President's Message - September 2025

Last month I had the opportunity to represent TPS at the AAP National Leadership Conference. It was an amazing time of learning, networking, and discussion with other AAP leaders from chapters, committees, sections, and councils. I was particularly proud of the strong representation that Texas had across a wide range of specialties and expertise at the national level. I want to take this opportunity to recognize them and thank them for their hard work:

• Dr. Charletta Guillory, who has served as our Chapter Chair for the past four years. We are so fortunate to have our delegation headed by such a thoughtful, wise leader.
• Dr. Heather Haq, who chairs the AAP Section on Global Health. What an important role for during a time of threatened funding for children's global health!
• Dr. Sunny Harpavat, who chairs the AAP Section on Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. Sunny has been a great example of engaging with our chapter during his AAP leadership.
• Dr. Brent Kaziny, who serves as vice-chair of the AAP Council on Children and Disasters. Brent's expertise as we recover from the devastating Central Texas floods is critical.
• Dr. Flor Munoz-Rivas, who serves on the executive committee for the AAP Section on Infectious Diseases. This committee has done tremendous work this year providing evidence-based guidance for immunization practice in the face of threats from anti-science influences.
• And, of course, Stacey Mather, our Executive Director, who helped to coordinate our chapter involvement in district meetings. She represents our chapter's needs and priorities so well to our District and AAP Staff.

A huge takeaway from my experience at the Leadership Conference was how many paths there are to leadership at the AAP. While Texas is already wonderfully represented by the leaders above, I would love to grow our representation even more. If you are interested in serving on an AAP Committee, our chapter can help support your application. If you are interested in serving on the Executive Committee of a Section or Council, we can connect you with other leaders to help mentor your involvement.

A great starting point is participating in and leading one of our chapter committees. You can join a committee at any time by contacting Crystal Healey. And if you are interested in chairing one in the future be sure to let Stacey, myself, or TPS President-Elect Lara Johnson know. If you are interested in learning more about our committees, the Annual Meeting is a great place to begin. I can't wait to see many of you next month in Round Rock at the Kalahari Resort. If you haven't registered yet, please do so! It will be a wonderful time of education and networking. And for some of you, it could be the beginning of your leadership journey in our chapter and beyond!