Awards and Elections at the Annual Meeting
The Chapter leadership and members gathered April 8 at the Hilton Hotel in Harrisburg for the Pennsylvania ACEP Annual Meeting, held during the Scientific Assembly. The meeting featured award presentations, election results, and addresses by outgoing Chapter president, Ronald Strony, MD, FACEP, and by John J. Kelly, DO, FACEP, the new PaACEP president.
Following a short address about his year in office, Ronald Strony, MD, FACEP, recognized a number of PaACEP and community leaders with Chapter awards:
Douglas McGee, DO, FACEP, received the Chapter's 22nd Annual Meritorious Service Award for his longstanding and passionate commitment to promoting the chapter and its mission, as well as for his advocacy and focus on using the power of the media to educate the public about emergency medicine’s valuable role in the health care system and for promoting issues important to emergency physicians and their patients. Dr. McGee’s service at the national ACEP level includes the Steering Committee, and at the chapter level as president, chair of the Finance Committee, member of the board of directors, and as a chapter councilor.
Bryan Kane, MD, FACEP, received the PaACEP’s 10th Annual Physician of the Year Award for portraying the best traditions of emergency medicine through his research and teaching, serving as a mentor for emergency medicine residents, and for his community work. Dr. Kane maintains a very active clinical practice at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, seeing patients at the Cedar Crest, 17th Street, and Muhlenberg campuses. His community activity includes a leadership position at the new Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown, and during the summer volunteers at a local Boy Scout Camp.
Janette Kearney, EMT, MBA received the 2008 Outstanding Contribution to Emergency Medicine in Pennsylvania award for her exceptional advocacy to enhance the delivery of emergency care in the commonwealth through her leadership capacity as the executive director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council; her volunteer work as a pre-hospital provider; and for her support of public policy issues important to the chapter. Ms. Kearney has been associated with the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council (PEHSC) for over fifteen years, serving in the capacity of assistant director to her appointment as the executive director in 2005. In addition, Ms. Kearney is an EMT who in her off hours volunteers for the Hampden Township Volunteer Fire Company.
State Representative Dan Frankel, is a Democrat who serves his constituents in the 23rd legislative district, which is a portion of Allegheny. Rep. Frankel received a Chapter Recognition Award for “his strong support in the legislative effort to achieve meaningful medical liability reform; his steadfast advocacy and support for re-instating the all-rider motorcycle helmet law; and for being a life-long friend of medicine and our patients.” Rep. Frankel is chairman of the Allegheny County Democratic Delegation. He is the Majority Vice Chair of the Insurance Committee and a member of the Appropriations, Finance, Judiciary and Majority Policy Committees.
At the meeting, Dr. Strony recognized outgoing board members and announced the board of directors' elections results. Members leaving the board included Rani Kumar, MD, FACEP, Douglas McGee, DO, FACEP, and Allyson Whyte, MD. Dr. Whyte ended her two-year service as a resident representative. In the PaACEP elections, incumbent Keith Conover, MD, FACEP, was elected to another term, while Michael Bohrn, MD, FACEP, Erika Powell, MD, FACEP, and Ralph Riviello, MD, FACEP, became the newest members on the PaACEP board. Drs. Richard Hamilton, MD, Gregory Smolin, DO, FACEP, and Ronald Stunz, MD, were recognized as candidates for election for the 2008-2011 term.
In other business, Chapter lobbyist John Milliron reported on legislative issues, and Alexander Rosenau, DO, FACEP, gave an impassioned plea to members asking them to support PEP-PAC.
Near the end of the meeting, John J. Kelly, DO, FACEP, was introduced as the Chapter's 38th president. He briefly addressed the crowd, promising a productive and exciting year ahead.
