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| Edition: June 2021 |
| Table of Contents |
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| Letter from the Editor |
The ACR 2021 meeting was held virtually from May 15 through 19th. The meeting this year provided a major focus on health equity confirming the ACR’s commitment to equity within radiology specialties. I am thrilled to share that the FRS was also honored with the ACR Award for Excellence in Government Relations. Please join me in congratulating the members of FRS who have been elected as Fellow of the American College of Radiology. Below is a list of FRS awardees.
- Kevin J Abrams, M.D.
- Marc Anthony Camacho, M.D., M.S.
- Sherri H Chafin, M.D.
- Chintan Desai, M.D.
- Georges Fawaz Hatoum, M.D.
- Howard Todd Heller, M.D.
- Jacobo Kirsch, M.D.
- Ryan D Murtagh, M.D.
- Akash Sharma, MBA, M.D.
- Thomas J Yuschok, M.D.
- Jack A Ziffer, MD, Ph.D.
Other FRS election results include Aaron Bush, M.D., being elected to the YPS Executive Committee as Radiation Oncology Representative. Congratulations and many thanks to all! As we made it through a year of virtual meetings, we are delighted to share that the FRS Program and Education Committee have elected to continue planning for the IN PERSON 2021 Annual Meeting of the FRS and FRBMA. The meeting, July 16-18 will be held at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando. To view the Ritz-Carlton enhanced meeting protocol Click Here For many of us, this will be the first in-person meeting since the start of the COVID pandemic. I think the FRS and FRBMA Annual Meeting will be the perfect venue and I look forward to seeing everyone in person in July!
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Laura Vallow, M.D.
Secretary, FRS
Vallow.Laura@mayo.edu |
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| Meet Your 2020 – 2021 FRS Executive Committee |
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President
Douglas Hornsby, MD |
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President-Elect
Rajendra Kedar, MD, FACR |
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Treasurer
Chintan Desai, MD |
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Secretary
Laura Vallow, MD |
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| FRS President’s Message |
We Walk Among Legends As we approach the date of our annual meeting, we should pause to consider the members in our society who over the last half-century have made individual contributions to our success. One person can make a difference. For example, in 1964, J. T. Rutherford, the first ACR lobbyist, enabled radiology to separately bill Medicare. Please think of the impact this one act has made in your present and future careers. Since I have been a part of the FRS, I have come to recognize some of the legendary figures walking in our midst. They are members of our society who have knowledge and friendships throughout the house of radiology and medicine who are invaluable to our current and future members. These special members have guided and protected our profession for decades. They have also personally guided many of our career decisions as we progress throughout our professional life. They know how and who to approach to solve a problem. The list of legacy members is long and not just limited to the named legacy lectures. There are not enough time slots in our annual meeting to honor all our legacy members. We are graced with literally hundreds of years of experience from our long-standing members. These are individuals who inspire so many and who can explain with self-deprecating stories of wisdom. “We tried that. It would be better if you did it this way.” They know who to call and what buttons to push from years of experience. “Please think hard when you consider that job offer. That job is frequently available” They smooth your path to success. “Be sure to say “hello” to my friend when you interview at that institution.” They will reach out to you with invitations to attend meetings or conferences where you will learn how and who and why things may be more easily accomplished. They have and continue to protect our profession. At the upcoming annual meeting, I encourage younger radiologists, residents, and fellows to stand close and listen, to seek a mentor, to be inspired by our legacy members as someday soon the torch will pass to you.
