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

[email protected]

207-938-5005