Vermont Governor's Newsletter September 2022

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Allen B Repp, II, MD, FACP, ACP Governor

Allen B Repp, II, MD, FACP, ACP Governor

 


Governor's Message

Dear Colleagues,

I find myself in my fourth and final year as Vermont ACP Chapter Governor and becoming a bit nostalgic already! However, I'm also tremendously excited for this and future years. The Vermont ACP Chapter Annual Scientific Meeting will occur on Friday, October 14 at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT. Details and registration information are included below. Our chapter's membership is strong and financial position is good. We received the Silver Level Chapter Excellence Award in April, recognizing achievement in many domains including education, chapter management, and advocacy. We are fortunate to have expert and engaged membership. As examples, Dr. Jan Carney, Chair of our chapter's Health & Public Policy Committee, and Dr. Jason Bartsch, our Wellness Champion, share their reflections in this newsletter. There are also many opportunities to get involved, whether you are still in training, early in your career, or nearing retirement! As examples, the recently formed Resident and Fellow Council and the Early Career Physicians Council are welcoming interested members. Don't forget to tune into Green Mountain Medicine https://acpvermont.podbean.com an original podcast series for all things internal medicine in Vermont, hosted by medical student members Sam Schuetz and Aneesh Singal. Of course, Dr. Priscilla Carr is our Governor-elect and will start her four year term as Governor in the spring of 2023.

If you would like to get involved, give me a shout (or just send me an e-mail ). I hope to see you in Stowe this October!

Warm regards,

Allen

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Annual Chapter Meeting – Registration Now Open!

The annual chapter meeting will occur on Friday, October 14 at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT. It will feature a phenomenal lineup of presentations – from “Evidence Based Dietary Counseling” to “Things We Do For No Reason”. Dr. Mark Levine (a.k.a. Vermont's Dr. Fauci) will again highlight the top public health topics in Vermont. We are delighted that Dr. Caren Solomon, Deputy Editor at the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), internal medicine physician at Brigham and Women's, and the co-director for the NEJM Climate Change Series, will give the keynote presentation on climate change's effects on health and health care delivery. You can catch up with colleagues and earn CME and MOC credits along the way. Don't miss it – register now!

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Student and Resident Abstract Competition – Submission Deadline September 1

We will again host a Medical Student and Resident/Fellow virtual abstract competition in conjunction with the 2022 Vermont ACP Chapter Scientific Meeting on October 14, 2022. The submission deadline for abstracts is September 1, 2022. See the Vermont ACP Chapter website for detailed instructions

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Advocacy Update

Jan K. Carney, MD, MPH, MACP

Policy and advocacy are alive and well at ACP. ACP has positions on key and current health policy issues, updated regularly, and supplemented by the work of all ACP Chapters. Take a look at the national web page for a list of current ACP advocacy priorities From preventing firearm injuries and deaths to improving our US. Health care system , ACP has a strong and consistent national presence.

Our work in Vermont is essential. Providing your comments about fall 2022 resolutions to our Governor is one way you can help and contribute to the national dialogue from our Chapter perspective.

We can provide our insight into the Vermont political process through our Chapter and our Health and Public Policy Committee. There are different ways to do this, such as endorsing ACP policy positions and partnering with other organizations, such as the Vermont Medical Society Vermont specialty societies, or the Vermont Public Health Association.

Where to start? Take a look at ACP's Chapter toolkit The Advocacy Education and Best Practices section is especially helpful. Then, get involved! Join our Health and Public Policy Committee, attend our annual Chapter meeting, and ad your voice to these discussions. Email me

Jan K. Carney, MD, MPH, MACP, is the past Governor of the Vermont ACP Chapter and currently serves as the chair of our chapter's Health & Public Policy Committee as well as on the national ACP's Board of Regents. By day she is the Associate Dean for Public Health & Health Policy and Director of the Graduate Public Health Program at the Larner College of Medicine.

