President’s Message: 11.17.08
It is that time of the year, when we like to remind ourselves to thank each other and to thank God for what we have.
On that note, I want to thank you all for supporting our Academy Chapter in continuing to be the largest chapter in Texas. Your encouragement of our medical students and residents to pursue family medicine as their careers is highly appreciated. Your financial support towards the Pruessner Scholarship fund and the Garrison research fund is very commendable and is a showcase of your commitment and support toward our specialty.
I wish you all a very safe, blessed and happy Thanksgiving!
In good health…
With best wishes and warm regards,
Ashok Tripathy, M.D., FAAFP
President, Harris County Academy of Family Physicians
President’s Message: 5.27.08
As we are drawing close to summer, on behalf of the HCAFP Executive committee and me, I wish you all a very safe and happy summer vacation with your family and friends.
During the first half of the year, we conducted majority of our scientific monthly meetings at a central location in Houston, but took some of these meeting venues also to your neighborhood communities — in the West and Southeast side of Houston. In the future, we hope to bring some of these meetings to other areas of the city, since we believe that your participation in these activities is crucial to our success as a chapter.
We hope you will take sincere interest in our Academy’s chapter activities. The next scientific meeting scheduled on September 10, 2008 is focused on the current challenges we face as a specialty and in the business of medicine in general. We are entertaining any questions related to these above issues to be forwarded to us by the third week of August 2008. We hope you will be able to join us and make this event a success.
I would also like to remind you that this year the Texas Academy of Family Physicians is hosting the 59th Annual Session and Scientific Assembly in Houston, Texas, July 16-20, 2008 at the Westin Galleria Hotel. Our Chapter welcomes the TAFP and its constituent chapter members, with their families, to Houston, and wishes them a very successful 59th Annual session.
Wishing you all good health and a safe summer!
With personal regards,
Ashok Tripathy, M.D., FAAFP
President, Harris County Academy of Family Physicians
President’s Message: 2.25.08
The New Year has started with a bang and I wish you all a very healthy and prosperous New Year!!
I am honored and humbled to be your president for 2008; of the largest chapter in the state of Texas, and one of the largest and most effective county chapters of the American Academy of Family Physicians. We have close to 800 members. Our local medical schools—both Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas at Houston, are an integral part of our Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world. Our residents are affiliated with six different residency tracks.
Our General Scientific meetings are held monthly, from January through May and September through December. We approximate about 80-100 attendees at these meetings, including members, students and residents in family medicine from local medical schools and residency programs. We are continually striving to increase our attendance at these meetings. Following a talk of popular interest (CME and non-CME topics, related to mainstream traditional medicine, business of medicine, ethics etc.) by a guest speaker, the attendees are informed of new developments and upcoming meetings. During the last two years, the growth in attendance by our medical students and residents from University of Texas at Houston and Baylor College of Medicine has been remarkable. We see this as an opportunity to showcase family medicine and have these new talents network with colleagues in the Houston area. Our executive committee/board meets once a quarter to discuss and vote on various issues of interest.
We have several scholarships and awards. The Pruessner scholarships (one from each medical school) are awarded to students in family medicine each year, from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas at Houston based on their individual merits in academics, talents and other achievements. Residents also compete for individual attendance awards.
We are also proud to honor the accomplishments and contributions of our most deserving fellow colleagues, by awarding the Physician of the Year and the Physician Emeritus awards.
In the past year, we have developed a new website, www.hcafp.org, to recognize our chapter—the Harris County Academy of Family Physicians. This is hosted by the Texas Academy of Family Physicians and there are many hyperlinks for state and national references. I encourage members to use some of these links to get involved in advocacy, and even to work with our Academy to promote health through various ongoing programs. Most recently, we have provided the link to our website in the electronic invitations for our monthly scientific meetings.
Our state and national academies welcome your participation through writing letters, becoming key contacts and being involved in the state and national Political Action Committee. Increasingly, family physicians are finding a need to and realizing the importance of advocating for our patients and our profession. Health care is too important to be left to our politicians without strong input, guidance and assistance, by those who are involved in providing care and understand the strengths and weaknesses of our system. Everybody is trying to find a solution to our present health care system. Consumers want convenience. Payers want quality and cost effective care, performance reporting and payment. Are we ready for the challenge?
We welcome our members to actively participate in our Academy at the local and state level. Our executive director, Mr. Leon Rochen, and our liaison with the Harris County Medical Society, Ms. LaCoya Boone, are always available to answer your queries.
In good health….
With best wishes and warm regards,
Ashok Tripathy M.D, FAAFP
President, Harris County Academy of Family Physicians