MAFP Issues Formal Apology
August 5, 2020

Dear MAFP Member,

We are profoundly sorry for scheduling the MAFP Annual Conference during the Holy Day of Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish New Year.

It was an egregious oversight, and we are are deeply sorry for the hurt that we caused our Jewish members and the Jewish community. One of the beautiful features of Rosh Hashanah is the opportunity to reflect on the past year, and grow into a better person. In that spirit, the Maine Academy of Family Physicians seeks to learn and grow from this error.

We have already implemented steps to ensure that scheduling future events will not interfere with important religious or cultural observances by using the Interfaith calendar that can be found at https://chaplain.williams.edu/multifaith-religious-holiday-calendar -2020-2021/. We welcome suggestions about religious or cultural refinements.

The Maine Academy of Family Physicians constantly strives to be an inclusive and respectful organization. We welcome any input and suggestions from any members.

Due to the COVID pandemic, this year’s Conference will have a different format. We will be holding a “simulated Live broadcast” with pre-recorded sessions that will be made available to all registered participants via weblink for later viewing for a period of 6 months.

Respectfully,
The Board of MAFP
Silwana Sidorczuk MD, FAAFP, MAFP President
Frank Bellino MD, FAAFP, President Elect
Judith Chamberlain MD, FAAFP, Treasurer
Patrick Connolly MD, Immediate Past President
Susan Cheff MD
Marco Cornelio MD
Arianna Cortesi MD
Benjamin Hagopian MD
Sarah Irving MD, FAAFP
Raghu Kanumalla MD
Dieter Kreckel MD, FAAFP
Jessica Lucas DO
Samuela Manages MD, FAAFP
Elisabeth Fowlie Mock MD, FAAFP, MPH
Jessica Richmond MD, FAAFP
Sam Zager MD, FAAFP, PhD

Maine Academy of Family Physicians
207-938-5005