disempower people and groups.

Pediatric Collection: Racism and Its Effect on Pediatric Health

Articles to inspire clinicians, trainees and policy makers to address racism and the associated health disparities.

Professional Tools & Resources

Ensuring Equitable Access to Telehealth for Diverse and Underserved Communities

This page provides tips and strategies to facilitate equitable access to telehealth for families/caregivers and patients.

Minimizing Telehealth Technology Barriers in Rural and Underserved Communities

Practical ideas to help pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, pediatric surgical specialists and non-physician clinicians who serve in rural and underserved communities overcome common technology-related telehealth barriers.

LGBTQ+ Health and Wellness

A collection of resources and recommendations to help care for LGBTQ+ children, youth, and families.

Bright Futures Health Equity Resources

A compendium of resources to prepare pediatric health care professionals as they address the impact of racism, bias, and discrimination on the health and well-being of their patients and families.

Sudden Unexplained Infant Death (SUID) Prevention Program:

Resources focused on reducing overall rates of SUID and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in SUID.

Academy Resources

Fighting Racism to Advance Child Health Equity – PediaLink Course

This activity is designed to change competence and performance by focusing on ways to equip pediatricians to advance child health equity by applying an anti-racist lens to the systems shaping health and medicine.

Patient/Family-Centered Medical Home – Health Equity

A technical assistance center focused on improving the health and well-being of, and strengthening the system of services for, children and youth with special health care needs and their families by enhancing the patient/family-centered medical home.

Pediatrics on Call Podcast

Learn what others are saying about equity through our podcasts.

Get Involved

Looking for ways to get involved in this work? Find out how you can make a difference through the ongoing work by these sections, councils, and committees.

Council on Children with Disabilities (COCWD)
The mission of the Council on Children with Disabilities (COCWD) is to develop clinical guidance for the optimal care of children and youth with disabilities and support implementation, educate pediatricians who care for children and youth with disabilities, and provide expertise and advocacy on local and national issues related to children and youth with disabilities.
Council on Immigrant Child and Family Health (COICFH)
The Council on Immigrant Child and Family Health (COICFH) seeks to help pediatricians build their competency to enhance care for immigrant children using cultural humility and safety and advocates for policies that promote the health, well-being, and safety of immigrant children and youth.
Section on LGBT Health and Wellness (SOLGBTHW)
The mission of the Section on Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Health and Wellness is to support the health and wellness of LGBT children and their families, LGBT parents and their children, Children with variations in gender presentation and their families and LGBT pediatricians and trainees.
Section on Minority Health, Equity, and Inclusion (SOMHEI)
The Section on Minority Healthy, Equity and Inclusion is dedicated to addressing minority health, racial/ethnic health disparities and equity and the inclusion of minority members in pediatric practice and leadership.
Committee on Native American Child Health (CONACH)
The mission of the Committee on Native American Child Health (CONACH) is to improve the health of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children through education, advocacy, and consultation, and to support pediatricians working in AI/AN communities.