SECTION ON HOSPITAL MEDICINE LEADERSHIP AND STAFF

Members Matthew Garber, MD, FAAP Paul D. Hain, MD, FAAP Brian K. Alverson, MD, FAAP Erin R. Stucky Fisher, MD, FAAP Daniel A. Rauch, MD, FAAP, Special Consultant/Committee on Hospital Care Gabrielle Zimbric Hester, MD, Liaison, Section on Medical Students, Residents, and Fellowship Trainees S. Niccole Alexander, MPP, Manager, Division of Hospital and Surgical Services Ruth Trailer, BGS, Coordinator, Division of Hospital and Surgical Services I recently returned from the Pediatric Hospital Medicine national meeting, which took place in New Orleans, August 1–4, 2013 (PHM 2013). The meeting, another record-breaker, left me with much energy, much to look forward to, and with many more memories of friends and colleagues to savor for yet another year. The numbers: 720+ attendees, 9 simultaneous tracks, expanded poster sessions with more than 200 posters, and a record number of presentations by hospitalists for hospitalists. It has been 10 years since that summer of 2003 when a group of forward-thinking pediatric hospitalists got together in San Antonio, Texas. Could they have imagined this growth? The meeting opened with a timely talk by Dr Jeffrey Weise, a local adult hospitalist and former president of the Society of Hospital Medicine, who delivered an inspirational and at times emotional speech about the role of physicians, hospitalists, and physician leaders during the time of Hurricane Katrina in the city. Dr Weise tied it all into how effective leadership can help a program survive such a devastating occurrence. This presentation was followed the next day by the keynote speech of Dr Virginia Moyer, current vice president of Quality for the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) and chair of the US Preventive Services Task Force, who spoke about the new focus on maintenance of certification at the ABP and the effect this may have on pediatricians and specifically hospitalists. Dr Moyer …