Newsletter: Membership Awards and More

MISSISSIPPI ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS

Newsletter - May 11, 2022

Drs. Cierra Green and Morgan Miller

Drs. Paul Pavlov, Carlos Latorre, Stephen Hammack and James Griffin

Dr. Robert Berg and medical student Dan Paglia

Dr. Mary Gayle Armstrong, Kim Mathis, Dr. David Moody

EC HealthNet residents Drs. Elena Louie, Susie Mao, Jisun Kang, Urooj Shahid

Drs. David Wheat, Lee Greer, Scott Martin

More Than 100 Attend Spring Conference

More than 100 family physicians, family medicine residents and medical students joined us in Flowood for MAFP's Spring Conference April 22-24. The conference featured 9 hours of CME, 30 exhibitors and a fun social event. The CME sessions were held Saturday and Sunday morning. Highlighting the conference was the Saturday night social by the pool at the Sheraton. Photos can be found on the MAFP's Facebook page.

The MAFP Board of Directors and MAFP Foundation Board of Trustees had meetings during the weekend, and MAFP also hosted collaboration meetings among Mississippi family medicine residency program directors and program coordinators.

This year brought back the Spring Fling event for residents and students and more than 60 attended. The groups met in separate breakout rooms from the doctors, hearing specialized speakers. During the day, they elected student and resident board members as follows:

MAFP Board of Directors:

Resident Voting Member -- Tiffany Chapman, DO, ECHealthNet FM Residency, Meridian

Resident Alternate Member - John Fardell, MD, MS Delta FM Residency, Greenville

Student Voting Member - Stacy Mitchell, William Carey Univ. COM, Hattiesburg

Student Alternate Member - Torrye Evans, Univ. of Mississippi SOM, Jackson

MAFP Foundation Board of Trustees:

Resident Voting Member - Jessica Joy Jenkins, MD, MS Delta FM Residency, Greenville

Resident Alternate Member - Anthony Carter - MS Delta FM Residency, Greenville

Student Voting Member - Richard Easterling, Univ. of Mississippi SOM, Jackson

Student Alternate - Daniel Paglia, William Carey Univ. COM, Hattiesburg

MAFP Passes Resolution Honoring Dr. Dobbs

The MAFP Board of Directors on April 22 passed a resolution honoring Dr. Thomas Dobbs, State Health Officer, as he is leaving the MS State Department of Health in July.

Dr. Dobbs attended the MAFP Spring Conference as a speaker and he was recognized at the conclusion of his speech. Doing the honors was Dr. Luke Lampton of Magnolia, a MAFP past president who is also a State Board of Health member and former BOH chairman. On behalf of the Academy, Dr. Lampton (pictured left) read the resolution and presented Dobbs (right) with a gift and a framed print.

The resolution reads in part: "Dr. Dobbs has been a wonderful asset to the State of Mississippi and its citizens during his service and leadership as State Health Officer, a class act and a steady voice who guided us during our time of crisis, a true public servant who devoted himself to the safety and health of all Mississippians and did about ten years of work during the past two years, and his many contributions to public health are greatly appreciated by the physicians and people of this state." Full text.

Mississippi's delegation to the AAFP's ACLF/NCCL event in Kansas City, including Drs. Ray, Teague and Gibson; Kristen Kern; Drs. Latorre, Pierre and Agnew.

NCCL delegates from Mississippi Drs. Agnew, Ray, Teague, Gibson, and Pierre.

Mississippi sends full delegation to AAFP's National Conference of Constituency Leaders

Six MAFP members represented the state in Kansas City April 27-30 at the AAFP National Conference of Constituency Leaders (NCCL) and Annual Chapter Leaders Forum (ACLF). Led by MAFP President Carlos Latorre, MD, FAAFP, of Vicksburg, the group was also joined by MAFP staff member Kristen Kern.

Members of the NCCL delegation included:

Shewanda Agnew, MD of Hernando - Representing LGBTQ and Allies
Don Gibson, MD of Brandon - Representing Minorities
Ardarian Pierre, MD of Jackson - Representing IMG Graduates
Hannah Ray, MD of Indianola - Representing Women Physicians
Terri Teague, DO of Oxford - Representing New Physicians (Up to 7 Years Out of Residency)

The group attended a welcome reception Wednesday night and leadership and caucus sessions Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with family physicians from around the country. At night the delegation ate together as a group, with the highlight coming Friday night at Kauffman Stadium when they attended a Kansas City Royals game together.

CME Topics, Theme Announced;

Registration Open for Annual Meeting

Registration is now open for MAFP's 73rd Annual Scientific Assembly, scheduled for July 16-20, 2022, at Sandestin Resort in Destin, Florida! We expect more than 140 family physicians to attend and we hope you are one of them! Registration links can be found here.

We were excited to announce our annual meeting theme, Family Medicine Takes the Crown, at our Spring Conference last week. Our MAFP President Dr. Carlos Latorre serves on the board of the Miss Mississippi Pageant and our Foundation sponsors Miss Mississippi to travel all over our state to teach Tar Wars. The theme is a great fit, and we're ready to honor family physicians like royalty at this year's meeting!

