This is a quarterly chair column intended to provide updates on what PAMED residents are doing at the local, state, and national levels. My name is John Vasudevan, MD, a resident in rehabilitation medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and this year’s chair of the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) Resident and Fellow Section (RFS). PAMED physician leaders and staff have been encouraging and supportive as we begin our careers in medicine, and on behalf of the RFS, I wish to say thank you.
At the PAMED Annual Business Meeting in Hershey last October, the following residents were elected to serve with me on the PAMED RFS Governing Council: Rich Rodriguez, MD (vice chair); Adam Tobias, MD (trustee); Isabella Glitza, MD (secretary); Sabesan Karuppiah, MD (AMA alternate delegate); and members at-large: Julie Bartholomae, DO; Bruce Hsu, MD; Andrew Fisher, MD; Henry Lin, MD; Kavita Shah, MD; and Baligh Yehia, MD.
At the AMA Interim Meeting in Houston last November, the AMA-RFS passed resolutions urging study of appropriate use of 360-degree training evaluations and questioning the effect of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on the patient-physician relationship. It was a contentious time for the AMA as the organization determined its level of support for proposed federal health care reform measures, but it is reassuring that organized medicine is working diligently toward finding the best solution to fix a troubled system.
This year, the PAMED RFS Governing Council has set three major goals. The first, and most important, is to increase membership. We hope to accomplish this through peer-to-peer outreach, speaking at educational and social events, and inviting peers to attending PAMED meetings and events (where the value of membership is easiest to appreciate).
Second, we hope to work with PAMED and local medical societies to host social events (one is being planned for March in Philadelphia to coincide with Doctors Day) as an informal and fun way to network and promote our organization. Third, we are working with James A. Goodyear, MD, president of PAMED, and the Institute for Good Medicine at the Pennsylvania Medical Society to expand its mentorship program and provide a web-based tool to connect residents and fellows with physicians across Pennsylvania.
Residents and fellows are busy, but we are energetic. Please contact me or any member of the PAMED RFS Governing Council if you would like to share your ideas or seek our assistance. We look forward to working with and for you this year.
John Vasudevan, MD
Chair, PAMED RFS Governing Council