Upstate Pediatrics chief named to key policy-making committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Gregory Conners, MD, MPH, MBA, FAAP, professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics and executive director of Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital, has been appointed chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Conners’ four-year term as chair is effective July 1.
"On behalf of Upstate Medical University, I congratulate Dr Conners on this important appointment. He has distinguished himself as a national leader on pediatric emergency medicine and his leadership and insight on this important issue will benefit all pediatric patients greatly," said College of Medicine Dean Lawrence Chin, MD.
The committee addresses the unique needs of children and adolescents in the access to and delivery of pediatric emergency care.
The committee uses its resources “to foster national programs and policy designed to heighten professional and public knowledge of such issues as prehospital care of children, EMS, pediatric life support, hospital resources for the delivery of pediatric emergency care, including essential equipment supplies, staff and protocols,” according to the AAP.
The AAP, an organization of 67,000 pediatricians, issues guidance and policies on numerous nationally important issues related to pediatric care. Just this week, the AAP announced that it "strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school."
As a member of the Committee of Pediatric Emergency Medicine from 2010-2016, Conners was part of the process that provided guidance on pediatric observation units and stressed the importance of good communications between an urgent care center where a child was treated and the child’s “medical home.”
The committee’s decision-making process on policies and guidelines often involves discussion and input from various other organizations, such as groups representing emergency physicians, emergency department nurses and emergency medical services personnel, Conners noted.
Conners joined Upstate in March 2019, from Children’s Mercy Hospitals & Clinic, University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Medicine, where he served in a variety of roles, including associate chair of pediatrics and director of the Division of Emergency Medicine.
He earned his medical degree from Stony Brook School of Medicine.