05/12/2023

GSACEP President's Message

Lt Col (ret) Roderick Fontenette, MD, FACEP

Hello team GSACEP!!!

As I sit in the airport waiting for my connecting flight to Washington D.C. to attend the ACEP Leadership and Advocacy Conference (LAC), I think back to GSS23 and all I can say is WOW!! If you attended, you know exactly what I mean. It was an absolutely amazing conference filled with high-yield lectures, mentoring sessions, hands-on lab events, and what some are calling the highlight of the entire conference (please don’t tell Sean!): our annual Resident SIMWars competition! Congratulations to Team SAMMC for pulling in the victory this year (that actually hurt to say). Hats off to the conference planning team for all the hard work and countless hours of meetings and e-mails that went into putting together a great event that had something for everyone!

I would like to once again congratulate our award winners! Thank you for the hard work you do for the chapter, for the specialty, and most importantly, for our patients. The backbone of this chapter is its outstanding members, and I take pride in any chance we get to highlight and acknowledge your tremendous efforts. A special congratulations to Dr. Katey Osborne who is the inaugural recipient of the COL (Dr.) Dave Barry Fellowship in Leadership Development! Katey will have two outstanding Advisors (Dr. Andrea Austin and Dr. Linda Lawrence) and will meet frequently to discuss what it truly means to be a dynamic leader in today’s healthcare sector (military and civilian) and to network and advocate for issues important to our specialty and the patients we serve. We are all looking forward to the great work and unique perspective Katey will bring to the fellowship. Katey, know that we are all here to support you along your journey!

With each GSS, the newly elected members of the board take the mantle and begin serving in their new roles. I would like to welcome CDR Sean Stuart as the President-elect, Lt Col Torree McGowan as the Secretary-Treasurer, and CDR (ret) Dave McClellan to his new role as Councilor. Dave’s tremendous contributions to the chapter as Secretary-Treasurer since 1986 were recognized at GSS, and I would like to again personally thank Dave for his selfless service to the chapter and for his tireless efforts to make the chapter as financially solid as we are today. Thank you Dave!

As I head into my first LAC, I am super excited and looking forward to learning from colleagues and many of the leaders in our specialty about how to best advocate for our patients. We are here to promote and bring increased awareness to issues our very own PR & Advocacy team are fighting for. Issues that affect all of us on each and every shift. Issues such as boarding and the public health crisis it truly is, violence towards health care workers, and ensuring Medicare physician reimbursements are indexed to inflation. Gearing up for an exciting trip!

Keep fighting the good fight and know that your chapter representatives are here on the Hill representing you and your efforts to deliver quality care to your patients! I could not be prouder to be your Chapter President and to represent the amazing efforts of our chapter!

~Rod

CDR Sean Stuart and LCDR Katrina Landa - Chair and Sub-chair of the Conference Committee

Excellent resident attendance at the conference

CPT Katey Osborne (center) with mentors Dr. Andrea Austin and Dr. Linda Lawrence

Dr. David McClellan with current GSACEP Chapter President Roderick Fontenette