The ballots for the current Governors-elect election have been mailed. The voting membership (Masters, Fellows, Members, and Resident/Fellow Members with an elect date of 9/1/2018 or earlier) can vote online or mail-in ballot.
You will need your mailed ballot or election email containing your ACP Member Number and Election Passcode in order to vote. Below are the bios and statements of the candidates running in this election. Online voting begins on October 9, 2020 and will end on November 13, 2020 at 11:59 PM EDT. Please be sure to vote!
For replacement ballots and election customer service, e-mail support@directvote.net or call toll-free 1-866-909-3549, Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Central. For general information, you may email Julie Sinkoff, Coordinator, Board of Governor Relations, or call 215-351-2699.
David B. Pitts, MD, FACP
Medical School Education: University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB)
Post-Doctoral Training: University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Chattanooga, TN
Board Certifications: Internal Medicine
Present Employment Position: Hospitalist; Assistant Professor, Medical University of South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium (MUSC AHEC)
ACP Chapter and Leadership Activities:
Organizer, Chapter Meetings (Inviting speakers, gathering questions from speakers, successfully submitting questions and answers for attendee CME/MOC credit via ACP) since 2017; Member, Council, 5 plus years; Presenter, Reducing Diagnostic Errors by Use of Pretest Probabilities, Annual Meeting 2016
ACP National Activities:
Fellowship 2016 (I achieved this by voluntarily completing MOC by taking ABIM Board exam in October 2015. I had been grandfathered because I had earned original certificate prior to 1990.); Attendee, Internal Medicine Meeting 2017 & 2018
Other Appointments/Activities:
Assistant Professor, MUSC AHEC; Core Faculty, Spartanburg Regional Transitional Residency Program; Member, Clinical Competency Committee; Member, Clinical Program Evaluation Committee; Vice Department Chair of Medicine, Spartanburg Hospital for Restorative Care;
Member, Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee
Areas of Professional Interest and Expertise:
Managing Hypertension; Inpatient Diabetes; Geriatrics
Candidate Statement:
I would consider it an honor, privilege, and responsibility to take on the title of Governor for this state chapter. Over the past eight years that I have lived in South Carolina I have worked with former Governor, Dr. Patsy Sadler and more recently with the current Governor Dr. Mary Beth Poston. In 2012 when I moved from New Mexico to my new residence in Spartanburg, South Carolina, I said goodbye to the chapter counsel there and said hello to the local chapter here and offered my help and time. I have worked with past and present governors to coordinate and organize yearly state meetings. Over twenty-five years I worked as an independent contractor for Merck Pharmaceutical Company (West Point, PA). I spoke to doctors at both the local and national level. I feel comfortable working with both medical students, residents and to doctors with years of experience. I would love to work with the South Carolina ACP chapter and continue the fine work that has been achieved by past Governors.
Steve P. Saunders, MBBS, FACP
Medical School Education: University of the West Indies
Post-Doctoral Training: Morehouse School of Medicine
Board Certifications: ABIM 1998, 2008, 2019
Present Employment Position: Hospitalist, Prisma Health
ACP Chapter and Leadership Activities:
Planning Committee, Chapter Meeting; Co-Chair, Hospitalist Committee
ACP National Activities:
Fellowship 2006; Attendee, Internal Medicine Meeting 2006
Other Appointments/Activities:
Lead Hospitalist, Hillcrest Memorial Hospital; Co-Chair, Quality and Patient Safety, Hillcrest Memorial Hospital; Associate Professor of Medicine, USCSOM-Upstate, Prisma Health; Member, Stroke Advisory Team, Hillcrest Memorial Hospital; P&T Committee, Prisma Health; Antibiotic Stewardship Committee, Hillcrest Memorial Hospital; Member, Levi S. Kirkland Society, Prisma Health; Board Member, The Mentoring and Leadership Development Institute, Mauldin, SC
Areas of Professional Interest and Expertise:
Patient Safety and Quality; Hypertension Management
Candidate Statement:
I have been an active member of the ACP's SC Chapter for nearly two decades. During that time the mission, vision, and goals of the ACP have been guiding principles in my approach to medical practice. I believe that I can continue to represent these ideals by serving as the Governor of the South Carolina Chapter. Throughout my 18-year hospitalist career, I've collaborated with physician leaders, administrators, and multidisciplinary committees in efforts to improve quality of care, patient experience, and the general work environment. My experiences at work and with the SC Chapter have equipped me with an understanding of the factors affecting healthcare delivery and physician wellbeing. I hope to use my experience to enhance physicians' practice of Medicine in South Carolina and across the country. I am prepared to accept a new role as a member of the Board of Governors to continue the work of achieving the mission, vision, and goals of the American College of Physicians.