President's Message

Giles Whalen, MD

Dear Worcester Medicine Readers,

As we settle in to 2023, I hope your year is off to a good start. Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Worcester District Medical Society continues to remain active and starting this year, we have begun to hold our events in person again.

I want to thank Dr. Michael Hirsch for guest editing this issue on gun violence -- a problem which he has worked tirelessly to mitigate throughout the course of his long and distinguished surgical career. Thank you also to Dr. Anne Larkin, our 227th Orator, who spoke to a room full of colleagues and medical students about what our future physicians need to know to thrive and do well for their patients.

Upcoming events include the Massachusetts Medical Society House of Delegate proceedings. The first session will be virtual, and the second session will be in person at the Westin Hotel in Waltham. Please consider becoming a member of our delegation. It is an excellent way to meet new colleagues, learn about healthcare policy with issues facing medicine, and better understand the legislative process. As an individual or as a collective group, you can make a difference. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact our Executive Director, Martha Wright at mwright@wdms.org or 508-753-1579.

The WDMS Annual Business Meeting will take place on April 11 at the Beechwood Hotel. Please join us as we congratulate our 2023 Community Clinician of the Year, Dr. Manjul Shukla for her tireless volunteer efforts, particularly with local COVID-19 vaccination clinics.

The Women’s Caucus is planning a wonderful lecture on May 3 at Mechanics Hall. Our speakers will be Drs. Michelle Dalal and Harikirin Khalsa, and they will discuss The Power of Food, The Power of the Pause: How Lifestyle Medicine, Plant-Based Nutrition, and Biological Self-Awareness Build Stronger Selves, and Help Us Empower Our Patients.

And for our last event for the 2022-2023 calendar, we are welcoming back our Meet the Author Series on May 24 at the Albert Sherman Center Auditorium. This year’s author is Dr. Mark Vonnegut who will talk about this latest book, The Heart of Caring: A Life in Pediatrics.

Finally, please consider joining our group on a Medical Humanities tour of England June 6–15 . For questions, please call the WDMS office at 508-753-1579.

Giles Whalen, MD President, WDMS