Every APMA president is charged with supporting the basic mission of the organization and propelling the association and the profession closer to Vision 2015. But every president also brings his or her unique passions and goals to the presidency, expanding APMA’s horizons and promoting podiatric medicine in new ways.
One of my personal passions is equitable healthcare. My practice includes a heavy load of Hispanic, elderly, and indigent patients, many of whom struggle to afford their health care. I have learned so much from these patients, and they deserve high-quality, equitable care.
Within days of my inauguration as president, APMA joined the American Medical Association’s Commission to End Health Care Disparities (CEHCD). The CEHCD is a group of health-care professionals from various specialties who are committed to increasing awareness of health-care disparities and advocating for action to eliminate those disparities. The commission embraces four primary strategies for addressing disparities:
Increasing awareness of disparities
Promoting better data gathering
Promoting workforce diversity
Increasing education and training
This commission is a tremendous opportunity for APMA to be at the table with more than 70 other organizations, from medical specialty groups to major corporations, and to work toward goals that have a real impact for patients nationwide—to really change American health care for the better.
Our membership in the CEHCD is cementing new relationships for APMA. For example, I recently attended the annual meeting of a partner CEHCD organization, the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA). At the NHMA meeting, I was pleased to see APMA member Jaime Torres, DPM, honored as the NHMA Fellow of the Year. Podiatrists already are playing an active role at NHMA, and APMA’s new partnership with NHMA through the CEHCD even better aligns our organizations’ mutual goals. The many licensed Hispanic physicians who take part in the activities of the NHMA, and the other health-care professionals and leaders who participate in CEHCD, witness firsthand the critical role podiatrists play in advancing the quality of America’s health care.
Learn more about health-care disparities and how we as physicians can eliminate them through evidence-based medicine and increased awareness and training. Visit
www.ama-assn.org, and search for Commission to End Health Care Disparities. Stay tuned to APMA’s publications and other communications for more information about our participation in CEHCD.
We each play a role in demolishing disparities. I hope my personal passion will inspire you to embrace your role.
