Legislative Committee Members Needed

A brief explanation of the function of the SCMS Legislative Committee

The SCMS Legislative Committee provides its members with direct access to lawmakers. Its members are the face of the SCMS and Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) One of the functions of the SCMS Legislative Committee is to support the advocacy efforts of MSMS. Therefore, we work closely with MSMS and to the extent possible, try to present a unified front when discussing pending legislation with lawmakers. The topics being discussed have already been reviewed and discussed at other committees through MSMS. This does not mean that members of the SCMS Legislative Committee are not allowed to have their own opinions. However, to be effective in promoting legislation for physicians, we want to be unified as a society when we are in a discussion with local lawmakers.

The MSMS Committee on State Legislation and Regulations (comprised of physicians) along with the MSMS Board of Directors (comprised of physicians) determines what legislation MSMS supports or opposes. The SCMS Legislative Committee attempts to support MSMS’ position and when possible, lend physicians voices to the effort in advocating for physicians to local legislators.

If you would like to have more input on which issues MSMS supports or opposes, consider joining the SCMS Legislative Committee. We are planning to start quarterly meetings this summer/early fall, so please contact Joan Cramer at the SCMS at jmcramer@sbcglobal.net no later than June 1, 2023, to be added to the Committee or if you have any questions.

Other avenues to voice opinions on MSMS actions or inactions would be the MSMS House of Delegates or MSMS Quarterly Membership Update Zoom Meetings.

All statements or comments in The Bulletin are those of the writer, and not necessarily the opinion of the Saginaw County Medical Society (SCMS).

The Bulletin is made available electronically for members as an informational service. Reliance on any such information is at the user's own judgment.

The SCMS, its officers and employees, cannot guarantee the accuracy, reliability, completeness or timeliness of any information, and may not be held liable for any individual’s reliance on our web or print publications. For questions or the latest information, please contact Joan Cramer of the SCMS at (989) 284-8884 or jmcramer@sbcglobal.net.

Slate Of Nominees

Following is the Slate of Nominees for 2023-24 approved by the SCMS Board of Directors on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. The Slate will be voted on by the membership at the Annual Membership Meeting on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.

President

Tiffany K. Kim MD

President-Elect

Christopher J. Allen MD

(President 24-25)

Past President

Anthony M. Zacharek MD

Secretary

Caroline G.M. Scott MD

Treasurer

Miriam T. Schteingart MD

Board of Directors

(Three year in line for presidency)

Furhut R. Janssen DO (President 25-26)

Mary J. McKuen MD (President 26-27)

Jennifer M. Romeu MD (President 27-28)

Board of Directors

(One year)

Kai Anderson MD

Elizabeth M. Marshall MD

Claudia C. Zacharek MD

MSMS Delegates

Elvira M. Dawis MD

Anthony M. Zacharek MD

Christopher J. Allen MD

Miriam T. Schteingart MD

Kala K. Ramasamy MD

Jennifer M. Romeu MD

Karensa L. Franklin MD

Judy V. Blebea MD

Elizabeth M. Marshall MD

MSMS Alternate Delegates

Caroline G.M. Scott MD

Waheed Akbar MD

Mohammad Yahya Khan MD

Mary J. McKuen MD

Kai Anderson MD

Claudia C. Zacharek MD

Cecilia E. Kraus-Horbal DO

Furhut Janssen DO

Abishek Bala MD

Peer Review Ethics Committee

Danielle C. Duncan MD (election)

Caroline G.M. Scott MD, Chair

James R. Hines MD

CMU College of Medicine Welcomes Class of 2026

CMU College of Medicine Celebrates Successful Match Day 2023

Annual event was held at Dow Diamond in Midland

Author: Eric Baerren

More than half of this year’s graduating class from CMU’s College of Medicine will stay in Michigan. Of the 100 fourthyear medical students, 53 were matched with programs in the Great Lakes State on Match Day, an annual tradition that pairs aspiring physicians with residency programs. Two-thirds were matched with primary care programs. The top five specialties accounted for 63 students, with 20 in internal medicine, 19 in family medicine, nine in psychiatry, eight in pediatrics and seven in emergency medicine.

White Coat Ceremony Begins Students’ Medical School Journey

Author: Eric Baerren

More than 100 future physicians officially began their medical education during the CMU College of Medicine’s White Coat Ceremony on March 12.

Nearly 80 percent of the College of Medicine’s class of 2026 calls the Great Lakes State home. The 103 students in the latest class, including 79 from Michigan, were drawn from a pool of more than 8,000 applicants. Seven hold degrees from CMU. Another 31 received degrees from other Michigan universities, and one in four has a graduate degree.

“At the CMU College of Medicine, I am proud that we have an outstanding team of faculty and staff whose only job is to take care of you and make sure that you are healthy, and wellprepared for the journey ahead of you,” said Dr. George Kikano, CMU Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the College of Medicine, during the ceremony. “As a newer College of Medicine, we have seen our students match in outstanding residency programs throughout the country, and some of our graduates from the early classes are now practicing physicians in the region and in Michigan.”

CMU’s College of Medicine and nearly every other medical school in the United States participate in the White Coat Ceremony, first held at Columbia University in 1993. Dr. Arnold P. Gold, a professor, pediatric neurologist and advocate for humanistic health care, came up with the idea of the White Coat Ceremony. Gold believed the Hippocratic Oath should be taken by students at the start of their medical education and not only at the end where it traditionally occurs.

Twelve total students were matched at programs on CMU’s main Saginaw campus or satellite locations. Three of those matches are part of the MIDOCS program, a partnership between four of the state’s medical schools, including CMU, which aims to attract and retain medical providers in Michigan’s underserved urban and rural communities. Of the 12, eight will serve residencies in Saginaw, including five in psychiatry, two in family medicine and one in emergency medicine. Two will move to residencies at Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit and two to residencies at Spectrum Health Lakeland in southwest Michigan.

In addition, two will move to military residencies, one each in the Navy and Air Force. It was one of the best match years yet for the program, said Dr. George Kikano, CMU Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the College of Medicine. “This is all a testament to all your hard work, about the hard work of the faculty and staff we have at CMU College of Medicine,” he said during his opening remarks. “Our job is to take care of you and make sure you’re well-positioned to succeed in whatever specialty you choose.” continued on page

The SCMS would like to congratulate F. Ann Sobell, Medical Student Representative on the SCMS Board from 2021-2023 and her fiancé, Jake Long. Ann and Jake matched in Ob/Gyn and Pediatrics, respectively, at Prisma Health-University of South Carolina School of Medicine- Greenville. Ann and Jake are ecstatic to start their residencies together in South Carolina and we wish them well!