In today’s fast-paced and high-pressure healthcare landscape, pediatric providers are navigating an evolving set of challenges – clinical, legislative, and personal. But what if the key to thriving isn’t found in doing more, but in coming together, raising our voices, and slowing down with purpose?
The Sunday plenary sessions at The Future of Pediatric Practice 2025 are woven together by a powerful theme: a redefinition of what it means to lead, care, and sustain ourselves in pediatric medicine.
From population health trends to policy pressures and the burnout crisis, one message is clear: we are stronger and more effective when we act as a unified pediatric community. Whether advocating for change or reclaiming time to focus on your own well-being, intentional reflection is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.
The day begins with AAP President Dr. Sue Kressly, who will set the stage with “AAP Update: Strengthening Our Pediatric Family.” Through a lens of data and trends, including workforce shortages and persistent health disparities, Dr. Kressly underscores a central truth: our greatest strength lies in our collective voice. Pediatricians are not isolated providers, but members of a broader family with the power to challenge inequities, reshape narratives, and influence meaningful policy change. When we root our advocacy in data and tell the stories behind it, we generate momentum that can transform child health.
Understanding the issues, however, is just the beginning. In “FMA Legislative Update,” Dr. Lisa Cosgrove will guide attendees through Florida’s dynamic legislative landscape and share strategies employed by the Florida Medical Association to support physicians across the state. The policies being discussed today will directly impact how—and whether—we can provide care tomorrow. Equipped with this knowledge, pediatricians can move beyond reacting to change and instead become agents of it. Your clinical expertise isn’t just valuable in the exam room, it’s essential in the policy arena.
Despite the urgency surrounding advocacy and systemic challenges, another critical shift is required: recognizing that being constantly “busy” is not the same as being impactful. In “Busy Is a Four-Letter Word,” leadership expert Kishshana Palmer calls out the culture of overwork—what she calls “Martyritis.” It’s the mindset that glorifies doing it all, even at the cost of our own well-being. Her session is a call to unlearn the hustle mentality and embrace strategic simplification. Setting boundaries, saying “no,” and prioritizing rest aren’t weaknesses—they are tools of strong leadership.
Saying no is a choice rooted in clarity. Rest is not a reward—it’s a performance strategy. When pediatricians care for themselves, they preserve the capacity to care for others.
The future of pediatrics requires more than resilience; it calls for alignment. Alignment with our purpose, with each other, and with a sustainable way of practicing medicine. When we center our work around advocacy, intentional leadership, and wellness, we don’t just endure difficult times, we redefine what’s possible.
Meet the speakers:
Dr. Sue Kressly, MD, FAAP, 2025 President, American Academy of Pediatrics
Dr. Lisa Cosgrove, MD, FAAP, President, Florida Medical Association
Kishshana Palmer, CEO, ManageMint, Inc.
Don’t miss this dynamic trio of Sunday sessions, guaranteed to leave you informed, inspired, and equipped to lead with purpose. Be sure to include all of Sunday’s plenary sessions in your The Future of Pediatric Practice 2025 agenda.
Read more about the sessions, the speakers and register for FPP2025 here.
