Mario Ramirez, M.D., and his wife Sarah, of McAllen, were honored for their lifetime contributions at a ceremony hosted by Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., president of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and other friends, family and colleagues. Ramirez retired from UTHSC on March 31, 2007, where he served as vice president for South Texas/border initiatives.

Ramirez practiced family medicine in Starr County for 43 years. In 1950, he opened his practice in his hometown of Roma, Texas, where he stayed until 1975. While in Roma, he opened Starr County’s first hospital and served as the area’s only physician for half of that time. Ramirez received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and completed an internship and residency at Shreveport Charity Hospital.

“During medical school I applied for a pediatrics residency but then said no, I can’t go back to my hometown and be the only doctor there if I specialize, but I’ve got to go into family medicine and take care of the whole family,” Ramirez said in an interview with the UTHSC at San Antonio.

In 1975, he moved his practice to Rio Grande City and served as chief of staff at Starr County Memorial Hospital. Ramirez was named AAFP’s Family Physician of the Year in 1978 and is a life member of TAFP of which he has been a part since 1958.

Ramirez served as Starr County judge from 1969 to 1978 and was appointed to the University of Texas System Board of Regents from 1989 to 1995. After his service on the Board, he joined UTHSC where he established and led the Med/Ed Program, which encourages students in the lower Rio Grande Valley and Laredo to pursue health and science careers.

Cigarroa presented Ramirez with a commemorative Health Science Center chair and debuted a video tribute to Ramirez and his wife at the April 2 ceremony.

News from C. Frank Webber

Family physicians unite to advance family medicine

Almost 350 physicians, residents and students gathered at the Hilton Austin Airport to attend this year’s C. Frank Webber Lectureship and Interim Session March 1-3, 2007. The busy weekend was filled with CME lectures; committee, commission and section meetings; and special events for all participants.

CME topics ranged from lectures on vertebral compression fractures to the diagnosis and management of autism, plus an update on current happenings in the Texas Legislature presented by TAFP President Doug Curran, M.D., of Athens.

TAFP hosted the Texas Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Students Saturday, which combined lectures specifically tailored for future family physicians with an interactive resident-led procedures fair. Morning lecture topics concentrated on the feasibility of starting and sustaining a family medicine practice. That afternoon, students and residents switched gears as residency programs from around Texas showed students the full scope of family medicine through hands-on procedure demonstrations. Students practiced simulations of joint injections, skin lesion removal, colposcopies, perineal repairs, endometrial biopsies and others.

The TAFP Board of Directors meeting concluded the weekend where board members heard reports and recommendations from TAFP’s committees, commissions and sections. Among the actions taken by the Board were decisions to coordinate a Leadership conference for TAFP members in the fall, create a student scholarship fund in honor of TAFP’s long-time executive director Jim White and support the TAFP service project Physicians with Heart benefiting the Gabbard Health Program in Corpus Christi.

At the Commission on Legislative and Public Affairs, AAFP Board Member Roland Goertz, M.D., of Waco, presented the national Academy’s strategy to support the specialty over the next year. Called the “strategic three,” the Board will focus on increasing advocacy on a national level, supporting practice enhancement projects like TransforMED and supporting medical education for family medicine students and residents.

The Commission on Public Health, Clinical Affairs and Research voted to continue participating in the TMA’s Hard Hats for Little Heads program, a bicycle safety initiative that allows physicians to support bicycle safety among their community’s youth, and to support AAFP’s position on HPV vaccination. The Commission awarded Janet Realini, M.D., of San Antonio, the Public Health Award for her work with project WORTH, a teen health education program.

TAFP would like to congratulate other award recipients named at Interim Session. John Richmond, M.D., associate director of the UT Southwestern Family Practice Residency Program, was named TAFP Physician of the Year, and Mathis Blackstock, M.D., a retired physician from Austin, was named Physician Emeritus. All TAFP award recipients will be honored at the Annual Session Awards Lunch in Corpus Christi, Saturday, July 28.

AHA recognizes Swegler as a champion of heart health

TAFP Past President Erica Swegler, M.D., was awarded the American Heart Association’s Distinguished Service Award in February for her contributions to heart health in her community and around the state. At the Texas Council on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke of which she is a member, Swegler was recognized for being a “tireless champion” for “many cardiovascular and stroke quality initiatives.” She has also worked to advance programs such as the National Committee for Quality Assurance Heart and Stroke Recognition Program in Texas, an AHA press release reports.

Swegler identifies family physicians as integral to treating these disorders because they see patients on a daily basis with high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

“We are the front line on preventing the effects of these preventable events,” Swegler says. “As the emphasis is shifting from treating the disease to preventing the disease, family physicians have the greatest opportunity to ensure the welfare of their patients by giving quality care and up-to-date guidance on lifestyle changes to our patients to help them have healthier, more productive lives.”

She first became involved with the AHA in 1999 when she served as TAFP’s representative to the AHA-Texas Affiliate meeting. From there, Swegler attended the Texas Council on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in 2002 as the TAFP representative and later was awarded an appointment by Gov. Rick Perry to serve a term as a member of the council from 2005-2011.

As a recipient of the award, the AHA has named a research grant in her honor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. The study, led by Glenn Dillion, Ph.D., is titled “Regulation of surface expression of glycine receptors by PKC-mediated endocytosis.”

TAFP members appointed to TMA councils

Two TAFP members were appointed to positions on policy councils of the Texas Medical Association in March.

Lewis Foxhall, M.D., of Houston, was nominated to serve a three-year term on the Council on Legislation. The council deals with legislative matters on both the state and national levels and reports to TMA’s House of Delegates and the Board of Trustees. The council acts as TMA’s representative in carrying out legislative policy as established by the House of Delegates and the Board, and can establish interim legislative positions for TMA.

Dana Sprute, M.D., of Austin, was nominated to serve a one-year term on TMA’s Council on Public Health. The council aims to establish TMA as an authoritative source of public health information; identify key public health issues and design association programs to address the issues; and anticipate issues and form association policy in the public health arena.