The Association’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, was presented to 99 year old trailblazer, Virginia Connally, M.D., Abilene. Dr. Connally was the first female physician in Abilene, practicing as an eye, ear, nose, and throat doctor for 42 years. The J. T. “Lamar” McNew, M.D., Award went to Jackson Griggs, M.D., Waco; the Young at Heart Award went to former TMA President Josie Williams, M.D.; the C. Frank Webber, M.D., Award went to Steve Robinson, M.D, of Lubbock; the Chapter of the Year Award went to TTUHSC students; and Alexandra Iacob, from UT Medical School, Houston was named Student of the Year.
Six recipients received TMA’s Ernest and Sarah Butler Awards for Excellence in Science Teaching, a generous award honoring teachers who help create physicians of tomorrow by inspiring students of today with the love of science.
TMA awarded nine recipients the TMA Minority Scholarship. This award encourages minority students to enter medicine by lightening the financial burden of medical school.
The TMA House of Delegates adopted new policies on numerous important issues.
Highlights include Smoke-Free Texas, more residency slots, and restored funding for the Texas Physician Education Loan Repayment Program and the Statewide Preceptorship Program as priorities for the 2013 Legislative Session. Among other highlights, the House asked for restoration of funding for the State Family Planning Program and the Texas Women’s Health Program; voted to study whether general hospitals in urban counties should have a physician on-site to respond to emergencies 24 hours per day, seven days per week; stated only licensed physicians or their appropriately supervised physician assistants or advanced practice nurses should conduct athletics-participation physicals for Texas schoolchildren; set policy to make Medicare’s Value-Based Purchasing Program fair and financially sound; adopted a new plan to help physicians who belong to inactive county medical societies; supported efforts to prevent elective deliveries prior to 39 weeks of gestation; said TMA should work to require allied health professionals to clearly display proper identification; called for new regulations against, and education about, the dangers of distracted driving; said the state should use only scientifically accurate information in the brochure physicians must give to all patients requesting an abortion, and lawmakers should reduce the loss-of-license penalty for physicians who do not comply with the new abortion-sonogram law; and adopted strong new policy to protect clinical training opportunities for Texas medical students.
The TMA House of Delegates efficiently dispatched more than 100 items on its agenda at its annual session at TexMed. Issues acted on by the House, grouped by the reference committee to which items were referred, can be found on TMA’s House of Delegates Website at: http://www.texmed.org/Verondi/Templates/TierTwo.aspx?pageid=19626.