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Doug Hornsby, MD
President, FRS
doughornsby@msn.com |
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Past President
Patricia Mergo, MD, FACR |
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Legal Counsel
Michael M. Raskin, M.D., J.D., FACR |
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| FRBMA President’s Message |
Against All Odds: A Chat With Dr. Charlie Williams (Part 1)
Dr. Williams has been in the practice of medicine for 55 years and his career is filled with accomplishments, memories, and humor. Dr. Williams joined our group in 1974 and worked until he fully retired in 2019. In 2016, Dr. Williams received the ACR Gold Medal in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the field of radiology and outstanding service to the ACR. I have been fortunate to know and work with Dr. Williams for the 17 years that I have worked at Radiology Associates of Tallahassee. I asked Dr. Williams if he would sit down with me to discuss his career, accomplishments, provide some advice, and offer his insights about the future of radiology. Although retired, Dr. Williams maintains a busy schedule so, getting a few hours of his time took a couple of weeks to arrange.
To know Dr. Williams, you need to know a bit about his past. Dr. Williams grew up in Moultrie, GA. His family was farmers and Dr. Williams likes to call life on the farm “simpler times.” No electricity, baths in a tin tub, Mama cooking on a wood-burning stove, and the family eating meat once a week when the preacher visited on Sunday.
Dr. Williams’ Granddad died in 1918 and left 7 children for Grandma Williams to raise. Running the farm was a group effort and schooling took a back seat. Consequently, most of the Grandma Williams children, including Dr. Williams’ father, didn’t learn to read or write. However, Mama and Dad taught him all the important things in life: right from wrong, you can’t chase two rabbits at once, and not to step over a log if you can’t see the other side. His Grandma was always a big influence. Many of the stories Dr. Williams tells are from her or he at least gives Grandma the credit. It was not a prosperous life and not one where the path to medicine seemed obvious. But it was a family that was raised with core values imprinted by Grandma Williams, Mama, Dad, and a supportive community that provided positive influence in life-changing ways.
Dr. Williams always gives credit for his success to others. When Dr. Williams was very young, Dr. Paulk would drive to the Williams farm to buy eggs and vegetables. As a little boy, Dr. Williams, nicknamed Pedro by Grandma Williams, would excitedly run out to greet Dr. Paulk. Dr. Paulk drove a fancy car and stood out from others in the farming community. Dr. Paulk was a visual role model to young Pedro. Pedro would be sure to tell Dr. Paulk that he was doing a good job keeping the dogs out of the henhouse. The doctor would pat Pedro on the head and tell him he was a good boy. The doctor was always warm and friendly to Dr. Williams and gave him encouragement to pursue his dreams and told him that he could become a doctor. Dr. Williams believed him because he was a doctor and that gave him the confidence to pursue his dream.
One thing I learned from interviewing Dr. Williams is that his friendships last a lifetime. Some of the people he talked about in part one of this interview reenter the story in part two and with all the decades in between they can meet again and share a story or a laugh that can bring a tear to each of their eyes.
Dr. Williams moved several times during his school years ending up at three different county schools. In Dr. Williams’s first year at high school, he was elected to be President of his class. He tells me this with a bit of surprise because he viewed himself just as a poor country boy. This was a recurring theme for Dr. Williams as he was elected to leadership by his peers throughout high school, undergrad, and medical school. I asked Dr. Williams about his leadership successes at such an early stage. Dr. Williams simply said that “we are who we are not only from what we didn’t have but also what we did have.”
Dr. Williams’s dreams of being a doctor continued as he progressed through school. Grandma always told him his education was important and that nobody could take it away from him. So, he studied hard, got good grades, and made no secret about the goal of becoming a physician. His classmates seemed to agree as they began signing his yearbook starting in his freshman year encouraging him on his dream.
When he was 15 years old, Dr. Williams sought out another physician who practiced in-town to get advice. Dr. Williams walked to town to Dr. Frank Gay’s medical office and waited in his waiting room. He waited several hours and the sun was setting before Dr. Gay finished with patients. Dr. Williams stopped Dr. Gay and asked him how you become a doctor and how do you do it from Moultrie? Dr. Gay looked straight into Dr. Williams’ eyes and said, “You just have to want it bad enough. If you want it bad enough, then hard work and discipline will fall into place.” With that advice, Dr. Williams walked home.
