Our theme for my presidency is: " Together: Shaping Our Future!"  Our future isn't far away. It is the next second, the next minute, the next hour, the next day, the next week, the next month, the next year...If we want to "Shape Our Future" for the better, it is imperative that we take action NOW!

As you know, Morehouse School of medicine and Dr. Valerie Montgomery-Rice are working towards establishing a pipeline of students from high school to Morehouse School of Medicine.  If we are going to help fulfill that goal, we must act NOW to stop African American preschoolers from disproportionately being suspended and/or expelled . 

"Black children are 18% of preschool enrollment, but are 48% of the preschool children receiving more than one out-of-school suspension."  "Black girls are suspended at higher rates (12%) than girls of any other race or ethnicity."  "Black students represent 16% of student enrollment, 27% of students referred to law enforcement, and 31% of students subjected to a school-related arrest." 

All Americans should be concerned about the alarming statistics of this trend.  We as African American physicians have to take a stand and assume a position of leadership in order to unite to save ourselves! One child at a time!

Now let's take a look again at our (physicians) predicament.  As Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump said, "The system is rigged!"  In our case the system is "rigged" against doctors.  Why do I say that?!?  If Laws can be passed so that real estate developers like Donald Trump can legally not pay taxes, then laws can be passed that ensure equality and fair treatment for doctors!  If the lawmakers are not supportive of doctors, then the laws passed will be to our detriment.  How do we rectify this?  Option 1 is to develop a strong Political Action Committee.  Option 2 is to get more doctors elected to Congress .  Option 3 is the ultimate sacrifice: We must band together and move in lockstep. Option 4 is to continue our current practice of accepting what is given to us.

For deeper insight on the aforementioned paragraph, I encourage you all to read an article that I read from Medscape entitled: " Republican Congressional Doctors Call for MACRA Rule Changes."

Now I want to talk briefly about patient care and self-care as well.  I recall a popular article about the sugar Industry and a subsequent study that was performed in 1965 detailing conclusively the fact that sugar is detrimental to your health.  The Sugar Industry shifted the blame by saying that "fats" were the culprit instead.  Americans were led to believe that low-fat, high carb diets was the way to go.  Evidently they were incorrect as obesity has continued to increase as a result of high carb dieting.  We must be critical of everything that is published, and ask ourselves, "Is it true?" The FDA is revising the guidelines for a healthful diet.  Now is an opportunity for GSMA members to give their input.

Last but not least, DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!