Nominating Committee nominees
2025 Nominees
AACPDM 2026 Nominating Committee
Nominating Committee: Andrea Bushaw, PhD, RN, CPNP
Andrea Bushaw, PhD, RN, CPNP is the Director of Clinical Transformation and co-leader of the Cerebral Palsy Institute at Gillette Children’s. She is a pediatric nurse practitioner and received her PhD in Nursing Science from Vanderbilt University. Through her dyad leadership of Gillette’s Cerebral Palsy Institute, she is designing and executing the strategy for cerebral palsy research, care delivery, knowledge translation, and advocacy at Gillette Children’s.
Dr. Bushaw’s work focuses on promoting clinical excellence by building a culture of evidence-based practice within a learning health system. She leads a multidisciplinary team that aims to narrow the research to practice gap and strategically implements clinical practice innovations for children and adults with cerebral palsy. She oversees the translation, implementation, analysis, and dissemination of both existing evidence and new knowledge into clinical practice.
Dr. Bushaw is an investigator for Gillette’s Health Services Research Program with interests that include using a learning health system model to implement and evaluate cerebral palsy care coordination; clinician wellness; and implementation science. Dr. Bushaw is also an adjunct faculty in the School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota.
Nominating Committee: Steven M. Lazar, MD, MEd
Steven M. Lazar, MD, MEd is an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Neurology and Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH). He is a practicing Neurodevelopmental Disabilities specialist with a clinical emphasis on fetal and neonatal neurology, longitudinal neurodevelopmental follow-up, and early cerebral palsy diagnosis. He obtained his medical degree from the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University and then completed his combined training in General Pediatrics, Pediatric Neurology, and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities at Baylor College of Medicine. He concurrently obtained a Master of Education in Health Professions Education at the University of Houston.
He is currently an associate program director of the Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Residency at Baylor College of Medicine and Medical Director of Texas Children's Desmond Fetal-Neonatal Neurodevelopmental Follow-up Program. His academic and personal passions are related to medical education and the use of curriculum and instructional design to better understand how to advance the training of health professional learners in the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for the care of individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities. To further this passion, he currently holds the role of Deputy Director for Educational Scholarship for the Center for Research, Innovation, and Scholarship at Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Lazar has been an active member of and presenter to the AACPDM since starting his fellowship in 2020, and he currently serves as the 2025 Chair of the Education Committee of the AACPDM coordinating initiatives including the annual spring symposia, e-courses, and general educational initiatives of the Academy.
Nominating Committee: Sruthi Thomas, MD, PhD
Sruthi Thomas, MD, PhD is a dedicated pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation physician committed to helping children with complex medical needs achieve their fullest potential. At the heart of their clinical philosophy is a personalized, evidence-based approach that emphasizes open communication among patients, families, and multidisciplinary care teams. Dr. Thomas serves as a primary attending physician on the inpatient rehabilitation unit at Texas Children’s Hospital, where they provide comprehensive care to children with a wide range of functional challenges.
As a physician scientist, Dr. Thomas is passionate about translating clinical insights into meaningful research. Their current NIH-funded clinical trial investigates the impact of intrathecal baclofen (ITB) on dystonia in children with cerebral palsy, with a broader research focus on tone management strategies in CP.
Dr. Thomas has been an active leader within the AACPDM, serving as Chair of the Communications Committee, a Board Member at Large (2021–2024), and a Scientific Co-Chair for the 2024 Annual Meeting in Quebec City. She currently represents AACPDM as the IAACD Communications Chair and serves on the Care Pathways Committee while leading the Communications Advisory Panel.