FAAP stands for Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and it appears after a physician’s name to signal that they are a board-certified pediatrician who holds active membership in the AAP, the largest professional organization for pediatricians in the United States. The title is not a separate medical degree or an advanced subspecialty credential. It is a professional designation indicating that a doctor has met the AAP’s eligibility requirements and chosen to join the organization. Understanding what sits behind those four letters helps when you are choosing a doctor for your child or simply trying to decode the alphabet soup that follows a physician’s name on a clinic website.
How a Doctor Earns the FAAP Designation
To use the letters FAAP, a physician must satisfy several requirements that layer on top of one another. First, the doctor must hold a valid medical degree, either an MD (Doctor of Medicine) or a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine). Second, they must have completed an accredited pediatric residency program, which typically spans three years of supervised clinical training focused on the health of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. Third, and critically, they must be certified by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) or, for osteopathic physicians, by the American Osteopathic Board of Pediatrics. Board certification involves passing a rigorous examination that tests clinical knowledge across the full scope of pediatric medicine. Finally, the physician applies for and is granted fellowship status by the AAP itself.
Pediatric subspecialists can also carry the FAAP title. A pediatric cardiologist, a pediatric endocrinologist, or a pediatric surgeon who is board-certified in their subspecialty and meets AAP membership criteria may list FAAP alongside their other credentials. The AAP has recognized the importance of subspecialty representation since at least 1948, when it established its Section on Surgery, and has continued expanding to include surgical and procedural disciplines so that children’s operative, anesthetic, radiologic, and dental needs are represented in the organization’s policy and advocacy work.
1Pediatrics. Pediatric Surgical and Procedural Specialists and the AAPThe Relationship Between Board Certification and FAAP
Board certification and FAAP membership are related but distinct. Board certification is issued by the American Board of Pediatrics after a physician passes a standardized exam. FAAP is a membership designation from the AAP. You can be board-certified without being a Fellow of the AAP, and in that case you would not use the FAAP title. However, you cannot be a FAAP without first being board-certified, because board certification is a prerequisite for fellowship in the organization.
Board certification itself has become increasingly important in the hospital credentialing landscape. A study comparing hospital policies in 2005 and 2010 found that the proportion of hospitals requiring board certification for general pediatricians rose from about two-thirds to four in five, and for pediatric subspecialists it climbed from roughly 71% to 86%.2PubMed. Changes in hospitals’ credentialing requirements for board certification from 2005 to 2010 That trend has only continued. For practical purposes, this means that most pediatricians practicing in hospital settings today hold active board certification, which in turn means they are eligible for FAAP status if they choose to apply.
The distinction matters because FAAP signals something beyond clinical competence. It tells you the physician has opted into a professional community that produces clinical guidelines, advocates for children’s health policy, and sets ethical standards for pediatric practice. Board certification tells you a doctor passed the exam. FAAP tells you they also participate in the broader professional infrastructure of pediatric medicine.
What the AAP Actually Does
The American Academy of Pediatrics was founded in 1930 and has grown into an organization with tens of thousands of members.1Pediatrics. Pediatric Surgical and Procedural Specialists and the AAP Its influence on how children receive medical care in the United States is substantial, and understanding the organization helps explain why the FAAP designation carries weight.
One of the AAP’s most visible functions is producing clinical practice guidelines. These are evidence-based documents that tell pediatricians how to approach common conditions, from routine screenings to the management of complex diseases. The process for creating these guidelines is structured: researchers assess the quality of available evidence for a proposed recommendation, weigh the expected benefits against potential harms, and then assign a strength rating to the final recommendation.3Pediatrics. Classifying Recommendations for Clinical Practice Guidelines The guidelines that come out of this process shape how pediatricians across the country practice medicine day to day.
