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Chapter Affairs
CHAPTER AFFAIRS By Kathryn Atkinson, CMP
NCAFP Meetings & Events Manager
@HEADQUARTERS Thank You to Mrs. Marietta (Ellis) Saunders for Her 20+ Years of Service to Family Medicine
If you have ever attended an NCAFP CME meeting, there is no doubt that you have benefitted from Marietta Ellis Saunders’ work and dedication to Family Medicine. Marietta has worn many hats over the years at NCAFP, including two stints as an employee of the organization and serving as our CME Specialist contract consultant over the last few years.
In her most recent role, Marietta provided CME support through educational grant submissions, and worked very closely with many NCAFP program chairs to design and plan timely educational opportunities for thousands of family doctors in North Carolina and beyond. Marietta has been a tremendous asset to NCAFP over the years, helping make the NCAFP’s educational meetings and events some of the most sought-after and highly anticipated CME conferences around. We sincerely appreciate her many talents and contributions to the NCAFP and Family Medicine.
As of December 31, 2021, Marietta began a new and exciting role in her life that is so well-deserved. These days you will find a “semi-retired” Marietta (she still does some consulting) enjoying beach-life-living in Oak Island, NC, with her husband and family physician, Dr. George Saunders. An avid traveler, Marietta plans to use some of her free time to visit Germany and Austria, along with a return visit to Hawaii, one of her favorite vacation spots.
It has been an honor and a privilege to have Marietta on our team all these years. Please join us in thanking her for her many contributions to the Academy and her remarkable dedication to its members.
Happy Retirement, Marietta! Thank you again for your amazing service and dedication to Family Medicine.
Eight NCAFP Members Complete AAFP’s Physician Well-Being Program
Eight NCAFP members recently completed a 10-month long certificate program from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) called, “Leading Physician Well-being” (LPW). They are:
• Angela Bacigalupo, MD • Scott Gremillion, MD • Anjali Marble, DO • Berlondrika McNeal, MD, MS. ED • Melanie Sanders, MD • Amanda Steventon, MD • Meredith Taylor, MD • Brittany Watson, MD
120 physicians total were selected from a national pool to participate in the inaugural year of this program, which was created to provide leadership development, training in physician well-being advocacy, and performance improvement project skill-building. They developed a System Well-being Improvement Project (SWIP) and presented this to their peers in a final project showcase in October. AAFP LPW Scholars completing this certificate are well-positioned to fill leadership roles within health care systems where they can create value around physician well-being which honors the doctor-patient relationship. Congratulations to all for this outstanding accomplishment!
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MEMBERSHIP & MEMBER SERVICES
By: Tara Hinkle
NCAFP Member Services Manager
Catherine Coe, MD, Named to AAMC Board of Directors
UNC Health Family Medicine assistant professor Catherine Coe, MD, has been named to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Board of Directors. Dr. Coe is the inaugural person to hold the junior faculty representative seat, chosen out of a pool of more than 60 nominees across the country. Dr. Coe has been heavily involved in medical student education during her time as faculty, and we have no doubt she will bring a wealth of knowledge and perspectives to this role. Congratulations!
Family Physician Dr. Stephen Friedhoff has joined Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) in the newly-formed role of Senior Vice President, Health Care Services. Dr. Friedhoff brings extensive experience in outcomes-based care management, launching innovative health care strategies, integrating core clinical claims systems, and improving network performance and value-based contracting to the role.
In his role, Dr. Friedhoff will be responsible for relationships with health care providers, medical policy, corporate pharmacy, appeals, care management, and overall leadership of the company’s health care division. He will also lead implementation of Blue Cross NC medical cost and care initiatives such as value-based care and other innovative payment models, in addition to supporting programs for independent primary care practices.
Dr. Friedhoff is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of experience in clinical and administrative leadership roles. Most recently, he served as the Chief Clinical Officer for Help at Home. Dr. Friedhoff is a graduate of the Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School and completed his Family Medicine residency at Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mounty Holly, NJ, where he served as chief resident and was recipient of the New Jersey Academy’s Resident of the Year Award.
Family Physician Joins Blue Cross NC as Senior VP, Health Care Services
Connect with the NCAFP on Social...
Please remember to follow the NCAFP on our social media channels! Our Twitter handle is @myncafp and on Facebook, you can find us at @ncafp.
MEMBERSHIP BEAT...
Thank you to our members who paid 2022 membership dues by the end-of-year deadline. As we begin a new membership year, we would like to share a few important details that may help in your planning:
2022 Membership Dues for Active, Inactive, Sup-
porting & the 2022 Class of Life Members - If you missed the January 1, 2022, payment deadline for 2022 membership dues, please enroll in the installment plan or pay your balance during the grace period to maintain your membership via one of the following options: • Phone: Call the AAFP at 1-800-274-2237 x 0 (M-F 9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.)
• Online: www.aafp.org/quickpay (username is your email address on file with AAFP)
• AAFP Mobile App: Press More > Financial
Transactions
• By Check: Make checks payable to AAFP and mail to: AAFP, 11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway,
Leawood, KS 66211-2680 • Status Change: If your practice status has changed (fellowship, interrupted practice, retired), please contact the AAFP at 1-800-274-2237 x 0 to change your membership status.
• Moved: If you have moved out of NC, please contact the AAFP at 1-800-274-2237 x 0 for a required state chapter relocation transfer to avoid cancellation. Alternatively, you may find a relocation application PDF form under the “Changes” section at www.ncafp.com/membership/member-tools-resources and submit to AAFP as instructed on the form.
• New Life Members: Congratulations to our new
Life members! Remember, this is your last invoice cycle. You will never have to pay dues after this year, and you still retain all member benefits. No
CME is required, but you are always welcome to attend any of our meetings at a discounted Life member rate. We hope our paths will cross again in the future!
Please note: the grace period has been shortened, and the cancelation date has been moved from May to March. Please pay your dues balance or enroll in installments by March 2, 2022.
A Family Medicine Community Podcast www.ncafp.com/podcasts
December 2021 - Dr. 'Taki' Hondros
Newly-installed NCAFP President Dr. Dimitrios "Takie" Hondros discusses his leadership journey in Family Medicine and outlines a few of his goals for the next year, including mentoring the next generation of family physicians and harnessing the promise of value-based care.
