PA AAP Chapter Awards
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2026 Pediatrician of the Year
Deborah Moss, MD, MPH, FAAP 
The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (PA AAP) is thrilled to announce that Deborah Moss, MD, MPH, FAAP has been named the 2026 Pediatrician of the Year. This prestigious award recognizes Dr. Moss’s three decades of unwavering commitment to clinical excellence, public health advocacy and leadership, and the mentorship of future pediatric leaders. As a clinician, Dr. Moss is described as an exceptional, dedicated and kind pediatrician who is very thoughtful in her approach with the patients and families she sees. Since completing her pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, she has continuously provided clinical care to children and families facing social inequities. Dr. Moss has built a regional and national reputation for her pioneering work in pediatric tobacco control. Her efforts transitioned clinical care by treating smoking in the home as a "vital sign" in medical records and training faculty and residents in motivational interviewing to help caregivers quit smoking. Her advocacy extends beyond the clinic into major policy shifts, including:
Dr. Moss’s career also encompasses transforming Medicaid and CHIP care. Her leadership as Medical Director for UPMC for You (Medicaid) and UPMC for Kids (CHIP) allowed her to bridge the gap between insurance payers and healthcare providers. She co-led a landmark demonstration project that examined the impact of payment reform on children with medically complex conditions. The success of this project led to national recognition, including two awards from the Medicaid Health Plans of America in 2015. In addition, her findings directly influenced state policy, leading to a Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) initiative that made community-based care coordinators a requirement statewide. As a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Dr. Moss has spent over 30 years teaching the next generation of physicians. She is known for her relational approach to professional growth, exemplified by her launch of the “General Academic Pediatrics dinner,” which connects faculty and residents to discuss child health issues in an informal setting. Her impact is also felt deeply in the community through her mentorship of residents, guiding them on research projects ranging from gun violence prevention to health literacy; community board service, serving as a trustee for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and board member for Amachi Pittsburgh, and Pennsylvania Partnership for Children; advocacy and leadership, contributing to important legislative issues such as pediatrician payment, food insecurity, immigration issues and more. Dr. Moss is also an active community volunteer, most recently serving as a volunteer tax preparer for low-income families through the Just Harvest program. In addition to AAP engagement and activities, Dr. Moss has been a long-standing active member of the PA AAP, serving on a variety of advisory boards, program activities, and committees, and ultimately served in Executive Board leadership roles. From 2014 through 2022, she served as the Chapter’s secretary/treasurer, vice president, president, and immediate past president. During this time, she helped found our DEI Committee and provided leadership on a wide variety of child health and practice-related issues. This award celebrates Dr. Moss’s unwavering dedication and commitment to caring for others – children, families, and communities – carving a unique path from patient care to policy change. |
2026 DEI Champion
Diana Montoya-Williams, MD, MSHP, FAAP 
The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (PA AAP) is excited to announce Diana Montoya-Williams, MD, MSHP, FAAP as the recipient of the 2026 DEI Champion Award. This prestigious award recognizes her career-long dedication to advancing child health equity through clinical practice, research, and advocacy. Dr. Montoya-Williams, a neonatologist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and an Assistant Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has emerged as a national leader in neonatal justice. As an immigrant herself, she brings unique personal experience and "moral clarity" to her mission of ameliorating inequities that disproportionately impact minoritized infants and their families. Her research focuses on the social and structural drivers of racial and ethnic inequities in perinatal outcomes, specifically investigating disparities in preterm birth, low birth weight, and infant mortality. Beyond identifying problems, Dr. Montoya-Williams actively works to solve them; she has pioneered anti-racist research methods, leading a landmark Delphi study to establish best practices for eliminating scientific racism from pediatric research. Her thought leadership was evidenced by her 2025 Grand Rounds presentation at CHOP regarding structural racism and COVID-19, which drew over 480 attendees—the highest attendance on record for the series. She does not shy away from asking or attempting to answer the big questions, even when that may be uncomfortable. She continues to work towards pushing the clinical research field toward making it more equitable, inclusive, and community-engaged. In addition, Dr. Montoya-Williams is a tireless advocate who bridges the gap between data and policy attempting to drive systemic policy changes. Her advocacy work spans local, state, and federal levels. She has testified before the Philadelphia City Council on maternal health disparities and has advised federal rule-makers on paid family leave and policies impacting immigrant families’ access to benefits. Dr. Montoya-Williams frequently travels to Harrisburg to advocate for children’s health and serves on the Maternal and Child Health Taskforce of the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania. In South Philadelphia, she volunteers at Puentes de Salud, a nonprofit organization that promotes the health and wellness of Philadelphia’s rapidly growing Latinx immigrant population, providing essential care and compassion to the immigrant community. Recognized as an "inspiring mentor," Dr. Montoya-Williams is dedicated to building an inclusive pediatric workforce. She serves as a faculty mentor for the Leadership Equity Advocacy and Policy (LEAP) track at CHOP, where she shapes the next generation of diverse pediatric leaders. Nationally, she served as the Advocacy & Policy Subcommittee Lead for the Neonatal Justice Collaborative, a group dedicated to advancing health equity and social justice in neonatology. In addition, she helped found a DEI publication series in NeoReviews to elevate the voices of diverse trainees and highlight injustices within neonatal intensive care units. Whether the setting is research, education, policy or patient care, Dr. Montoya-Williams holds her north star steady. Every child and family deserves to thrive in a system built on justice and belonging. She exemplifies what it means to be a DEI Champion. |
Past Recipients of the Pediatrician of the Year Award
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Past Recipients of the DEI Champion Award
- Maya Ragavan, MD, MPH, FAAP (2025)
- Lynne Williams, MD, PhD (2024)
- Elizabeth Miller, MD, PhD, FHASM, FAAP (2023)