President’s Bulletin – June 2026
Dear colleagues,
As we approach summer, and hopefully some extremely well-earned time off and relaxing vacations for all of our SDBP members, I thought it would be a good time to send around an update on our SDBP efforts since my last Bulletin in December.
REACH Announcement:
Since I became SDBP President back in September, I have been contacted by numerous members concerned that we need to do more to provide continuing medical education in DBP for pediatric primary care professionals as a component of our efforts to address workforce issues. The SDBP already collaborates with the AAP on our biennial “Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Course,” which in the past was designed as a board review course for graduating DBP fellows, but it is currently designed as “An Intensive Clinical Update for Primary and Subspecialty Care” (the next of which will occur in Kansas City from November 11-15, 2026). In addition to this course, I am now happy to announce that the SDBP has initiated a new collaboration with the REACH Institute to provide DBP education to pediatric primary care professionals. Our first collaboration with REACH is on a course entitled “Autism Essentials: Identify, Evaluate, Support - this course is scheduled for November 2026 and has just been announced: REACH Institute: Autism Essentials Course. Kudos and thanks to SDBP members Bryn Salter, MD (Duke University), Elizabeth Barnhardt, DO, MA(Ed) (Ohio St/Nationwide Children’s) and Kathleen Kastner, MD (University of Wisconsin), who assisted in developing this course and will serve as core faculty!
Communications Update:
1. Communications Strategy
SDBP has made exciting progress in 2026 as we continue investing in stronger communications, greater visibility, and deeper member engagement. This year, we've refreshed our email marketing, enhanced member messaging, updated key branding and website features, expanded media outreach, and strengthened our social media presence. These efforts have helped increase audience reach, engagement, and website traffic while creating a more connected and engaging experience for our members.
As we build on this momentum, we encourage members to like, share, and engage with SDBP emails and social media posts to help amplify our message and extend our reach. Looking ahead, we're excited to launch a new newsletter and continue enhancing our website to better serve our members and community. Together, these efforts help strengthen our industry and the communities we serve, and we encourage you to stay engaged as we continue building on this progress.
2. Just the Facts
Announced last year, and building on SDBP’s communications efforts, the SDBP’s “Just the Facts” (fact sheets designed to support education, advocacy, and systems‑level conversations) is now live! We thank those on the committee who collaborated and reviewed all content! SDBP’s Just the Facts resources provide brief talking points on issues impacting children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, their families, and the clinicians who serve them. These and may be shared broadly by SDBP members and partners and are available on the SDBP website (https://sdbp.org/facts/).
3. SDBP Position Statements
Another SDBP communication effort is our SDBP Position Statements. SDBP issues timely evidence-based statements to guide clinical practice, advocate for specialized pediatric workforces, and inform public policy on child health. Since September 2025, we have issued three Position Statements (available at https://sdbp.org/sdbp-statements/), the most recent of which was the “SDBP Statement on the Proposed FY27 Federal Budget.” Kudos and thanks to our SDBP Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs, Marisa Toomey, MD (University of Kentucky/Goliasano Children’s) and Rebecca Lieb, PhD, ABPP (Johns Hopkins/Kennedy-Krieger) for co-authoring this Position Statement.
4. Thank You and Best of Luck to Alyssa:
Alyssa Hobbs, SDBP's Association Manager, took on the additional role of Communications Manager in September 2026, and she has led the transformation of our communications efforts. Unfortunately for us, Alyssa has decided to leave her position at SDBP. Please join me in thanking Alyssa for everything she has done for the SDBP and wishing her luck in all of her future endeavors.
ABP Changes to Fellowship Training:
In April, the American Board of Pediatrics announced changes to fellowship training. The new ABP model includes two pathways: 1) a clinically oriented pathway, in which fellows who demonstrate readiness for practice complete training in 2 years, and 2) an optional third year may be offered, at the discretion of the program, for scholarship, research, or advanced training. Kudos and thank you to Jill Fussell, MD (University of Arkansas) for representing the SDBP on the ABP’s Competency-Based Subspecialty Training Task Force. Also, thank you to our SDBP Fellowship Director’s Section Co-Chairs, Ami Bax, MD (University of Oklahoma) and Audrey Christiansen, MD (Boston University) for keeping us informed about these changes. The ABP has stated that this model is expected to apply across subspecialties and will be coordinated with the ACGME, with the earliest implementation anticipated for fellows entering training in July 2028. As this represents a substantive change in fellowship training, the ABP is encouraging those interested to complete a survey designed to capture your input about implementation and where the ABP needs to focus their attention, support, and partnership with the community to ensure this future model’s success. This survey is available at: Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
SDBP Grand Rounds:
As previously promised, as a members-only benefit, SDBP Grand Rounds is now providing our members free CME credit! Please remember that members can view our Grand Rounds presentations at any time (available at https://sdbp.org/sdbp-grand-rounds/), but only those who view the Grand Rounds presentations live can receive CME credit. Our most recent Grand Rounds in April was “Talking to Children About War, Humanitarian Crisis, and Violence in the Media" with David Schonfeld, MD, and our upcoming June Grand Rounds is "Early Recognition and Enablement Counseling about Cerebral Palsy: Promoting Functioning and Supports" with Michael Msall, MD. We will be focusing our July Grand Rounds on our trainees and recent graduates with a panel discussion on “Everything You Need to Know about Transitioning from Fellowship to Practice.”
SDBP Annual Meeting:
Just reminding everyone that our 2026 SDBP Annual Meeting in New Orleans in October will have different dates than we have traditionally had for our meeting, as it will start on Friday (October 23), not Thursday, and run through Tuesday morning (October 27). We have received a record number of submissions for this year’s meeting, and pre-conference sessions will include Half Day Workshops, Teaching DBP Workshop, and Clinical Symposia. Kudos and thank you to our Program Committee Co-Chairs, Sarah Nyp, MD (Children’s Mercy Kansas City) and Julie Pajek, PhD (MetroHealth Medical Center) for their tireless work in putting our meeting together, and to all of our SDBP members who have contributed to creating and reviewing submissions.
Leonard A. Rappaport Lectureship:
I am pleased to announce that thanks to generous support from the Wade Family Foundation and the Marcus Family Foundation, the 2026 SDBP Annual Meeting will include the inaugural Leonard A. Rappaport, MD Lectureship. This annual Lectureship has been created to honor the legacy and contributions of Dr. Leonard A. Rappaport, a visionary in the field of DBP.
As we all look forward to our summer vacations with family and friends, I would again like to thank all leaders and members of our Committees, SIGs, and Sections for their continued work on our Strategic Plan Initiatives. I would also again like to give special thanks to Janice Wilkins, Daglyn Carr, and Abbie Kleban of Degnon Associates. I hope that all our members realize how our Society benefits so much from their superb professional management!!
Have fun this summer!!
Bob Voigt, MD
President, SDBP
