Summertime

by D. Michael Baxter, MD

“Summertime and the livin’ is easy,” unless you are a Residency or Fellowship Program Director or Faculty. June and July are some of the busiest and most important months of the year for training programs as residents and fellows complete their years of intense study, say good-bye to the staff who have contributed so much to their knowledge and skills, and move on to their exciting careers. Simultaneously, new trainees arrive to begin the cycle once again. We congratulate and wish the very best to those moving forward and extend a grand welcome to the trainees joining our programs in Berks County. We look forward to events ahead where we share the social and professional bonds that unite this great profession. And we thank the dedicated faculty and others who give their time and energy to pass along their knowledge, skills, and our medical traditions.

Summer is also celebrated as a “happy time” of vacations, relaxation, and spending special moments with family and friends. Thus, it seems appropriate in this issue of the Medical Record to explore “What Makes Us Happy.” In addition to anecdotal comments from some of our favorite Berks County neighbors, we have chosen to explore the most recent science regarding the complex interaction of biology, psychology, and even genetics, as well as social factors which contribute to our sense of happiness.

We hope our readers will find this information helpful in their own pursuit of happiness.

In this issue we also celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the St. Joseph Hospital. The contributions of this institution and its dedicated and skilled staff are well recognized and BCMS is pleased to honor them for their work—past, present, and future. Dr. Chuck Barbera also marks an important anniversary of one year as its first physician President and CEO. In addition, we honor and share reflections of a Berks County career in Gastroenterology by Seth Rosenzweig, MD, who steps back (but not completely away) from his stellar career.

Finally, in this edition we note the recent Installation of our new Berks County Medical Society (BCMS) officers: President-William Santoro, MD, President elect-Ankit Shah, MD, and Treasurer-Daniel Forman, DO. We also extend our appreciation to Jillian Ventuzelo, DO, who completes her term as President. It is both a challenging and exciting time for BCMS as we rebound from the pandemic and soon celebrate the 200th Anniversary of our founding in 1824. We are fortunate to have such a great team lead us into our Third Century.