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Vermont ACP Chapter Resident and Fellow Council

Tanesha Beebe-Peat, MD

Formed in 2021, the council exists to help residents and fellows become advocates for their patients both inside and outside of the hospital within legislation and decision making. The goal is to help residents and fellows understand what it takes to form legislation with advocacy informational workshops and encourage residents and fellows to be more active in the ACP. The council chairs bridge the conversation between the residents and fellows and the Vermont ACP Council. It is open to any resident or fellow Vermont ACP member who wants to become more active for patients at a higher level. Email me if you are interested in participating.

Tanesha Beebe-Peat, MD, is a PGY-3 resident in internal medicine at the University of Vermont Medical Center, a member of the Vermont ACP Council, and the chair of the chapter's Resident and Fellow Council.

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Join the Early Career Physicians Council!

David Rand DO, MPH

The Vermont ACP Early Career Physicians Council welcomes ACP members who are within 16 years of medical school graduation. The council is just getting off the ground and seeks input and participation from VT ACP chapter members. An Early Career Physicians Council meet & greet get event is planned for late September, date and time TBA. Please email me (David Rand DO, MPH ) with your interest.

David Rand DO, MPH, recently assumed the role of Chair of the Early Career Physicians Council for the Vermont ACP Chapter. He is a hospitalist and palliative care physician at the University of Vermont Medical Center.

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Physician Well-being and Professional Fulfillment

Jason Bartsch, MD

When I chose a career in medicine, it was because being of service to others is always a humbling experience that constantly reminds me of our shared humanity. As a physician, I have the privilege of meeting humans when they are unwell, with the specific purpose of identifying, and ideally alleviating, their suffering. Identifying and alleviating suffering are the main tenets of compassion. Caring for others with compassion gives me a deep sense of purpose and keeps me well as an individual while doing my work.

As your ACP Chapter Wellness Champion, I see wellness in medicine as being the active process of focusing on the meaningful nature of the work we do every single day as healthcare providers. Unfortunately, there are many things that can obscure the meaningful nature of our work. These include the challenges of navigating the electronic medical record, limited time spent with patients, administrative tasks, and the complexity of navigating our broken healthcare system, to name just a few. These challenges are certainly not going away anytime soon. While that is true, it is important to remember that we always remain in control of how we respond to these challenges. Misguided responses to such challenges can cause burnout. Targeted responses to such challenges can lead to needed change. Over the past 3 years in particular, I have focused much of my personal effort on finding better ways for me to meet the challenges that make it hard for me to focus on the meaning of my work. Through personal effort and specific training in the neurobiology of stress, I have learned many strategies that keep my focus always on what matters most. By doing so, I am able to better identify which challenges truly need and deserve my attention, and which are insignificant and not worth expending mental energy. I look forward to being able to share what I have learned with as many of you as possible. I hope we can also collaborate to find ways to identify challenges that may prevent you from seeing the meaning in your work in order to eliminate or reframe these challenges. More than anything, I most look forward to hearing what does connect you to your work, as the way we get to know and help others in their time of need is truly a remarkable privilege that hopefully keeps us all well!

Jason Bartsch, MD, is the Wellness Champion for the Vermont ACP Chapter, as well as a hospitalist the University of Vermont Medical Center and the Inpatient Medicine Clerkship Course Director at the Larner College of Medicine. More resources for physician well-being and professional fulfillmentcan be found on the ACP website. Dr. Bartsch can be contacted at jason.bartsch@uvmhealth.org

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Vermont Chapter Financials

Our chapter's financial position remains good. Please see a summary of the finances from FY2022 (which closed on June 30, 2022) below. Income and expenses were favorable to budget. Income was notable for strong membership and the chapter excellence award. The virtual, as opposed to in-person, meeting in 2021, resulted in fewer chapter meeting-related expenses. We were delighted to support medical student abstract competition winners to travel to Chicago and present at the national meeting this year, as well as support a medical student to attend the annual ACP Leadership Day in Washington, DC.

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