USA Chapter Receives 2018 Pediatric Interest Group of the Year Award

From left, fourth-year medical students Perrin Windham, Natalie Carlisle and Lydia Sandy accepted the award on behalf of the USA Pediatric Interest Group. 

The University of South Alabama Pediatric Interest Group, a student-run organization, recently received the Pediatric Interest Group of the Year Award, given by the Medical Student Committee of the Section on Pediatric Trainees (SOPT) of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Fourth-year medical students Natalie Carlisle, co-president; Lydia Sandy, co-president; and Perrin Windham, co-vice president, attended the AAP National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Fla., to accept the award for their group. In addition to the award, the students received scholarships to cover travel expenses.

"We applied for this award in June 2018 and were notified that our group was the recipient in September," Carlisle said. "This award is open to all pediatric interest groups across the country, and we were told that there were 11 applications this cycle."

Carlisle, Sandy and Windham received the award during the medical student session of the conference, where they also had the opportunity to present a PowerPoint about USA's Pediatric Interest Group.

"It was great to be able to highlight the work that our organization has been able to complete in the past year and what we are able to do for children and their families in our community," Carlisle said.

Dr. Molly Markowitz, executive coordinator of medical student initiatives at the American Academy of Pediatrics, wrote in their award letter: "Among the many applications received this year, your chapter stood out as one that not only proves what a chapter can do, but also sets the standard high for what is achievable as an interest group."

Visit www.aapexperience.org for more information on the AAP National Conference and Exhibition.