May 1, 2012
May Flowers
• I would like to present a bouquet of spring flowers to show AFMRD appreciation for our superb staff! We are fortunate and even “blessed” to have outstanding individuals working for AFMRD. All are part-time but work diligently to provide “full-time” performances. Kudos to Kevin Helm, Vickie Greenwood, Katy Jaksa, Susan Quigg, and Sam Pener!!! Please personally thank them for their service when you see them next.
• CAFM Innovation Task Force, chaired by Dr. Mike Mazzone, had a fruitful day work retreat in Seattle prior to the STFM meeting. Updates on this project will be presented at our June PDW meeting in Kansas City.
• Kevin Helm, Ed Evans, and I will represent AFMRD at the 2012 Family Medicine Congressional Conference (FMCC) meeting in Washington, DC May 14-15. We will host ten resident scholarship recipients who each received a $1500 scholarship to attend this meeting. We hope to “plant seeds” of advocacy in each of these so they may return to their respective residencies to “grow” interest in graduate medical education advocacy!
• May also is time for program directors to complete the end of residency evaluations for each of our upcoming graduates. Please encourage them to join the AAFP and their respective state academies. Membership in organized medicine is so important. Graduates are given reduced membership fees initially.
• PDW is on the horizon. Presently, we are on pace to have our largest attendance since the turn of the century. The housing deadline is Friday, May 4 so don't forget to register and reserve a room! An unopposed one-hour session on Sunday afternoon will center on the NRMP SOAP. One program will share their experience with SOAP. Our AFMRD will listen and entertain comments for us to share with the NRMP. Before we go “All-In”, let’s be sure we have “cleaned up” the process!
• Prepare for our AFMRD business session on June 4 from 9:30-11:30 AM. Click here to read about the seven well qualified candidates for our three board member-at-large positions. Electronic voting this year should make the process quicker. We will have some salmon colored paper for those having withdrawals! Selecting leaders to help advance the AFMRD strategic plan is of utmost significance. I also encourage you to read the AFMRD Bylaws proposed changes. I fully realize that changes in bylaws will never make a Top Ten list of fun things to do! Yet, we have some important changes being proposed. We will honor outgoing board members, Drs. Joe Gravel, Karen Hall, and Marty Wieschhaus. They have given a combined fifteen years of excellent service to AFMRD.
• A rose to each of you who has completed the program director salary survey. Results on this survey will be available to all AFMRD members following PDW.
Thanks for making my life’s garden more productive and colorful this year as your president. I believe this year we all have produced a huge arrangement of accomplishments that we will share in June! May the sun shine upon your path and may your path be filled with beautiful flowers. Life is short so stop and smell the roses along your path!
Stoney Abercrombie, MD FAAFP
President, AFMRD