-
In this Issue:
- Governor's Welcome
- Vermont ACP Council Letter to Governor Phil Scott Urges COVID-19 Mitigation Measures
- 2021 Vermont Chapter Annual Scientific Meeting
- 2021 Vermont ACP Poster Competition
- Save the date! Leadership Day 2022 will be held May 17 & May 18, 2022
- New Advisory Council Members
- Meet our Governor Elect!
- Congratulations Dr. Parsons on Mastership
Allen B Repp, II, MD, FACP, ACP Governor
Governor's Welcome
Dear Colleagues,
As we break records for the number of patients with COVID-19 in Vermont hospitals and ICUs, I am writing to thank you, once again, for your efforts to care for patients – in the hospital and ambulatory setting, with and without COVID-19. The persistent pandemic has been taxing to many of us, professionally and personally. At the same time, the professionalism, perseverance, and partnership of my ACP colleagues has inspired and sustained me.
Please read on for chapter news – a little bit about COVID-19, but much more on other topics.
Gratefully yours,
Allen
Vermont ACP Council Letter to Governor Phil Scott Urges COVID-19 Mitigation Measures
The Vermont ACP Council recently submitted a letter to Governor Phil Scott, urging additional COVID-19 mitigation measures. The related press release generated some local media coverage of the letter. The chapter will continue to advocate for evidence-based public policy measures to protect our patients and communities. While boosters, broader vaccination of children, and oral treatment options will hopefully stem infection rates over time, immediate public health measures have the potential to relieve ICUs and reduce deaths and suffering of Vermonters.
2021 Vermont Chapter Annual Scientific Meeting
The 2021 Vermont ACP Chapter Scientific Meeting was held virtually on October 15. Dr. Ryan Mire, President-elect of the national ACP, presented the keynote address and provided a thought-provoking “Historical Perspective of Systemic Racism in Medical Education”. In the condensed virtual format, other faculty offered practical and concise updates in General Internal Medicine, Hospital Medicine, antibiotics, and heart failure management. Dr. Lee-Anna Burgess and Dr. Mark Pasanen shared a number of “Things We Do for No Reason” - low value practices that remain common, while Dr. Mark Levine once again shared his insights as Commissioner of Health in “Public Health Highlights”.
If you attended the meeting, you can still claim CME and MOC credits here. For those who weren’t able to attend, there is an option to purchase the recorded meeting.
2021 Vermont ACP Poster Competition
The 2021 Vermont ACP Virtual Poster Competition was held in advance of the Vermont Chapter Annual Scientific meeting, and competition winners were announced at the meeting:
- Student Clinical Vignette: Richard Brach, “Multiple Ways to Miss Multiple Myeloma”
- Resident Clinical Vignette: Dr. Alison Kim, “Cutibacterium acnes:An indolent presentation of prosthetic valve endocarditis”
- Student Research: Allison Tzeng, “Validating the clinical utility of sGaw as a response variable in methacholine challenge testing”
The winners will receive automatic entry into the national ACP poster competition and will receive support for travel to Chicago for the national ACP meeting, April 28-30, 2022. Congratulations to all the medical students and residents who submitted abstracts!
Save the date! Leadership Day 2022 will be held May 17 & May 18, 2022
Leadership Day is the ACP's annual two-day advocacy event that enables members from across the country to bring issues of concern to U.S. lawmakers. This is a great opportunity for Vermont ACP members to bring ACP policy priorities to Congress and try to influence the legislative process on behalf of internal medicine. In 2022, the ACP is planning an in-person event at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, DC on May 17-18. Vermont ACP members interested in participating in Leadership Day 2022 should contact Allen Repp to indicate your interest.
New Advisory Council Members
The Vermont ACP Advisory Council welcomed several new members over the past year. The Advisory Council helps to plan chapter events such as the annual chapter meeting and abstract/poster competition, inform responses to national ACP resolutions, approve policies, and advise the governor on a wide variety of topics. The current Advisory Council members and their other Vermont ACP chapter committee leadership roles are listed below:
- Vishwanath T. Anekonda, MD (Resident/Fellow Member) – Co-chair, Resident & Fellow Council
- Jason C. Bartsch, MD (Member) – Wellbeing Champion
- Tanesha Beebe-Peat, MD (Resident/Fellow Member) – Co-chair, Resident & Fellow Council
- Jan K. Carney, MD, MPH, MACP (Master) – Chair, Health and Public Policy Committee
- Priscilla W. Carr, MD, FACP (Fellow) – Governor-Elect Designee
- Virginia A. Hood, MBBS, MPH, MACP (Master) – Chair, Awards Committee
- Alison Landrey, MD, FACP (Fellow)
- Frank Landry MD, MPH, FACP (Fellow)
- Mark Levine, MD, MACP (Master) – Co-chair, Finance Committee
- Keith Michl, MD, FACP (Fellow)
- Mark E. Pasanen, MD, FACP (Fellow)
- David Rand, DO, MPH (Member) - Chair, Early Career Physician Council
- Harvey S. Reich MD, FACP, FCCP, FFSMB – Co-chair, Finance Committee
- Elly Riser, MD, MPH (Member)
- Samantha Schuetz, MPH (Student Member)
Meet our Governor Elect!
We are excited to announce the Vermont Chapter Governor-elect Designee (GED), Priscilla W. Carr, MD, FACP! Dr. Carr will complete a year of training as a Governor-elect and then will start her four-year term as Governor in the Spring of 2023.
Congratulations Dr. Parsons on Mastership
Congratulations to Polly E. Parsons, MD, MACP, the newest Vermont Chapter Mastership of the American College of Physicians (MACP). MACP is one of the most prestigious awards in the college, for those fellows of the college who demonstrate integrity, the utmost professional behaviors, excellence in the practice of medicine, and significant impact on the profession. MACPs represent a very small percentage of college membership.