June 18, 2020, 12:28 pm News Staff – Although the COVID-19 pandemic meant that for the first time in 30 years, the AAFP could not hold the National Conference of Constituency Leaders this spring, the Academy has found a way to make sure those constituencies -- women, minorities, new physicians, international medical graduates, and LGBT physicians -- are represented in leadership positions.
Danielle Carter, M.D., was elected the new physician member of the AAFP Board of Directors by chapter-designated new physician delegates during online voting that ended June 15. Carter is faculty and obstetrics curriculum co-director for the St. Vincent's Family Medicine Residency program in Jacksonville, Fla. (Note: Carter's seat on the Board is to be approved by the 2020 Congress of Delegates.)
In accordance with the NCCL Rules of Order, an AAFP delegate to the AMA Young Physicians Section has been appointed by AAFP Board Chair John Cullen, M.D., of Valdez, Alaska. That seat will be filled by Kevin Bernstein, M.D., M.M.S., of Jacksonville. Bernstein is a senior medical officer and family/sports medicine physician at Naval Branch Health Clinic Mayport. He is also faculty for the Naval Hospital Jacksonville Family Medicine Residency program.
NCCL delegates typically elect their peers to fill a variety of leadership positions every spring, but because of the pandemic, members elected during the 2019 NCCL -- excluding the new physician Board member and the newly appointed AMA-YPS delegate -- will serve another year. Here are those returning for another year:
New Physician alternate delegates to the AAFP Congress of Delegates: Alex Mroszczyk-McDonald, M.D., of Claremont, Calif.; and Moira Rashid, M.D., of San Francisco.
Member constituency alternate delegates to the AAFP Congress of Delegates: Roma Amin, M.D., of Columbus, Ohio; Nichole Johnson, M.D., of Charlotte, N.C.; Megan Mahowald, M.D., of Spring Lake, N.C.; Daniel Neghassi, M.D., of New York, N.Y.; Chetan Patel, M.D., of Columbus, Ga.; and Benjamin Silverberg, M.D., of Morgantown, W.Va.
NCCL Convener: Marie-Elizabeth Ramas, M.D., of Hollis, N.H.
Member constituency co-conveners: Carrie Pierce, M.D., of Klamath Falls, Ore., and Mahowald (women's constituency); Amin and Neghassi (minority constituency); Brenainn Flanagan, M.D., of Northport, N.Y., and Patel (IMG constituency); Mroszczyk-McDonald and Rashid (new physicians constituency); Johnson and Silverberg (LGBT constituency).
AMA-YPS Delegate: Ivonne McLean, M.D., of New York, N.Y., who will serve with Bernstein.
In related news, the AAFP's National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students, which is scheduled for July 30-Aug. 1, is moving online because of the pandemic. Students and residents will still have an opportunity to elect their peers to national leadership positions. There will be a candidates forum at 8 p.m. CDT on Aug. 1, and delegates will vote electronically after that event. Stayed tuned to AAFP News for more details.