ACPM
President’s Column:
YES WE CAN! AND DID! AND WILL CONTINUE TO
DO SO – AT ACPM!
By Michael D. Parkinson, MD, MPH, FACPM –
ACPM President
We can
“grow the pipeline” of public
health and preventive medicine
physicians. And we can increase the
number of physicians and other health care
providers committed to disease prevention,
health promotion and evidence-based
approaches to improving health and health
care. Through ongoing participation with
the Institute of Medicine, proactive
Capitol Hill Days with Board members and
residents visiting Congressional offices,
and behind-the-scenes networking and
political savvy, ACPM has made the case
that doubling our nation's preventive
medicine residencies is a critical need.
We've enlisted more co-sponsors than ever
before and with the reintroduction of
S1120 and HR 3404, the “Preventive
Medicine and Public Health Training Act,”
we will be successful.
We can “build the brand”
of ACPM, its Fellows, members and staff
through high value and visible products,
services and alliances. ACPM's “brand”
has benefited from demonstrating again
and again that we stand for evidence-based
public health, clinical preventive
services and systems-based approaches to
improving health and reducing excessive
costs. Through leadership in the
Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease and
other influential policy coalitions we
have made the clear and compelling
statement that prevention and preventive
medicine are the antidote to the epidemic
of chronic disease, which is bankrupting
the health and budget of Americans.
We can go “direct to the 3C's” –
citizens, consumers, and new
constituencies – to impact more people,
leaders, and organizations to advance our
mission. We did create and launch ACPM's
Corporate Roundtable to extend our reach
and impact; partner with ACPM experts in
preventive cardiology, clinical preventive
medicine and epidemiology to improve the
use of aspirin to save 45,000 American
lives annually; present to physicians,
employers, legislators and consumers
during the presidential campaign and the
transition team; and build national and
state-level partnerships with the American
Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and
other groups to take the message of public
health, healthy behaviors and enlightened
health care reform to citizens, companies
and key stakeholders.
We can. We did. And we will continue to
be the only medical specialty society
dedicated to disease prevention, health
promotion and systems-based improvement in
health care. It has been an honor to lead
and represent you and your ACPM
colleagues: 2,400 fellows, members,
residents and students strong. Thank you
for your intellect, passion and support.
See you in LA for PM 2009!
