Now that fall is here, we’re all busy with a variety of medical association meetings. I’ve just returned from the World Medical Association meeting in South Africa, and I’ve spent much of the last two months attending meetings of a dozen different international, national, state and local medical associations.
I enjoy these meetings because of the lively discussions that take place surrounding medicine’s most important topics. The upcoming 2014 AMA Interim Meeting, Nov. 8-11 in Dallas, will be no exception.
More than 500 representatives in the AMA House of Delegates will join me in Dallas to debate and make policy that will affect the future of medicine. These students, residents and physicians will come from every state and territorial medical society, 118 medical specialty societies, and the AMA sections, along with the American Medical Women’s Association, the National Medical Association and the five federal services.
It’s exciting to hear physicians from so many locations and backgrounds discuss such varied issues, and it’s a true testament to the power of physician collaboration around common goals to support patients and the profession. Through the AMA, we speak with a unified voice.
If you’re an AMA member, you can add your voice to ours by weighing in on reports and resolutions to come before the House during the meeting. Just log in to the Online Member Forums to review items, sorted by reference committee, and submit comments on any item.
Although the forums will be open until just before the start of the meeting, make your comments by 7 p.m. Eastern time Nov. 2 to ensure your opinions are included in the comment summaries that will go to each reference committee and will be posted on the Interim Meeting website.
The Online Member Forums make it easy to contribute from wherever you are, even if you aren’t able to attend the meeting or aren’t a delegate. The forums give anyone a chance to participate in the democratic process and contribute to the AMA’s powerful voice.
I look forward to hearing and reading all of the thoughtful, informed debate at the Interim Meeting.