CME Topics include the following:

5 Things I Wish I Knew Last Year – Louis Kuritzky, MD, Gainesville, FL
Top Ten Articles of the Year for Family Physicians – Lessa Phillips, MD, Jackson, MS
Navigating a Compliant Quality Focus for Your Practice: 2022 Strategies – E.G. “Nick” Ulmer, MD, FAAFP, Spartanburg, SC
Role and Utility of Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists in Diabetic Kidney Disease – Stephen Brunton, MD, FAFP, Winnsboro, SC
Dementia – John Norton, MD, Jackson, MS
Treatment Strategies for Basal Insulins to Manage Time-in-Range and Glucose Variability to Improve Outcomes in Patients With Diabetes – Louis Kuritzky, MD, Gainesville, FL
Overcoming the Causes and Consequences of Chronic Hyperkalemia – Biff Palmer, MD
Acne Management – Louis Kuritzky, MD, Gainesville, FL
Educating the Next Generation of Family Physicians – Joanna Drowos, DO, Boca Raton, FL
New Drug Update Parts 1 & 2 – C. Wayne Weart, PharmD, Charleston, SC
Schizophrenia – John Norton, MD, Jackson, MS
BONUS 2-HOUR WORKSHOP (no additional charge): Show Me the Money: Transition Care Management: Managing the Hospital to Home Journey - E.G. “Nick” Ulmer, MD, FAAFP, Spartanburg, SC
And More

Members Gathered at Grand Rounds

in Meridian, Hattiesburg

Members, family medicine residents and faculty, medical students and undergraduate rural scholars attended the MAFP's Grand Rounds sessions in Meridian March 31 and Hattiesburg April 11.

Welcome and introductions were made by MAFP President Dr. Carlos Latorre of Vicksburg at both sessions. In Meridian, Program Director Dr. Sarah Anderson of ECHealthNet Family Medicine Residency, spoke and three residents made case presentations. In Hattiesburg, Program Director Dr. Rambod Rouhbahksh of Forrest General Family Medicine Residency spoke and Dr. Charles Griffith gave a presentation on transitions of care. The Hattiesburg session was held on campus and hosted by William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and medical students joined in.

The Grand Rounds events highlight FM residency programs around the state and are held in the host cities. Sessions will be held in Gulfport, Tupelo Jackson and Southaven in the coming months.

Dr. John Fardell, MS Delta Family Medicine Residency

Kristy Hansen, Student,

William Carey Univ. COM

Victoria Ly, Student,

William Carey Univ. COM

Three MAFP Members Take Part in AAFP Emerging Leaders Institute

Student Kristy Hansen of William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCUCOM) has been named one of only 30 national participants in the 2022-23 AAFP Emerging Leaders Institute (ELI).

Two MAFP members were chosen as participants in the 2021-22 ELI including resident Dr. John Fardell of Mississippi Delta Family Medicine Residency and Victoria Ly of WCUCOM. Both received mentorship from an AAFP member family physician and completed a leadership project. As part of ELI they took part in face-to-face and virtual meetings throughout the year.

John Fardell, MD: Dr. Fardell created a 12-episode podcast called Future Family Medicine Leaders, with the goal of discussing all aspects of leadership in medicine. He interviewed 12 physicians for the podcast, including 3 Mississippians - Dr. Thomas Dobbs of Laurel, Dr. Lessa Phillips of Jackson, and Dr. Brent Smith of Cleveland.

Victoria Ly: Ly created a website, Nutritiously You, aimed at improving health literacy and nutrition within the Hattiesburg area. "The inspiration behind this stems from my own experiences around obesity, food as a cultural centerpiece, empowerment, and preventative health."

Practice Enhancement Course - 20 Hours CME

(See video below) MAFP is offering a special Practice Enhancement Through Clinically-Correct Coding series with up to 20 CME hours to our members. This is an educational series designed to empower front-line physicians with knowledge and strategies to successfully navigate the clinical world of coding, billing and documentation of key offerings in primary care. The courses are authored by South Carolina family physician Dr. Nick Ulmer, a certified professional coder who has spoken at MAFP events over the years. There are 23 modules in the course offering and you can choose the ambulatory or hospital-based track to customize your learning. Watch the short video to learn more, and go to the ProTime website to sign up.

Nominate a Colleague for MAFP's Academy Awards by June 1

It's time to nominate a fellow family physician for the MAFP's annual awards, including Family Physician of the Year, Humanitarian Award, Military Award and New Physician of the Year. To nominate a member, please review the criteria for each award and complete the nomination form. The deadline for nominations is June 1 each year. Online Nominating Form - (only takes 2 minutes).

Resolutions Sought by June 15

Is there a family medicine issue that concerns you? Do you have a colleague who needs recognition? Consider writing a resolution!

All Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians members are invited to write and submit resolutions for consideration at the MAFP Business Meeting held on the Tuesday during the MAFP Annual Scientific Assembly. Submissions are due June 15 each year.

Writing and presenting resolutions is a great opportunity to direct MAFP policy and address issues of interest or concern to family physicians and family medicine. Resolutions can also honor outstanding individual achievement or memorialize deceased family physician leaders. More information.

Save These Dates for MAFP's 2022 Events

Save the date for these upcoming Academy events:

Annual Meeting - July 16-20, 2022 in Sandestin, FL
Fall Conference - October 28-30, 2022 at The Inn at Ole Miss, Oxford
Primary Care Day at the Capitol - February 7, 2023 in Jackson
Spring Conference - April 21-23, 2023 at Sheraton Refuge Hotel, Flowood

Membership Anniversaries and New Member Report

Drs. J.D. Polk (45 years), Mary Gayle Armstrong (35), Sheila Jeff (25), Cierra Green (10), Scott Wolfe (25) and Dewayne Gammell (15) were honored for their membership anniversaries at the Spring Conference in Flowood.

Drs. Samuel Crosby (35 years), Lane Pitts (30), Bert Beisel (25) and Melanie Hall (15) were honored for their membership anniversaries at the Grand Rounds in Hattiesburg.