A concrete example is the AAP’s 2023 Clinical Practice Guideline on pediatric obesity, which organizes its recommendations into key action statements covering screening, diagnosis, evaluation, comorbidity assessment, and evidence-based treatment options.4PubMed. Overview of the Treatment of Pediatric Obesity and the 2023 Clinical Practice Guidelines When your child’s pediatrician follows a particular screening protocol or recommends a specific intervention approach, there is a good chance the underlying framework came from an AAP guideline. A FAAP physician is embedded in the organization that creates these standards, which at minimum means they have direct access to the latest evidence-based recommendations and the continuing education resources that accompany them.
Beyond clinical guidelines, the AAP engages in legislative advocacy on issues like vaccine policy, firearm safety, child abuse prevention, mental health access, and insurance coverage for pediatric care. It also publishes the journal Pediatrics, one of the most widely cited peer-reviewed journals in the field. FAAP members contribute to and benefit from this ecosystem.
Keeping the Title Over Time
FAAP is not a one-time credential that lasts forever without effort. Maintaining the designation requires keeping both AAP membership and board certification in good standing. Board certification itself now comes with a process called Maintenance of Certification (MOC), administered by the American Board of Pediatrics. MOC requires physicians to engage in continuing medical education, pass periodic examinations, and participate in quality improvement activities.
The quality improvement component is worth noting because it connects the FAAP designation to ongoing practice improvement rather than just knowledge testing. A study of pediatricians enrolled in MOC found that about half cited the board certification requirement itself as their primary motivation for participating in quality improvement, while roughly 40% said they were driven by the desire to identify gaps in their practice and implement meaningful changes.5Pediatrics. Pediatricians’ Participation in Quality Improvement at the Time of Enrollment in MOC About 37% pointed to the opportunity to collaborate with other physicians. Whatever the mix of motivations, the result is that board-certified pediatricians are regularly cycling through structured efforts to examine and improve the care they deliver. A FAAP physician, by definition, is participating in this cycle.
If a physician lets their board certification lapse or fails to complete MOC requirements, they lose their eligibility for FAAP fellowship. The same happens if they stop paying AAP membership dues. So when you see FAAP after a doctor’s name on a current practice listing, it signals that they are keeping up with both the financial and professional obligations of active membership.
Does Seeing FAAP Mean You Are Getting a Better Doctor?
This is the question most parents are really asking, and the honest answer is that FAAP is a reliable quality floor rather than a guarantee of excellence. The designation tells you that a physician has completed all required training, passed a comprehensive board exam, maintains continuing education, and participates in a professional organization that sets high standards for pediatric care. That is a meaningful set of assurances. A physician who cannot meet those criteria cannot use the title.
What FAAP does not tell you is how skilled a particular doctor is at diagnosing tricky cases, how good their bedside manner is, or how well their office runs. Two FAAP physicians can have very different practice styles, communication approaches, and areas of strength. The credential screens for baseline competence and professional engagement, not for the softer qualities that often matter most to families.
It is also worth understanding that many excellent pediatricians hold board certification without choosing to join the AAP. A board-certified pediatrician who is not an AAP Fellow may be just as skilled, just as up-to-date, and just as committed to quality care. They simply have not joined the professional organization. The absence of FAAP does not mean a pediatrician is less qualified. It means they have not opted into that particular membership.
That said, in a situation where you know nothing else about a physician, FAAP is a useful signal. It confirms training, certification, and professional affiliation in a single designation, which is more than you can verify about many other healthcare providers at a glance.
FAAP Compared to Other Letters After a Pediatrician’s Name
Physician credentials can be confusing, and FAAP is just one of several designations you might encounter. Here is how the most common ones differ:
- MD or DO: The medical degree itself. MD indicates a Doctor of Medicine; DO indicates a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. Both are fully licensed physicians. This tells you the person went to medical school and earned a doctoral-level medical degree.
- FAAP: Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Indicates board certification in pediatrics plus active AAP membership.
- DABP: Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics. This specifically refers to board certification and is sometimes used instead of or alongside FAAP. A physician who is DABP is board-certified; a physician who is FAAP is both board-certified and an AAP member.
