Weekly Member Update - July 1, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the recent American Medical Association (AMA) annual meeting, in addition to the appointment of Andrew Gurman, MD to Speaker of the House of Delegates, two of our Hand Society members were honored with chairships of AMA workgroups.  Peter Amadio, MD was elected Chair of the Specialty and Service Societies, and was also appointed vice chair of the Group Practice Advisory Committee by the AMA Board.   ASSH member and Hand Caucus member Robert Havlik, MD also served as Chair of the Reference Committee.   Thank you to everyone who represented our field at the AMA national conference.

 

 

Thanks to our Immediate Past President Robert M. Szabo, MD and input from attendees, last year's Members Business Meeting was the best attended meeting in years, so it was decided to continue to use the new format. 

 

Please share your input to help shape the 2011 Members Business Meeting agenda.  This open format gives you an opportunity to share your ideas, and interact with your colleagues about issues that are important to you and your career.

 

Complete the topic suggestion and open-ended response form to offer your ideas by July 15.  We will identify the most popular areas for discussion, and later ask everyone to rank topics of interest to finalize the agenda by August 5th.

 

 

Do Not Miss Your Opportunity to Apply to the AFSH Board of Trustees – Deadline is July 5th

 

The role of the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand is vital to the future of the field of upper extremity surgery.  The AFSH funds vital research and education projects that lead to groundbreaking innovation in surgery and treatment. 

 

The AFSH Nominating Committee, chaired by Robert M. Szabo, MD, would like to invite all Active Members to apply to the AFSH Board of Trustees.  Members of the Board should be committed to the Foundation's Mission and also be willing to contribute and raise funds to support that mission.  Open positions on the board include Secretary and Trustee at large.

 

Complete the online application by July 5, 2011.  Please contact Alexzandra Wallace at awallace@assh.org with questions.

 

 

The 2011 Young Leaders Program Application Is Now Available

 

The Young Leaders Program is a leadership development program for young members who are interested in becoming more involved in the Hand Society and are dedicated to the future of hand surgery.  For more information about the program, visit our website or complete the Online Application.

 

The deadline for applications is August 1, 2011.  Questions should be sent to Alexzandra Wallace at awallace@assh.org.

 

 

 

Hand surgery fellows or surgical residents in ACGME-accredited programs are invited to apply for the 2011 Resident and Fellow Fast-Track Seed Grants.  Funding will be limited to one applicant per institution.  The AFSH believes that hand surgery residents and fellows benefit from a research funding mechanism that offers a small amount of funding to seed innovative projects related to hand surgery.  That's why the program is geared towards projects of smaller scope and allows for faster funding than the traditional AFSH basic science and clinical research grants.

 

Deadline for application is August 15, 2011.  Funding decisions will be made by October. Submission requirements have been modified, so be sure to read the application instructions on the ASSH website.

 

 

 

The June Issue of the Business of Hand Surgery Newsletter is now available.  This issue features the article “Make Interviewing Easier” by KarenZupko & Associates.  Learn more about hiring strategies in this month’s article.

 

 

 

Thanks to the partnership of hundreds of donors each year the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand continues to make a difference in patient care, research, and education.  We especially thank these donors who made a contribution to the Foundation in the past week. 

 

 

You can make a difference through your contribution today, visit www.afsh.org or contact us at afsh@assh.org.

 

 

 

In a letter to President Obama, a group of more than 100 medical societies, including the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, has requested a repeal of the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and permanent reform of the Medicare physician payment system. The organizations argue that the SGR, which currently calls for a 29.5 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursement beginning January 1, 2012, should be addressed as part of any authorization to increase the national debt ceiling.  Read more.