The Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) is an organization of faculty, researchers, and others interested in supporting the advancement of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) academics. The Association currently has 1,500 members. AAP has an official journal, American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and holds an Annual Meeting, and leads various activities to support and enhance academic physiatry.
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About Us
The Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) was founded in 1967 to serve as the national organization of physiatrists who are affiliated with medical schools. The AAP is a member organization of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The objectives of the Association are to promote the advancement of teaching and research in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation within an academic environment. The organization acts as a sounding board and forum for the exchange of ideas and information relative to all phases of the art and science of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. It promotes the distribution of information to future young physicians who will be practicing this art and science for the benefit of the public health and welfare. The organization also becomes involved in the exchange of information from other areas of medicine, both in basic science and in clinical areas of teaching and research.
The AAP holds an annual meeting, with in-depth courses focusing on issues pertinent to academic physiatry in research, education and administration. This several day conference also features scientific poster presentations as well as committee and council meetings.
The mission of the AAP is carried out between meetings by working committees. The most active committees focus on academic affairs, education and research. Other committees address bylaws, membership, programs, nominations and financial matters. The members of the Association shape its policies and programs through a Board of Trustees. The AAP officers maintain liaisons with a number of related scientific societies, government agencies and academic institutions. The AAP also sponsors several councils to stimulate, promote and coordinate the unique concerns of special interest groups within the organization. Current councils include PM&R chairs, residency program and fellowship directors, researchers, residency coordinators, residents and fellows, and residency program coordinators.
Membership
The benefits of membership in the AAP are important for both the new and mature academic physiatrist. Among the many services are:
Membership Criteria
The Association Bylaws require that a prospective member be a physician qualified to practice medicine in the USA and Canada. Provision for a nonphysician to belong to the AAP is found in the affiliate member category. An academic physiatrist from a non-North American country can qualify as an international member. Associate, resident, affiliate, and international members enjoy all the benefits of membership except voting and holding office.
Diplomate Members - A Diplomate member must be a physician qualified to practice medicine in the United States or Canada. He/she must hold an academic faculty appointment as a physiatrist in a US or Canadian medical school or be a full-time teaching physiatrist in a non-university-affiliated residency program. He/she must have a primary certificate of PM&R and be a Diplomate of the ABPMR or declared equally qualified by his/her country's specialty examining board (such as the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada).
Associate Members - An Associate member is a physician qualified to practice medicine in the United States or Canada and is actively engaged in the practice of PM&R. An Associate member may be actively engaged in the training of physicians and/or students in PM&R. Physiatrists without faculty appointments and non-physiatrists who are certified in a subspecialty field by the ABPMR, but who have academic pursuits and/or interests in PM&R, may also qualify for Associate membership. Associate members enjoy all the privileges of membership except voting and holding office.
Affiliate Members - An Academic Affiliate member is a nonphysician health care professional with an academic appointment in a division or department of PM&R in a North American Medical School. An Administrative Affiliate member is a nonphysician health care professional involved either in the administration of a PM&R division/department, residency training program or research program, or in the immediate supervision of the previously described individual. Affiliate members enjoy all the privileges of membership except voting and holding office.
International Members - An International member is a physician legally qualified to practice medicine in his/her country of residence, with training and experience comparable to Diplomates of the ABPMR. An International member must also be actively engaged in the practice of PM&R as well as in physiatric research and/or the training of physicians/students in the specialty of physiatry. Sponsorship by a PM&R Chair is required. International members enjoy all of the privileges of membership except voting and holding office.
Emeritus Members - Emeritus membership is for a physician permanently retired from the practice of medicine.
In-Training Members - An In-Training member is a physician actively engaged in a training program leading to admissibility to the certifying examination of the ABPMR (or his/her country's equivalent examining board), or for a student in a North American medical school or osteopathic medical school.
Education
The AAP holds an Annual Meeting each year. The meeting offers an educational program with PM&R-specific workshops that offer continuing medical education (CME) as well as a job fair and exhibit hall.
The AAP facilitates the exchange of ideas and information regarding the teaching of the art and science of PM&R through promoting the dissemination of:
Program for Academic Leadership
The Association of Academic Physiatrists, under the leadership of Michael W. O’Dell, MD, also sponsors the Program for Academic Leadership (PAL), a three-year program to develop academic leadership skills in junior PM&R faculty. The goal of PAL is to provide a basic administrative framework and skill set to promising physiatric academic faculty to enhance their leadership abilities within a Department, Medical School, and the field of PM&R at large. The number of participants is limited to provide maximum interaction with course instructors. This program requires candidates to attend the PAL course during each of three consecutive AAP annual meetings. Over the three years, the content will cover department administration, teaching and education, and research.
Research
The AAP promotes PM&R research by sponsoring the following programs:
Rehabilitation Research Experience For Medical Students(RREMS) Scholarship Program
The Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) and the Foundation for PM&R have sponsored a new scholarship program for the past three years. Rehabilitation Research Experience for Medical Students (RREMS) is offered to allow first year medical students to experience the rewards of scholarly research within the specialty of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation through an eight-week summer externship.
Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program (RMSTP)
Another program, The Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program (RMSTP), provides research training, mentorship and career development support for those physiatrists committed to developing productive careers in academic medicine and research. The ultimate aim of the RMSTP is to increase the number of rigorously trained, extramurally competitive and scientifically productive faculty members in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) departments, who can contribute to the continued development of physiatric research specifically and rehabilitation science in general.
Publications
The American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation is the official scholarly, peer-reviewed journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP).
The AAP Newsletter began in 1982 as a tool to provide academic physiatrists with information regarding the availability of clinical and research fellowships and research grants and contracts for projects relating directly or indirectly to Rehabilitation Medicine. In 1983, the AAP Board of Trustees authorized up to 4 editions of the Newsletter per year. Over the years, the information has expanded to include all material relevant to the field of PM&R to accomplish the AAP's mission of providing a forum to inform and stimulate discussion regarding relevant issues pertaining to academic physiatry and the AAP itself.
The Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) released the first issue of the AAP E-Brief in May 2010. This monthly e-newsletter provides members an AJPMR summary, AAP news and updates and PM&R highlights in a timely and convenient electronic format.