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PAMED President Strategizes Medicine’s Future
‘It’s important to continue to educate physicians about what’s coming down the pike and how to adapt to it.’ By Myla Merkel, Pennsylvania Medical Society
D
r. Michael DellaVecchia is concluding his tenure as the 171st president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED).
Taking his oath of office in October 2020, DellaVecchia led PAMED through the toughest times of the pandemic, including transforming the 2021 annual House of Delegates meeting into a virtual event while focusing on the policy work that needed to be done. DellaVecchia said, “The pandemic challenged us and continues to challenge us. When push came to shove with this pandemic, we really rose to the challenge, all of us. It is a great example of what can be accomplished with our efforts.” COVID-19 continues to change health care on almost a daily basis, making DellaVecchia’s presidential initiative — advanced technologies in future medicine — timelier than ever. Technology in health care has been a long-standing passion for him.
Earned advanced degrees
the development of the COVID-19 vaccines. His lecture includes AI and the role it played with COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and response.
Preventative medicine DellaVecchia said that the practice of preventative medicine is where the advancements in technologies will play a vital role, using data collection and algorithms to continue to inform patients what they are at risk for. “What we like to do in medicine is heal people, but we also want to practice preventative medicine,” he said. “To do that, we start with collecting your data and figuring out what your risk factors are, while trying to bring down that risk according to certain mathematical algorithms and determining procedures that we can perform. “It’s important to continue to educate physicians about what’s coming down the pike and how to adapt to it, be a part of it, and most importantly, how to determine where it should be with patient care,” DellaVecchia said.
In addition to earning a medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine and completing residencies in anatomical and clinical pathology and ophthalmology, DellaVecchia earned advanced degrees in engineering and physics from Drexel University with a research emphasis in medical devices and photonics.
In addition to his role as the PAMED president, DellaVecchia has served on the board of directors for PAMED’s Political Action Committee (PAMPAC). He is a fellow at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, where he also served on the board of trustees. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the American College The focus of his initiative is preparing physicians for the ad- of Surgeons. vancement of technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, DellaVecchia shows his commitment to advancing public health nanotechnologies, and biosensors that will forever change medical and preventive medicine through his community volunteer work education and the practice of medicine. and with veterans’ groups. “Nanotechnologies, biosensors, robotics and especially artificial “I speak on behalf of PAMED when I say that we are very grateful intelligence (AI) will saturate our profession and take over health for Dr. DellaVecchia’s leadership and commitment to PAMED,” said care in the not-too-distant future,” he said. “We must be at the table Martin Raniowski, PAMED’s CEO and executive vice president. and not on the menu to determine where these technologies fit into “His vision this past year was to look forward, see the possibilities and the profession and the proper care of patients.” determine how physicians can be part of that exciting future. We are The continuing education about the advancement of technologies delighted that his medicine and technology videos will remain a part was put together through a series of interviews and lectures with of PAMED’s CME library and will continue to benefit countless nationally recognized experts in the field. They included retired Col. members in the coming year.” •
Matthew Hepburn, MD, who was the vaccine development lead for Operation Warp Speed, founded in May 2020 to help accelerate
Myla Merkel is chief writer and media coordinator for the Pennsylvania Medical Society.
Winter 2022 : Philadelphia Medicine 29
