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In this Issue:
- Governor's Message
- Update from our Medical Student Subcommittee
- Report from our Membership Committee
- Follow Us On Social Media
Rebecca B. Hemphill, MD, FACP, ACP Governor
Governor's Message
Fall is quickly passing by once again. It is one of my favorite seasons, when we can enjoy the bounties of our gardens and enjoy the changing foliage and the incredible beauty of our state.
It has been a whirlwind of amazing ACP events in the last month. Our Chapter meeting was a tremendous success, expertly organized, once again, by our Education Committee, Doug Couper, Laura Trask and Rick LeMay. The weather couldn't have been better for us to once again enjoy the excellent educational content and the collegiality of being together in a beautiful setting. This year's theme was Geriatrics, and our geriatric colleagues expertly wove a patient, Alma, through several of their talks. The opportunity to partner with Maine Dirigo Geriatric Society as well as the Maine Chapter of the Society of Hospital Medicine for this meeting was something new for us, and we look forward to future opportunities to be creative in this way. We were honored to have Dr. George Abraham, MD, FACP one of the current Regents for the college, present. The weather was outstanding, so most everyone was able to participate in their own Wellness activities with friends and families in Bar Harbor on Saturday afternoon.
The Chapter Update that I presented at the meeting gave me a wonderful sense of all that our chapter is accomplishing – with ongoing planning for our second Engel event, programming for medical students and residents and new ideas for Wellness activities. We held a too-brief Women in Medicine breakfast – the turnout was good and it is obvious that there is enthusiasm for holding future events. Our Chapter is also developing a Volunteer opportunity for members at the Portland Free Clinic, led by Sean Lena, DO.
I do want to update you on the amazing presentations and discussions that I attended at the Board of Governors meeting in Tucson. ACP is taking the lead in developing a vision for the future of healthcare, and as we move into the 2020 political season, the material that ACP will be providing will be critical in guiding discussions and helping all of us get better educated on where we need to go as a nation to support the provision of healthcare for all, which has been the ACPs policy for many years. At the BOG meeting, we heard an excellent panel discussion given by Stephanie Woolhandler, MD, internist and political health policy advisor and W. Alan Harman, AMA Chair of the Council of Medical Services on Medicare for All. ACP provided some interesting workshops for governors, including one on social media (have you “liked” our new MaineACP Facebook page yet?).
Our Chapter's accomplishment as a Gold Level Chapter Excellence Award winner was also recognized at the Governor's Luncheon.
Congratulations again to our two new Masters – Dr. Steve Hayes and Dr. Bill Medd. If you are attending the National Meeting April 23-25, 2020 in Los Angeles, please plan to attend the Convocation on Thursday, April 23 to celebrate their accomplishments.
Membership continues to be core to this organization. We value all of you, and encourage you to speak with your colleagues and encourage them to join ACP, if they are not currently members.
It is hard to believe that I am almost 2 years into my term as governor. I continue to be amazed at the impact that ACP has for Internal Medicine, for Healthcare and most importantly for our patients. Being a part of ACP and helping to lead our Maine Chapter continues to be one of the most rewarding parts of my career to date.
Poster presentations by faculty, Eliza Bullis, MD and Richard Kahn, MD MACP
Poster presentation winner Eric Ray, MD, PGY3 with Elizabeth Eisenhardt, MD FACP
UNE Student Cindy Chu and Rebecca Hemphill, MD FACP
Our outstanding resident presenters, Erin Byrt, MD (winner), Kirstie Menard, DO, Avery Osella, MD, & Katherine Sharp, MD
Heidi Wierman, MD FACP presenting on Driving in Older Adults.
Maine Chapter Governor, Rebecca Hemphill, MD FACP receiving our Gold Chapter Excellence Award from George Abraham, MD, MPH, FACP.
Update from our Medical Student Subcommittee
By Hannah Martin (MS 3.5 Tufts) and Cindy Chu (MS2 UNE)
This year, the medical student's section of the ACP Maine Chapter has had high involvement from both Tufts-Maine Track students and UNE students. At the Chapter meeting, we hosted 12 medical students, including 5 students presenting posters. This is increased from previous years, particularly in the number of poster presentations.
We also recently held our first event on October 22nd, featuring an evening of networking and panel discussion on “Varied Careers in Internal Medicine,” where we discussed the specialties and subspecialties of internal medicine, rural vs. urban practice, community involvement, and advice for the road to residency and fellowship. We had the opportunity to learn from life stories and experiences of seven physicians, kindly hosted at the home of Dr. Hemphill. There was enthusiastic attendance and participation from first, second, and third year students at both Tufts and UNE. We are looking forward to planning additional events in the spring, including the Morning Report session, which will be held in November! Several of us will be attending the MMA Gala, and we look forward to connecting with more students and residents there, as well as further spreading the word to join the ACP Maine student chapter!
Panelists Betsy Johnson, MD FACP, Brian Nolan, MD FACP, Heidi Weirman, MD FACP, Tom Gearan, MD FACP and Kinna Thakarar, DO MPH. Not in picture, Jodie Hermann, DO FACP
Report from our Membership Committee
By Frank Green, DO FACP and Brian Nolan, MD FACP
Advantages to membership in an organization such as ACP include the resources available to its members such as professional camaraderie, support, advocacy, and professional development. The Maine Chapter strives to provide that sense of support and community on a local level by nurturing a professional home in Maine. The ability to realize those goals is critically dependent upon an active and inclusive membership who participate in the ongoing development and direction of the chapter.
We face many challenges in meeting those objectives in such a large and rural state. While we have had our successes, the Maine Chapter of the ACP ranks only slightly above average for all chapters in that more than 35% of all Internists in Maine are members of our Chapter. We rank sixth nationally in having members under the age of forty. However, we can do more to be inclusive and vital as an organization promoting professional satisfaction among our colleagues throughout the region.
In addition to having an excellent annual meeting that embodies the organization's goals, we have attempted to reach out to our colleagues on a more individualized level. It is a more effective and meaningful method to understand the benefits of membership if you are hearing the information from someone in your local community who you consider to be a colleague and is already active in the Chapter. Using a regional “ambassador” approach has helped. Even more members identifying local colleagues who are not yet members and inviting them to share in the benefits of participation will only infuse even more vitality and creativity into the organization and ultimately benefit us all. We (the members) are the Chapter. We can assure that it thrives and provides the professional satisfaction that we seek. Recruit even one of your associates in the community to join and together, help shape the direction of the Chapter. Together, we can do more.
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