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2011 AMAA Annual Meeting Recap
OMA Alliance President Marie Stoddard and Immediate Past President Beth Irish were among 150 AMA Alliance members attending and registered to vote at the AMAA Annual Meeting, formerly the House of Delegates, held in Chicago on June 19-21. Attendees voted on bylaw revisions and the slate of officers for 2012-2013 and unanimously approved Maryland’s resolution, which was co-sponsored by the OMAA and five other state alliances and encourages state and county alliances to support policy for safe disposal of medications and Drug Take Back programs, like those now being held in many Oregon communities.
For this widespread development and successful promotion of Drug Take Back programs in Oregon, the OMAA was honored with the AMAA’s Health Awareness Promotion (HAP) award. At the awards breakfast, Leanna Lindquist, OMAA President 2009-2010, accepted the award on behalf of the OMAA members who have worked diligently on such programs in their communities.
In addition to the business portion of the meeting, Annual Meeting attendees also listened to keynote speakers, including David Oshinsky, Pulitzer Prize-winning Historian on Polio: An American History, and Paul Amundsen, CFRE on the subject of strategic planning. Alliance members from Oregon and other states networked and shared personal and Alliance stories and create rewarding and special relationships, which many value as part of being an Alliance member.
The AMAA Annual Meeting coincided with the AMA House of Delegates, which allowed members to attend portions of both meetings; Beth attended the opening session of the AMA HOD. AMA leadership also spoke at portions of the AMAA meeting, emphasizing the value and strength of partnership between AMA and AMAA. Beth and Marie also joined the OMA delegation to the AMA meeting for a dinner hosted by the OMA.
Additionally, congratulations are in order for Monica Wehby, MD, a Portland pediatric neurosurgeon and past OMA president, who was elected to a seat on the AMA Board of Trustees.
Finally, Beth and Marie represented Oregon at the Western States Coalition (WSC) Caucus. As this year’s chairperson, Beth led the meeting’s discussion, which included initial planning for WSC retreat to be held in Portland in early 2012, and for the WSC convention tentatively scheduled for fall 2013 in Las Vegas. When available, more information regarding these events will be posted in future issues of STAT and on the OMAA website.