- FACS or FAANS: Fellowship designations in surgical or neurosurgical organizations, respectively. If a pediatric surgeon lists FACS alongside FAAP, it means they hold fellowship in both the American College of Surgeons and the AAP.
You will sometimes see a long string like “Jane Smith, MD, FAAP” or “John Doe, DO, FAAP, DABP.” Each abbreviation represents a different credential or membership. The MD or DO always comes first because it is the foundational degree. FAAP and other fellowship designations follow. When multiple organizations are represented, the physician is signaling broad professional engagement across their field.
Ethical Standards That Come With AAP Membership
AAP fellowship is not just about clinical competence. The organization also sets ethical standards that its members are expected to follow. One area where this becomes visible is expert witness testimony. Pediatricians are sometimes asked to serve as expert witnesses in legal cases involving child health, and the AAP has published detailed guidance on how its members should handle these situations.
The AAP’s position is that compensation for expert testimony should be commensurate with the physician’s expertise and the time required for preparation, not inflated for profit. The organization considers it unethical to charge unreasonable rates, exaggerate preparation time, or accept compensation that depends on the outcome of a case.6Pediatrics. Expert Witness Participation in Civil and Criminal Proceedings These guidelines exist because expert testimony can be lucrative, and the AAP wants to ensure that financial incentives do not compromise the integrity of medical opinions offered in court.
This is one example of how AAP membership extends beyond clinical practice into professional conduct more broadly. When a physician carries the FAAP designation, they are signaling alignment with the organization’s ethical framework, which covers not just how they treat patients but how they represent pediatric medicine in public and legal settings.
When You Might Not See FAAP
Several situations can explain why a pediatrician does not list FAAP after their name, and not all of them should concern you. Some pediatricians choose not to join the AAP for personal or philosophical reasons while maintaining excellent clinical practices and active board certification. International medical graduates who trained outside the United States may be fully licensed and practicing here but may not yet have completed the AAP fellowship process. Early-career pediatricians who recently finished residency may still be in the process of applying for AAP fellowship or waiting for their board certification results, which can take months after the exam.
Physicians in academic medicine sometimes use different credential strings that emphasize their research roles or university appointments rather than organizational memberships. A professor of pediatrics at a major teaching hospital might list their academic title rather than FAAP, even though they hold the fellowship. The credential ecosystem in medicine is complex enough that the letters a physician chooses to display often reflect personal preference and context rather than a complete inventory of their qualifications.
The more meaningful red flag is not the absence of FAAP but the absence of board certification entirely. If a physician who has been practicing for several years is not board-certified, that is worth asking about, since the overwhelming majority of hospitals now require it for credentialing. FAAP is an additional layer on top of that baseline, and while it carries real value as a signal of professional engagement, it is the underlying board certification that serves as the critical marker of verified clinical competence.
Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and the FAAP Question
A related point of confusion for parents is whether non-physician providers in a pediatric practice carry similar credentials. Pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) and physician assistants (PAs) often deliver primary care to children, and they have their own certification pathways. A PNP might hold a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner credential, which is issued by a nursing certification body rather than the American Board of Pediatrics. These providers do not use FAAP because the designation is specific to physicians who are AAP Fellows.
This does not mean non-physician providers deliver inferior care for routine pediatric visits. Research consistently shows that nurse practitioners and physician assistants handle well-child visits, common illnesses, and preventive care effectively. But if the FAAP designation is specifically important to you when choosing a provider, confirm that the person you are seeing holds it, because in a large pediatric practice, you may be scheduled with a variety of provider types. The front desk or the practice’s website should clarify who carries which credentials.
In some group practices, you will see FAAP listed next to certain providers and not others. That difference usually reflects the distinction between physicians and advanced practice providers rather than any quality gap within the physician group. If every physician in a practice is listed as FAAP, it means the entire physician team is board-certified and AAP-affiliated, which is a reasonable baseline to expect from a dedicated pediatric group.