Moira Szilagyi

Moira Szilagyi, MD, PhD, FAAP, began her one-year term as President of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on Jan. 1, 2021.
Dr. Szilagyi is a primary care pediatrician, educator, and Professor of Pediatrics at UCLA (since 2014) where she is Division Chief of Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrics and Peter Shapiro Term Chair for the Promotion of Child Developmental and Behavioral Health. She completed her MD, PhD, and pediatric residency at the University of Rochester. During her 30 years in Rochester, she developed a community-based, integrated-care medical home for children in foster care, worked in a suburban private practice, precepted residents in continuity clinic, created and led a regional child abuse program, conducted research highlighting vulnerable children, and mentored trainees.
Dr. Szilagyi has worked closely with the AAP for 3 decades. In the 1990s, she led a multi-disciplinary team at AAP-District-II NYS that developed the first health care standards for children in foster care- Fostering Health (now the national standards). She has served in leadership roles on the Committee on Early Childhood, Task Force on Foster Care, and Council on Foster Care, Adoption and Kinship Care. She has authored several AAP policy statements, clinical and technical reports and speaks widely about child welfare, vulnerable children, and childhood trauma and resilience.
A dedicated advocate, Dr. Szilagyi works closely with the AAP’s Washington Office on legislation related to equity, diversity and the care of vulnerable children. She collaborates with mental health and child welfare to integrate evidence-based interventions into pediatric care. She recently led a federally funded, multi-site project with the AAP and University of Massachusetts Medical School to educate pediatricians about trauma- and resilience-informed care and relational health.