Westchester County Medical Society | The Backbone of Health Care
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Executive Director WESTCHESTER COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY
Janine Miller has been leading the Westchester County Medical Society (WCMS) as its executive director since March 2015. Prior to her role with the medical society, Miller held positions at Columbia University and the Bronx County Medical Society. In her role with WCMS, Miller is in charge of overseeing the day-to-day operations and functions of the administrative office. Her roles encompass the whole of society functions, including administrative, legislative, meeting organization and overseeing the continuing medical education program through the Academy of Medicine. What are the biggest challenges you face in running the medical society? “One of our biggest challenges at the moment is connecting with early-career physicians and getting our message out to that population. The practice of medicine has changed dramatically over the last 15 to 20 years and as a society we have to find new ways to engage our young doctors in order to remain relevant. Another major challenge for us is keeping and continuing to grow our membership. As many physicians have become members of their specialty societies, they have begun to feel as though that is enough. It couldn’t be further from the truth. We advocate for all specialties and for issues relevant to the practice of medicine, which affect physicians in all specialties who practice in the state of New York. This is one of the most misunderstood functions of our organization by nonmembers and former members alike.”
What is the most exciting aspect of running the society? “Advocacy, hands down, is the most exciting part of this organization. It is amazing to see what can be done by this incredible group of physicians who care so deeply and so passionately about what they do and the care of their patients. Watching their hard work and effort actually make a difference in how patients receive care is pretty exciting.” What is the most important role of the society? “I believe our most important role, aside from our advocacy efforts, is connecting the physicians of Westchester with one another. All too often, we as people don’t stop to take the time to get to know one another. We rush through our lives and our day to day only to get up and repeat it again tomorrow. I believe the society connects people within the medical profession who have common interests, concerns and issues and creates an environment where members can rely on one another for advice, consultation and even friendship. There is something to be said about organizations that bring people together for a common goal and it is a tradition that is rooted deep in our history that we continue today.” What are the society’s plans for the future? “My plan for the Westchester County Medical Society is to see it grow, very simply.
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JANINE MILLER
MY PLAN FOR THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY IS TO SEE IT GROW, VERY SIMPLY. THERE ARE MANY PHYSICIANS IN WESTCHESTER AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT COULD BE DONE IF EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM BELONGED TO THE SOCIETY, THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS. THERE IS TREMENDOUS STRENGTH IN NUMBERS; THE MORE MEMBERS WE HAVE, THE MORE WE CAN DO.
There are many physicians in Westchester and if you think about what could be done if each and every one of them belonged to the society, the possibilities are endless. There is tremendous strength in numbers; the more members we have, the more we can do. I would also like to see us participate more directly and actively within the communities we serve through education and interaction. It is important to not only stay relevant within the physician community, but within the community as a whole. We are all patients at one point or another and that is our commonality.”