SEPTEMBER EDITION, VOLUME 2020, NO. 9
FMA ANNUAL MEETING GOES VIRTUAL! By Christie Alexander, M.D. Due to COVID-19, the Florida Medical Association made the difficult decision to convert this year’s annual meeting from in-person to completely virtual. This year, the “floor” of the House of Delegates was, to say the least, a bit different. Vicespeaker candidate speeches and incoming and outgoing presidential speeches were prerecorded and posted to the FMA’s website; AMA delegate candidates (including myself) did not give speeches this year; and reports and resolutions were postponed to the 2021 FMA Annual Meeting. In addition, elections for Vice-Speaker, the AMA delegates, and the seven proposed bylaws amendments were held electronically from across the state (and even out of state, in some instances). On the plus side, this made voting very quick and easy, and increased access for delegate participation. The week of the election, delegates received emailed instructions on how to cast their vote electronically, followed by an email with access to their electronic ballot. These emails were unique to each delegate, and voting was open for a little over a day and a half. The process was smooth, straightforward, and convenient. The newly-elected members of the Board of Governors:
FMA President – Michael Louis Patete, M.D.
President-Elect – Douglas Murphy, M.D. Vice President – Joshua Lenchus, M.D. Secretary – Lisa Cosgrove, M.D. Treasurer – Jason Goldman, M.D. Speaker – Ashley Norse, M.D. Vice Speaker – Mark Rubenstein, M.D.
District A Representative – Christie Alexander, M.D. District H Representative – Edward King, M.D. Primary Care Representative – Diana Twiggs, M.D. Medical Specialties Representative – Catherine Kowal, M.D. Surgical Specialties Representative – George Canizares, M.D. Young Physicians Section – Hansel Tookes, M.D. Resident and Fellows Section – Alexander Lake, D.O. The newly-elected Florida Delegates for the American Medical Association are as follows: (alphabetical order) Christie Alexander, M.D. Madelyn Butler, M.D. Ronald Giffler, M.D. Tra'Chella Johnson Foy, M.D. John Montgomery, M.D. Douglas Murphy, M.D. Ralph Nobo, M.D. Michael Patete, M.D. The newly-elected Florida Alternate Delegates for the American Medical Association are as follows: (alphabetical order) Eva Crooke, M.D. Rafael Haciski, M.D. Lawrence Halperin, M.D. Rebecca Johnson, M.D. Arthur Palamara, M.D. Alan Pillersdorf, M.D. Sergio Seoane, M.D. Holding the meeting electronically also meant a huge uptake in participation in the CME sessions held every year. This year, the FMA offered timely, virtual CMEs on three tracks, including sessions required to maintain Florida licensure and sessions on lessons learned as we evolve in our understanding of COVID-19. 2,480 registered for the sessions. The downside to not having an in-person meeting is, of course, the lack of discourse between our peers. I certainly missed CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
CAPITAL MEDICAL SOCIETY 2020 MEETINGS CALENDAR October 20, 2020 Virtual CME Domestic Violence (2 Hours) Speakers: Suzanne Harrison, M.D., Director of Clinical Programs and Professor of Family Medicine & Rural Health, Florida State University College of Medicine; and Robin Thompson, MA, JD, Executive Director, Survive and Thrive Chair; Co-Chair and Member, Social Services Committee, Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking 6:30 pm
November 10, 2020 Virtual CME Human Trafficking (1 Hour) Speaker: Terry Coonan, J.D., Executive Director at the Florida State University Center for the Advancement of Human Rights 6:30 pm
November 24 - December 5, 2020 Virtual CMS Foundation Holiday Auction More details to follow - stay tuned!