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The Chairman's Message

Spring 2005

The District Advisory Council held its interim meeting March 5, 2005. There are several items of interest to report.

1. The Florida project "Cardiovascular Disease: Screening and Treatment in Women" developed by Ed Carney, MD, Florida Section Vice Chair and Chair-Elect, has been nominated as the entry from District IV for the national award given to the best section project.
2. Shelly Holmstrum, MD, former JF District IV Chair and now on the faculty at USF, has accepted the position of Junior Fellow Advisor on the Florida Section Advisory Council. She will be a regular contributor to future editions of this newsletter and will highlight the activity of Junior Fellows in Florida.
3. To stimulate interest in the choice of a career in OB/GYN, the Junior Fellows conducted a national essay contest “What’s Write with OB/GYN.” Each district selected a winner nominated for the national award. Randy Fink, MD from Miami was the winner in District IV. His excellent essay is reprinted as the inaugural JF column in this newsletter. Despite all the problems we face, with talented and hardworking young physicians like Shelly and Randy, I am optimistic about the future of our specialty.
4. The face of the new Congress has changed with the Republican majority in the Senate picking up two new seats. In addition there are now 11 physicians in Congress with one obstetrician gynecologist. We are now that much closer to making headway on our highest priority-tort reform. A bill establishing a confidential reporting system for medical errors and near misses, an important element to improve patient safety, has already passed out of the Senate HELP Committee.
5. In 1997 a Circuit Court of Appeal provided injunctive relief from a law that would have placed a significant barrier in the way of women seeking pregnancy termination and would have interfered in the physician-patient relation. This ruling is now under consideration by the Florida Supreme Court.
6. Brought to our attention by Jay Trabin, MD, Florida Section Secretary-Treasurer, and with the help of Penny Rutledge, ACOG General Counsel, and Al Strunk, MD, JD, the Florida Section filed an Amicus Brief against this law.
7. ACOG’s Grievance Committee is hard at work reviewing grossly incorrect or misleading expert testimony in closed liability cases. As a result of their work, five ACOG Fellows have resigned and two have been expelled. Other Fellows have received lesser sanction. Knowing the possible repercussions, Fellows will think twice before giving untrue, egregious testimony.
8. For the 2005 Annual District Meeting we will join our colleagues from District III and IX in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, October 28-30. With the combined talents and resources of three districts there will be a superb scientific program and exciting social activities. Mark your calendar and make plans to join us.

As you can see, on the local, district and national scene, the ACOG has been busy serving the Fellows and our patients.