INSIDE WVSMA
Message from the President
Physician Unity Moves Medicine Through Diversity and Inclusion
Shafic Sraj , MD , MBA-c
Dear West Virginia State Medical Association ( WVSMA ) members , partners , and allies ,
Our 2021 WVSMA Healthcare Summit proved once more that organized medicine is alive and kicking and that our voice continues to be loud and clear . Our summit was our opportunity to get together , connect with each other , and make up for our lost time this past year .
During the summit , I revisited the 1867 call for the creation of the WVSMA and our purpose : reflecting the physicians of West Virginia ( WV ). I also explored how we , the physicians of WV , have been going through a phase of reawakening , trying to figure out how we see ourselves and what we stand for . We have changed over the years . Nowadays , we identify ourselves more based on our expertise and practice settings than where our offices are located . We identify ourselves more along medical fields than along county lines . We are increasingly employed , worry less about running a practice , and care more about being part of a system . We connect better across the state than across the street .
Physicians connect better across the state than across the street . compact organization the entire medical profession of the state of West Virginia ,” and later adds , “ to secure the enactment and enforcement of just medical laws and promote the general welfare of the profession .” Modern translation : the WVSMA calls for physician unity to move medicine .
In the past , physicians united around the few professional organizations almost unconsciously . It was part of their identity — there was no question about it . Today , with so many organizations and so many interests , the physician , especially the young physician , must ask why first . In the past , engagement in county-level meetings was a necessity as county societies were the only vehicles to relay their members ’ positions to the state medical associations and beyond . Modern communication rendered this role obsolete and offered physicians little value in joining county medical societies . Despite this , our governance continues to depend on a critically low number of active county medical societies as encoded in our bylaws .
This calls upon us to reconsider how we govern our organization and develop policy . Does our current governance still support our purpose ? Do the physicians of WV sense an opportunity , through our organization , to move medicine in the direction that serves those we care for ? Does the WVSMA reflect our multidimensionality with today ’ s breadth of physician interests and expertise while holding on to our core values , principles , and fundamental commitment to our profession ?
This rediscovery disconnected us from what used to work in the past and led us to look for new connections that work for us today . This disruption demands a new understanding of our needs and wants and what we are willing to do to achieve those . It is thus upon us to bridge the gap between tradition and change then lead ourselves and those we care about to a new reality , one where we get to shape what we do and take care of each other . We recognize that change is the only given and that passiveness is a slippery slope that leads to failure .
This reality begs a critical question : How will the WVSMA continue to reflect WV physicians in today ’ s world ?
When I face a heavy-weight question like this one , I start at the beginning : our constitution . It reads , “ the purposes of this association shall be to federate and bring into one
West Virginia Medical Journal • June 2021 • 9