Chair’s Corner

Amazing AAWEP Members,

To say that the last twelve months have been challenging for us all is probably the understatement of the century. However, your AAWEP leadership is working hard on some exciting plans for the future. You won’t want to miss our co-sponsored event with the Diversity Inclusion and Health Equity Section at the Leadership and Advocacy conference this July. The event will include some phenomenal speakers that will give you insight into what it takes to run for public office, or perhaps leadership positions in general. We hope that you will join us for an amazing afternoon. We will have more information, including registration details, available very soon!

Our newsletter this year will be focusing on the ABC’s of EM Survival, and we encourage you to contribute your stories throughout the year. This edition is focusing on the A’s- assertive, awesome, amazing, advocate. Please be on the lookout for a call for articles in the next month for our next edition.

Thinking back on this last year, it may be hard to look past the A for anxiety, B for burnout, and C for COVID. However, there have also been amazing and awesome moments of survival to look back on. I have seen our members fighting for their patients as advocates. We have advocated for access to care, access to PPE, vaccinations, limiting scope of practice, and so much more. Each of you has undoubtedly been an advocate for your patients throughout some of the most of the difficult times of their lives and likely for some by their side through the end of life. While we have faced the burden of overwhelming volumes of critically ill and lost many of our own, don’t forget that we have been amazing advocates and shining stars for our patients and their families. I encourage each of you to hold on to the good that you have done, recognize each other, and lift each other up for what you have accomplished. We will be back together in person again soon and we will celebrate each and every one of our amazing, assertive, awesome advocates and AAWEP members.

Carrie de Moor, MD, FACEP