Dear Colleagues
We present this AMA Annual Meeting A-2019 for your review and education. Thanks for all your work and support this June in Chicago.
The SED had a good Convention at the AMA Annual meeting for A-19, but we narrowly lost a key race for Vice Speaker. THE SED supported 11 candidates for AMA office and 8 won, some by significant margins. Dr. Sharon Douglas had a sweet come-back victory for the Council on Medical Education. The SED played an important role in five races out of our region or endorsement, continuing the tradition of being helpful to quality candidates when not in competition with our own SED candidates; four of these candidates won. Our outside the SED campaign assistance tradition intends to expand the personal contacts and collegiality of the SED across the AMA House. The Vice Speakers race was a squeaker with only a 22-vote margin, eleven people. Dr Howard with Dr Irvin managing, worked extraordinarily hard and effectively, but we all came up short. Now we turn to the future.
We again have excellent candidates poised to run in 2020. Dr Willarda Edwards is a strong re-election candidate to the Board. Dr Ilse Levin is an excellent new candidate for the Board. Dr. Costabile has a head start for the Council on Medical Service as he almost won at a special CMS election this meeting.
On some “hot button issues,” the AMA decided to work to find a way to vaccinate children from refusing families, aside from scientific reasons; to challenge Pharmacy Benefit Managers as they skew health care costs, are owned by pharmacies or manufactures or insurers and thus reduce physician influence to increase their own profits and power; and to continue health care reform polices resisting a call to “Medicare for All” or “Single Payor System” although now willing to study the impact of these program ideas. For the last ten years the AMA has taken stances on a variety of US social and cultural issues more as a “bully pulpit” phenomenon since we have no legislative power, but do have influence. AMA CEO Dr James Madara pointed out the need to push the AMA Agenda in DC even with a polarized and somewhat paralyzed central government.
Dr Sue Bailey of Texas was elected Saturday by acclimation as AMA President-elect and our own Dr Bruce Scott was similarly elected AMA Speaker of the House of Delegates. The AMA now has three females in line for President as our own Dr Patrice Harris was installed as AMA President Tuesday evening; Dr Harris is the first African American female to be AMA President.
Dr Harris made important, uplifting remarks at her Ceremony:
“It’s truly a dream come true to stand before you tonight. A dream my ancestors, parents, my extended family, and my friends supported before it even entered my imagination. A dream my West Virginia, Georgia, psychiatry and AMA families helped me achieve. And I know in my heart that, tonight, I am my ancestors' wildest dreams.…….While we have many differences, at the AMA, we have this common goal: Through this great organization, we believe we can uplift our profession, we believe we can improve care for all of our 300-plus million fellow Americans, and we believe we can stand as leaders in health care across the globe. And lead we must, and we will, but our core values—access to health care for all, diversity and inclusion, the primacy of the patient-physician relationship, the advancement of science and public health. These core values will not be part of the health care landscape unless we ensure that they are……..I ask you to join me in taking the next step of leadership and intentionally make decisions that will bind, forge, move and create history.”
The AMA continued its CME offerings at the Annual Meeting with an expanded schedule that included over 33 sessions that ranged from health quality improvement, current social issues, practice management and even some tax issues.
See below for Convention reports from the Residents.
Your Delegation worked hard and almost endlessly. The wise Dr Dalton assumed the role of the Chair of the SED with a great skit that portrayed her morphing into a Dr. Bill Clark, suspenders, green jacket, moustache and all. She will have a great term following Dr. Clark, our best Chair, ever. The always knowledgeable and energetic Dr. Poole becomes our Vice Chair.
The next Newsletter will feature our AMA Board and Council members.
Have a Great Summer.
Please see our SED Webpage for the updated History Booklet with our new leadership. Enjoy our pictures, courtesy of Karen Foy and others.
See you in San Diego.
Claudette Dalton, MD (VA), Chair, SE Delegation to AMA
John Poole, MD (NJ), Vice Chair, SE Delegation to the AMA
Bill Clark, MD (GA), Immediate Past Chair, SE Delegation to AMA
Stephen Imbeau, MD (SC), Editor,
Southeast News
