Dr. David Wheat of Clinton accepted the gavel of MAFP leadership July 24 at the Annual Dinner, succeeding Dr. Katie Patterson of Indianola. He will lead the MAFP in the coming year and chair the Board of Directors.  Dr. Wheat, a family physician who has earned the AAFP Fellow distinction, owns and operates Clinton Family Care in Clinton.  Dr. Wheat began service on the Board of Directors in 2014 and 2015 as the District 4 representative. He was then elected secretary in 2016 and served as president-elect in 2017.

New Officer, Board Members Elected

Dr. Carlos Latorre of Vicksburg was elected to the MAFP leadership and four physicians were elected as board members at the Annual Business Session.

Latorre will serve this year as MAFP secretary, Dr. Evelyn Walker of Jackson will represent District 4 for the next two years, and Dr. Stephen Hammack of Kosciusko begins a 2-year term representing District 6. The membership re-elected both Dr. Chrystal Sumrall of Laurel, District 2, and Dr. Christy Vowell of Eupora, At-Large.

At the MAFP Annual Meeting in July, Dr. Tim Alford of Kosciusko and Dr. Jeremy Wells of Hattiesburg were honored for their dedication to family medicine and for their years of service to the Academy. 

The MAFP Awards Committee, comprised of past Family Physician of the Year winners, selected the two honorees from nominations received from the membership.

Dr. Tim Alford received the John B. Howell Memorial Award, known as the Family Physician of the Year. He is a longtime family physician who worked in private practice for 31 years. Dr. Alford is a MAFP past president, a MAFP Foundation past president, MSMA past president, and has served as a Mississippi delegate to the AAFP House of Delegates since 2000.

Mississippi's Division of Medicaid is updating prescribing guidelines for stimulant drugs most commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and attention deficit disorder (ADHD/ADD). These diagnosis edits concerning the use of stimulant drugs will begin October 1.

The change is prompted by a recent analysis of Medicaid claims that indicated many children prescribed stimulants for ADHD/ADD did not have a FDA-approved or compendia-supported indication for that product present in medical claims.

The Annual Meeting in July featured two fund raisers for MAFP Foundation, the $10,000 Draw Down and the Silent Auction, and a total of $31,425 was raised for Foundation programs.

The Draw Down raised $24,275 in gross revenue. A total of 204 tickets were sold for the event, which is the highest number of tickets sold since 2014.  Four winning tickets chose to split the $10,000 prize evenly:  exhibitor Lee Jenkins, Dr. Carlos Latorre, Dr. Sheree Melton, and Dr. Katie Patterson. 

The Silent Auction raised more than $7,150 on about 100 items -- more items than have been donated in each of the last 5 years! The auction was held this year in the exhibit hall, giving it more exposure. Thanks to everyone who donated items.

One outstanding thing about this year is the number of exhibitors who participated in the fund raisers. A total of 26 exhibitors (30%) either purchased Draw Down tickets or made a donation to the Silent Auction. Lee Jenkins, one of the Draw Down winners, exhibited with the Brain Injury Association. We can't thank our exhibitors enough for their contributions!

Would you like to dip your toe into the water and get involved in the academy? Read about our 5 committees and decide which one you're interested in. Then complete our online form in 30 seconds to let us know your interest. It's that simple! Committee members will be notified of their assignments in August.

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