TCMS IN ACTION

A New Future for TCMS

As you have likely heard, in April Twin Cities Medical Society announced an exciting new organizational strategy. Over the coming months, TCMS will restructure our organization in ways that will strengthen our commitment to engaging physicians and medical students in community-driven public health initiatives and allow more flexibility than a traditional membership association model. Part of this strategy requires that TCMS must exit from our formal partnership with the Minnesota Medical Association. This is not a reflection of our current or past relationship. We are deeply grateful for the contributions of the MMA to our work over the past 11 years, and we are looking forward to collaborating with them in new ways. New mission and vision statements will be crafted and shared with you in the coming months, as well as additional details about our future membership structure. We are deeply grateful for the support and ideas you have shared with us so far and hope you will continue to help us build a healthy future for our organization and our community.

Menthol Tobacco

Twin Cities Medical Society was thrilled that last month the FDA announced a long-awaited first step toward banning menthol-flavored cigarettes and all flavored cigars nationwide (http://bit.ly/ FDAmenthol). The Tobacco Industry has aggressively targeted African Americans, the LGBTQ+ community, and youth with menthol tobacco advertisements, making menthol a key driver of tobacco-related health inequities. While this is an excellent first step, the work isn’t done yet. These changes will take time to implement at a Federal level and Minnesota can act now to save lives sooner. TCMS will continue to support local and statewide work to address menthol tobacco and ensure that local policies around menthol tobacco uphold our commitment to racial equity.

Public Health Advocacy Fellowship

In May, TCMS wrapped up the 3rd year of our Public Health Advocacy Fellowship. While this year’s program was hosted virtually due to COVID-19, it was rich with community and learning. When asked what they will take with them from their experience in the program, the medical student fellows shared: • “Cultivating relationships is an essential component of sustainable advocacy.” • “Be bold, be vulnerable.” • “Every step taken has an impact, not only the final result.” • “While we’re ending our year together, this is only the start to a lifetime journey of advocacy work.” See more takeaways at: http://bit.ly/ 2020TCMSFellows. We are deeply grateful for the physician mentors who make this program possible by generously sharing their time and expertise, and are honored to create space for medical students to discover and grow their advocacy skills. We cannot wait to introduce you to the 2021 cohort in the coming weeks!

Shadow a Physician

Speaking of mentors—for several years TCMS has offered a Shadow a Physician program for UMN medical students. This half-day experience offers students early in their education (primarily first or second year) exposure to various specialties of medicine and surgery before they begin their clinical rotations. A quote from a recent shadowing experience: “I had a great experience observing dermatology with Dr. Hurliman. She taught me about a variety of conditions, shared educational resources, and guided me in examining different skin abnormalities. I left the experience with a deeper understanding of dermatology and appreciation for Dr. Hurliman’s mentorship.” We are currently looking for physician volunteers in most all specialties to host a student for this shadowing opportunity. Although the program is billed as just a half-day, if student and mentor agree, additional time can be accommodated. Interested? Please contact Nancy Bauer for more information at nbauer@metrodoctors.com.

Advocates in Minneapolis celebrate the passage of a menthol-restricting ordinance in 2017.

ANNIE KRAPEK, MPH, INTERIM CEO

NOMINATIONS FOR CHARLES BOLLES BOLLES-ROGERS AWARD

Candidates for this “Physician of Excellence” award are nominated by their peers for achievement or leadership in medicine, contributions to clinical care, teaching and/or research. Recipient is selected by the TCMS Foundation Board of Directors.

NOMINATIONS ARE DUE BY JULY 31, 2021. Nominate a colleague at metrodoctors.com/awards