President's Message

Dear AACPDM Members,

Greetings! I am honored to serve as the President for the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy & Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) for 2022-2023. Over the past two years, the AACPDM demonstrated a great deal of strength and resilience with two very successful online meetings. I believe that this response from many of you was a strong reflection of your commitment to this Academy and the common vision that we share. I am consistently amazed at the collective efforts and energy of our members, particularly on the AACPDM Board of Directors, Committees, and Councils, as well as the engagement of our Special Interest Groups (AACPDM SIGs). I look forward to working alongside all of them this upcoming year.

We were excited to return back to our in-person meeting in 2022; it was wonderful to see so many of you again. I would like to acknowledge the efforts of many people who made the 2022 a success, in particular Drs. Ben Shore and Laurie Glader (Scientific Program Committee Co-Chairs), Erin Freimark, AACPDM Senior Meetings Manager, our meeting sponsors, and so many of you who submitted abstracts and led Preconference courses. Planning is underway for the next in-person meeting in Chicago, Illinois, on Sept. 10-13, 2023. The theme for the 77th AACPDM Annual meeting will be Winds of Hope. I am confident it will be an outstanding meeting, and I hope you can join us. In addition to our annual in-person meeting, the AACPDM is exploring an additional educational option, a separate online program, to leverage new opportunities created by the expanded use of online meeting platforms and ensure increased inclusivity in our educational offerings. Additional information will be shared in the near future.

If you have not had an opportunity to view the new AACPDM strategic plan, I encourage you to do so. The AACPDM vision is to advance the health and well-being of all individuals with cerebral palsy and childhood-onset disabilities. One of the greatest benefits of this academy is the opportunity to engage with a community of like-minded people with diverse disciplinary backgrounds, who all work towards this vision. Through global relationships and connectedness, we are empowered to stretch the boundaries of knowledge through research and implement evidence-based changes to clinical practice. I look forward to working with the Board of Directors and AACPDM Committees to operationalize the strategic plan this year. 

I would like to express gratitude to our Executive Director, Tamara Wagester, and the hardworking AACPDM staff, who work diligently behind the scenes to support the many different activities of this organization. Over this next year, members will receive important newsletter and email updates about AACPDM undertakings and initiatives as we further focus on efforts to realize our strategic plan. It is an honor to take on the role of President of the AACPDM this year. I will do my best to serve this Academy that has already given me so much in return.

Lesley Pritchard, PT, PhD
AACPDM President, 2022-23 

Please visit the AACPDM Newsletter page to view past Presidential messages.