Dr. Williams overcame the type of difficulties that would make most people give up. When he was accepted to medical school at Medical College of Georgia he had to hitchhike to Augusta, GA for his interview. It took him two days and he slept overnight in a ditch on the side of the road along the way. When he finally arrived, he stopped at a Texaco station and cleaned up before the interview.
After Medical School it was another eight years before he joined our practice. This included two years in the military from 1968 to 1970, his Radiology Residency at Baylor University, and his Pediatric Fellowship at Shands, University of Florida. Throughout this time, Dr. Williams received community scholarships and a helping hand from unexpected people. As he moved through his training and his time in military service there were a number of twists and turns that guided Dr. Williams into pediatrics and eventually pediatric radiology. That outcome was just fine with Dr. Williams and he cannot imagine it any other way.
This concludes part one. There is more to come as I discuss Dr. Williams’ radiology career, legislative activities, his vision of the radiology future, and his advice to the radiology business leaders in Florida.
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John Detelich, CPA, MBA, CEO
President, FRBMA
jdetelich@radassociates.com |
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| Legislative Update |
As I write, the Governor has yet to receive the budget. He has been reviewing it and plans to act quickly upon receipt. Many are waiting to see what items are vetoed.
Many of the bills that I have been following for FRS still have not been received by the Governor. This is not uncommon as both presiding officers have to sign the enrolled bills before they can be sent to the Governor.
It is fairly quiet in the Capitol city as the gaming special session has ended. It is quite busy around the state as fundraising is well on the way.
I look forward to seeing everyone at the annual FRS summer conference. |
Thanks, and stay well,
Alison Dudley, FRS Lobbyist
AlisonDudley@dudleyandassociates.com |
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| 2021 Annual Meeting of the FRS & FRBMA |
| Please join the Florida Radiological Society and the Florida Radiology Business Management Association for the 2021 Annual Meeting at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, July 16-18, 2021. The meeting will focus on “Excelling in an Everchanging Paradigm” and will feature lectures by faculty who are leaders in the practice of radiology. We look forward to seeing you in Orlando, Florida. |
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| Job Posting Opportunities |
Florida Radiological Society is pleased to introduce the opportunity for interested parties to advertise for potential jobs in our monthly FRS Ebrief bulletin.
Advertisement pricing is as follows:
Ebrief Job Posting pricing:
3 months ($100 monthly)
6 months ($90 monthly)
12 months ($80 monthly)
Please contact Lorraine Roger, our Society Administrator for further information on how to advertise in our monthly publication.
Phone: (813) 806-1070
Fax: (813) 806-1071
Email: lroger@flrad.org
We feel that this will provide a valuable service to both our members and our Florida community of Radiology.
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Thank you for your interest!
Patricia Mergo, MD, FACR |
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| Become a PAC Member Today |
Attention FRBMA Members! Please support the cause. We encourage you to be PAC members and supporters; you do not have to belong to the FRS. Donations can be made online through our PAC website www.FLRADPAC.org. Thank you for your donation.
It is critical that we support both our Florida PAC and RADPAC in order to bolster our voice in Tallahassee and Washington, respectively. Please join FRS lobbyist Alison Dudley in her special appeal for all Florida radiologists to become Florida PAC members. If you would like to help FRS defend radiology against untoward legislation and introduce bills that have a positive impact on our practices, we need your financial support to re-elect our friends in the state House and Senate. The FRS can also show you simplified ways on how to sign up your radiology group. Contact Lorraine Roger at lroger@flrad.org or contact Alison Dudley at alisondudley@dudleyandassociates.com for more information. |
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Telephone (813) 806-1070 • Fax (813) 806-1071
5620 W. Sligh Avenue • Tampa, Florida 33634 |
| The E-Brief is an exclusive member benefit of Florida Radiological Society, delivering monthly member, chapter and industry news. Please do not reply to this automatic e-mail. For comments or questions about the E-Brief, please contact lroger@flrad.org. |
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