President’s Letter from Deb Palazzi – Responding to Change: The Strength of PIDS in Challenging Times

“Strength isn’t about resisting the storm, but dancing within it. The future belongs to those who can evolve.” — modern adaptation of Charles Darwin’s concept of evolution.

These words feel especially relevant right now. We are living in trying times for medicine and science, with increasing pressures on the medical profession, challenges to evidence-based care, and growing skepticism toward public health and expertise. Pediatric infectious diseases has not been immune. Yet our field—and our Society—has repeatedly shown that adaptability, collaboration, and shared purpose allow us not only to endure change, but to shape it.

I want this message to be both a reflection and a call to action: a reminder of how PIDS responds as a Society, and how each of us, as individual members, plays a vital role in that response.

PIDS as a responsive and resilient Society
PIDS exists because children need advocates grounded in science, compassion, and credibility. When policy shifts threaten children’s health, when misinformation spreads, or when new pathogens and old inequities emerge, PIDS responds. Through coordinated advocacy with sister societies, timely position statements, and engagement with policymakers and the public, our collective voice is heard more clearly than any one of us could manage alone. This is what it means to “dance within the storm”—to remain steady in our values while adapting our strategies to meet the moment.

The power of individual members
The true strength of PIDS lies in its members. Each of you contributes to our ability to evolve by sharing expertise, mentoring trainees, advancing research, and supporting colleagues. Through committee work, online platforms and informal outreach, members help one another navigate complex clinical cases, institutional challenges, and career transitions. These everyday acts of engagement are how resilience is built—across a Society and within a profession under increasing strain.

Engaging, educating, and investing in the future
Evolving also means preparing the next generation. Programs such as SUMMERS and meetID, our educational toolkits, and the scholarly work published in JPIDS ensure that pediatric infectious diseases continues to evolve. By engaging trainees and early-career professionals, we are not only teaching today’s best practices—we are cultivating tomorrow’s leaders, advocates, and innovators who will respond to challenges we cannot yet foresee.

A new 5-year strategic plan: shaping what comes next
To remain responsive, PIDS must be both adaptive and intentional. Over the coming year, PIDS will be developing a new 5-year strategic plan to guide the Society through an increasingly complex and evolving landscape. This plan will focus on strengthening our scientific and educational mission, expanding advocacy and public engagement, supporting member well-being and professional development, and ensuring financial and organizational sustainability. Importantly, this will be a member-informed process. Your ideas, perspectives, and priorities will shape the roadmap for PIDS’s future.

How you can contribute
There are many ways to be part of PIDS’ response to change:

• Renew your PIDS membership and remain connected to this community.
• Participate in committees, task forces, and strategic planning efforts.
• Engage in advocacy and amplify evidence-based messages.
• Mentor students, residents, fellows, and junior colleagues.
• Support the PIDS Foundation, which fuels research fellowships and innovative projects.

Change is inevitable. What defines us is how we respond. PIDS has never been about being the loudest or the largest Society—it has been about being thoughtful, principled, and adaptable, always guided by science and a commitment to children’s health.

Thank you for being part of this Society, for standing together during challenging times, and for helping PIDS continue to respond—wisely and effectively—to whatever comes next.

Better together, always,
Deb