Professional networking and collaboration are core elements of value within the AAPP membership. We are investing in expanding the opportunity for both by encouraging the growth of AAPP Communities. Communities provide a basic infrastructure to facilitate email discussions, online resource sharing, and a convenient venue to interact with others in your niche practice setting or around a common area of professional interest.

Unlike a committee that exists to serve the broader AAPP membership through their activities, a community exists to support those who participate in it. Communities have no charges or directives from AAPP. Communities have no budgets other than a conference call budget to support up to 1 conference call per month. Communities also have no authority to speak on behalf of the organization. The AAPP Board of Directors welcomes feedback, ideas and proposals from any member or group of members, but that is not the primary purpose of the communities. The communities exist simply to help you connect with your peers.

Community members will be expected to abide by the email list policy, which includes the need to respect copyright.

What resources will be provided to a community?

Communities are entirely member-operated. There are no staff liaisons, no charges, and no authority to speak on behalf of the larger organization. To facilitate the most effective networking and collaboration possible, AAPP will provide each community with the following resources:

  1. Shared Resources: Members can easily share resources online within each community.
  2. An email list: Each community will have its own dedicated email list.
  3. Conference calls: The community leaders can schedule periodic conference calls through the AAPP office.

Who can view community resources?

All community resources, including the email list archives, will be made available to the entire membership. Members will be able to peruse community resources and archives before joining a community. Thus, while only a small portion of the membership will actively participate in a specific community, the entire membership can benefit from its discussions and collaborations.

Who can join a community?

Any AAPP member can join a community. Any AAPP member can browse community resources without joining the community, but joining the community can offer additional benefits in terms of contributing to discussions or receiving notifications of new resources.

Note: It is possible that at some point some  communities may become moderated in terms of their membership (i.e., perhaps residency directors will form a community), but that will only be allowed when the criteria is entirely objective and verifiable.

How can I form a new community?

An online form allowing members to propose a community is provided. Once completed, the proposal is presented to the AAPP Board of Directors for discussion and a final decision.

Can communities have conference calls?

The communities are not necessarily structured around monthly conference calls like committees are. In fact, regular monthly calls are discouraged, given the infrastructure offered to facilitate email discussions and online resource sharing. However, communities can arrange conference calls by contacting office@aapp.org. Any calls must be left open to the entire community.

Do communities have any formal structure?

Very little. Two members in each community will be identified as “community leaders.” They will have the authority to schedule conference calls and to work directly with staff on any issues that might arise. Community leaders can be appointed for 2-year terms, although there is currently no term limit given the anticipated lower level of required effort by the volunteers.

Will communities exist forever?

The Board of Directors has the authority to close a community that has become inactive or that has established a pattern of behavior that violates AAPP’s email list policy (e.g., copyright infringement).

Can communities meet at the Annual Meeting?

AAPP continues to support Community Gatherings at the Annual Meeting. Space is made available for communities to meet during the specified time slot(s) at the Annual Meeting and AAPP will do its best to accommodate anticipated attendance. Space can’t always be guaranteed since the Annual Meeting site changes annually and activities change frequently at meetings.

Can communities propose programming for the Annual Meeting?

Like any AAPP member or Annual Meeting attendee, communities can submit programming recommendations via the online forms heavily advertised at and immediately after the Annual Meeting. If a community wishes to make a more formal proposal, a community leader can contact the AAPP office at info@aapp.org to discuss the process more in depth. Note that hundreds of programming proposals are offered annually such that it is impossible to include all recommendations. Numerous factors impact final programming selection and no programming slots are set-aside or guaranteed for specific entities or groups.