Robert W. Block, MD, FAAP, addresses the American Academy of Pediatrics

On Monday, Oct. 17, Robert W. Block, MD, FAAP, will begin his new term as the 2011-2012 president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) with an address at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. His inauguration will take place during the annual business luncheon at 12:30 p.m.

During his AAP presidency, Dr. Block will focus on these issues:

• For children: Health equity, health education and literacy, immunizations and early brain and child development.
• For pediatricians: Advocacy for appropriate payment, support for pediatric practices and continuing education.
• For the AAP: Promoting the value of membership and members' value to AAP at both chapter and national AAP levels.

"All adults once were children, and who we are as adults is in many ways affected by our childhood experiences, environments, and relationships," Dr. Block said.

"To succeed as a nation, we must invest in early childhood health, mental health, education, nutrition, and social stability," Dr. Block said. "Pediatricians can be leaders to help others learn about the return on investment value of efforts to improve early childhood."

Dr. Block is a professor of pediatrics and immediate past chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine in Tulsa. He is also the immediate past president and current board chair of the Academy on Violence and Abuse (AVA), a new organization focused on increasing education and academic research on the health effects of violence and abuse. He has been a member of the O.U. College of Medicine faculty since 1975.

Since 1989, Dr. Block has served as Oklahoma's first appointed Chief Child Abuse Examiner, a position he held until October 2011. He also served as past chair and a member of the Oklahoma Child Death Review Board from 1992 to September 2011. He has been a member of the Tulsa Children's Justice Center medical team, and was past president and member of the board of directors for the Child Abuse Network, Inc., where he is currently an emeritus director. Dr. Block has delivered over 2,000 presentations and has authored several papers and a textbook.

Dr. Block received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and completed his pediatric residency at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He has won the Aesculapian teaching award three times, and has been awarded the prestigious Stanton L. Young Master Teacher Award, a University of Oklahoma Presidential Professorship, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education "Courage to Teach" Award, the Ray Helfer Society Award in recognition of his work in child abuse, and the award for Outstanding Service to Maltreated Children by the AAP.

Dr. Block has been married to Sharon Block, a retired science teacher and registered nurse, for 42 years. They have two daughters, Erika and Andrea, and two grandchildren.

Provided by American Academy of Pediatrics