Governor's Newsletter, Spring 2001

Since our last chapter letter (February 19, 2001), I would like to update several interim items that seem important, and highlight future events that should be placed on your calendar.

Annual ACP-ASIM National Meeting,
Atlanta, Georgia, March 27-April 1, 2001.

The annual meeting was attended by 5,378 members of the College, including 220 from Pennsylvania. The convention's setting in Atlanta made for an exciting meeting - at the Georgia World Congress Center, near the Georgia Dome, Olympic Park and the CNN and Turner Network across the street, plus a fireworks display.

The educational sessions I attended were uniformly excellent, well paced, gave helpful information, and provided pertinent handouts. Most colleagues I encountered had this same high opinion also. A session on what is available on handheld personal information systems was fascinating and will shape the way we communicate. A presentation by the American Board of Internal Medicine on Continuous Professional Development and ABIM recertification sparked considerable interest and comments by participants.

The Associates National Research Competition featuring winning and finalist abstracts contained excellent patient reports or research projects. From our region, there were three abstracts*. Congratulations.

*1) Culture Negative Endocarditis and PCR Analysis, Stephen A. Lewis, D.O., Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA.

2) Regulation of Gene Expression of Key Enzymes in Bile Acids Biosynthesis: Possible Targets for Hepatic Gene Therapy of Hypercholesterolemia, Yiping Rao, M.D., Danville, PA.

3) Eikenella Corrodens Parotitis With Septicemia, Suresh Nekuri, M.D. and Jeffrey Jahre, M.D., St. Luke's

Also, the Associates jeopardy team from Allegheny General Hospital, Western PA Region, won the national competition.

The Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Delaware Chapters had a nice reception Saturday evening, March 31, 2001. About 130 attended.

Pennsylvania Eastern I received (along with 35 others) a Chapter Management Excellence Award on March 28, 2001. I believe this recognition should be shared with Dr. Robert C. Aber and Mrs. Kay M. Livelsberger, who set-up and accomplished some of the administrative activities credited to this Chapter.

Two related groups were also meeting: Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine and the National Association of Inpatient Physicians (4th Annual Meeting). Dr. J. Wolfe Blotzer, Director, Internal Medicine Residency Training Program, York Hospital, was elected to the APDIM Council (3 year term). Also active in APDIM from our region are: Drs. R. Hal Baker, Edward R. Bollard, Jon E. Brndjar, John M. Costello, Felix J. DeSio, Diane L. Dietzen, Gloria T. Fioravanti, John P. Fitzgibbons, David George, William F. Iobst, David G. Kemp, Daniel B. Kimball, Jack Kline, Wesley P. Kozinn, Margaret Kreher, Jerome Lazor, David W. Leh, Benjamin Lloyd, Craig Maylath, John McConville, Debra Q. Miller, Kevin Muzzio, Barbara E. Ostrov, Michael J. Pistoria, Paul I. Roda, Susan Sefcik, Richard J. Simons, Kenneth J. Singhel, Anthony Slavinski, Mark Speake, and Dennis Torretti.

For some post-meeting news, Dr. Walter McDonald (Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, ACP-ASIM), has informed the College that he will be leaving his position in a year. Dr. McDonald has led the College for seven years and was very involved and responsible for the successful merger that occurred between ACP and ASIM.

Local Chapter Activities.

Susquehanna Health System, Williamsport Hospital. I appreciated visiting with interested internists and College members at Williamsport Hospital on April 6, 2001. A round table discussion, hosted by Dr. Daniel Glunk, FACP, raised many interesting topics: role of the College, advocacy, pressures on internists, recertification, etc.

These continue to be the frequently raised issues by other internists at similar "college" meetings we have had at Reading Hospital (2/13/2001), York Hospital (2/1/2001), Hanover-Gettysburg Hospitals (11/2/2000), and Lehigh Hospital (10/31/2000).

Easton Hospital, May 11, 2001. My visit was arranged by Dr. Wesley Kozinn. Residents there have been very active participants at the State meeting and in College activities. We talked about ACP-ASIM, but also had a clinical session on "sarcoidosis and its diagnosis and management" and a resident's conference about managing TB.

A visit is planned to Harrisburg Hospital, June 5, 2001

Dr. Walter McDonald's visit to Penn State - Hershey Medical Center, April 20, 2001.

Following his delivery of the Spring Alpha Omega Alpha lecture at Penn State's College of Medicine the evening before, Dr. McDonald graciously met with members of the medicine housestaff and students in the Internal Medicine Interest Group over continental breakfast to discuss the role of the College potentially in their future practice and professional development. In the discussion, Dr. McDonald listed several things he thought were of concern to internists which included: decreased time with patients, lack of adequate education time, more competition for patients, loss of social mission for some physicians, need for more privacy of information, need to adapt to the new information-based/informatics communication, impact of the globalization of medicine, and his reflections on the Oregon Health Plan (which he helped devise) that has addressed the difficult (professional and societal) issues of prioritization of health care and rationing of care.

Of interest, several medical residents in the audience who will be entering practice this summer commented about:

  • the limited amount of time they thought (feared) would be available to spend with a patient
  • how to deal with colleagues who order unnecessary tests and imaging studies
  • appropriate relationship to have with pharmaceutical representatives
  • a need to receive more practical business office experience (built into the residency training program)

To highlight our resident and student members from our region on the PCIM Council:

1) Imhotep Boukman, M.D., Resident, Lehigh Valley Hospital

2) Aimee K. Wheaton, M.D., Resident, York Hospital

3) LaToya Linton, Third Year Medical Student, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine

Executive Director position, Pennsylvania ACP-ASIM Chapter.

After losing a top choice identified after interviews at the March 3, 2001 Council meeting, the Governors continued to consider other applicants who had applied and interviewed other qualified applicants on May 7, 2001 at ACP-ASIM headquarters, 190 North Independence Mall West, Philadelphia. I believe we have a successful candidate.

Future Events:

1) 2001 (Associates) abstract applications are due on July 15, 2001.

2) The Associates jeopardy competition, organized by Dr. Martin L. Evers, will occur on September 29, 2001 at Lehigh Valley Hospital. Details about the competition are being sent to Program Directors.

3) Annual State Meeting, November 2-4, 2001 at the Sheraton Station Square in Pittsburgh. Dr. Wesley Kozinn, Easton Hospital, Easton, Pennsylvania, has headed the Program Committee and has compiled an interesting and varied meeting. Major topics for presentation include: a symposium on women's health, update on transplant medicine, session on handheld computers in medicine, and a roundtable discussion featuring HMO medical directors from the prominent health plans in Pennsylvania.

4) Annual Meeting, April 11-14, 2002 in Philadelphia.

Please encourage junior and non-member colleagues to consider joining the College. We will be pleased to send out forms and help with applications as needed.

With kindest regards,

Sincerely,

Herbert Y. Reynolds, MD, FACP

What's New

Contact Information

Eastern Region
Richard J. Simons, MD, FACP, Governor

Southeastern Region
Charles Cutler, MD, FACP, Governor

Western Region
Alejandro R. Gonzalez, MD, FACP

John Derrickson
Executive Director
Phone: 610-543-6880 or Toll-free: 800-846-7746
Fax: 610-543-6806
E-mail: jd@pa-acp.org

General chapter information/questions:
John Derrickson
jd@pa-acp.org

Chapter Office:
Jackie Franco
jf@pa-acp.org

VoterVoice:
votervoice@pa-acp.org

Chapter Events:
events@pa-acp.org