CANDIDATE STATEMENTS | DIRECTOR AT LARGE: PRIVATE PRACTICE | VOTE FOR ONE EACH TYPE OF TWO Peter J. Abramson, MD
There is power in the grassroots organization. During my tenure as Chair of the Board of Governors, the grassroots arm of the Academy, we worked diligently with our societies developing the regional plan so that any socioeconomic and legislative challenges could be quickly identified and addressed.
How would you strengthen our grassroots activities to protect our specialty from legislation that would undermine our mission?
How would you engage all Members to be more active in the Academy?
There is power in the grassroots organization. During my tenure as Chair of the Board of Governors, the grassroots arm of the Academy, we worked diligently with our societies developing the regional plan so that any socioeconomic and legislative challenges could be quickly identified and addressed. We need to continue strengthening innovative programs such as I-Go, state legislative trackers and Project535 (matching Academy Members with members of Congress) in order to fight challenges like scope of practice issues, restrictive hospital practices, and legislative attempts to limit physician reimbursement.
You can’t make someone be engaged, they have to want to be engaged. Members need to feel that there is extreme value and true advantage to their involvement. The Academy needs to offer high quality products, support, advocacy, and education that help its membership on a daily basis. We have a responsibility to foster the potential of our greatest resource—our Members, particularly focusing on our residents, fellows, and young physicians. It is imperative to engage the subspecialists and subspecialty societies so that we all can move forward together. The ultimate cornerstone of Member engagement is the commitment to a culture of inclusiveness and diversity. Every Member has a voice.