2023 Chair’s Perspective

Peter ellis, MD

Dear Colleagues,

First and foremost, Happy New Year to all.

Earlier this year, as President of ACMS, I posted an update to let all of you know that we had hired Sara Hussey as our new Executive Director. I also outlined goals for the year. This note is to let you know how we did and what we are looking forward to in 2023. To start, Sara has had a wonderful first nine months as Executive Director. We have been more than pleased with her performance, responsiveness and support of the Board and its mission. Some accomplishments include rebuilding our office staff (which was down to just Sara and Nadine as full employees in early March 2022). Sara has hired two new full-time staff members, Eileen Taylor—Manager of Membership and Association Services, and Melanie Mayer—Marketing and Administrative Assistant. Additionally, as of Jan. 3, she has brought in Elizabeth Yurkovich to serve as the ACMS Part-Time Controller. This team is already working together admirably to provide services to our members and drive initiatives. Sara has successfully restructured the organization to eliminate distractions from our core mission of providing support to physicians of Allegheny County. She has completed work with your Treasurer and Finance Chair, Dr. Keith Kanel, to revamp financials and reporting to allow transparency and understanding. She has stepped in to take a leadership role in the ACMS Foundation to raise its profile and support its mission in the county. The above list of accomplishments is not exhaustive but suffice it to say that your Executive Committee of the Board of Directors is delighted with progress to date. We are now confident that we have the team and organization to pursue key initiatives of the ACMS in the coming year. Those initiatives include opportunities to streamline the management we provide to our affiliated associations such as the American College of Surgeons Southwestern PA Chapter, Greater Pittsburgh Diabetes Club, and others. We will review the current format of the monthly Bulletin to ensure it is maximally aligned with our mission of physician support, education, and awareness. We will initiate a local advocacy program to address issues of importance to our members from a county perspective and, of course, strive for an increase in membership in the ACMS by proving it to be a valued resource for all physicians of Allegheny County. Thank you for your continued support as we strive to make the organization an asset to the physicians, patients, and welfare of the county. If you have questions or wish to participate in our efforts, please feel free to reach out directly to me or to Sara at the ACMS (shussey@acms.org). Sincerely, Peter Ellis, MD Chair of ACMS Board, 2023