Dear Colleagues,

The North Carolina Society of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians was founded in 2000 and has grown over the past 18 years into a vibrant and member oriented organization.  This August I was elected to serve as president of the NCS-ACOFP.  I consider this as both an honor and a challenge.  The honor is that I get to be a servant leader and to do what is needed to maintain the high quality of the organization.  This will be less of a challenge due to the exceptional leadership of my predecessor, Aston Molai, DO.  He left me a society that is in excellent financial shape and has growing membership.  Additionally, Nancy Guy, the NCS-ACOFP’s executive director, has done a fantastic job of managing the day-to-day work of the society and organizing our meetings to make us all look great.

The challenge will be executing the goals I have set for this year. In order to accomplish these goals I will need the support of your elected officers, the executive director and each one of you. Here are my goals:

• Membership – any organization must grow to remain viable. I would like to see a 5-10% growth in the next year. I will need your help in this.  NCS-ACOFP will send out letters to all Osteopathic Family Physicians in NC.  However, personal contact encourages members to join and remain as members. Please consider talking to a colleague and asking them to join or letting us know whom to contact.
• Mentorship – I want to grow the leaders of NCS-ACOFP from among our current and future members.  To do this I will need volunteers to work at a local level as a regional organizer or on a standing committee.  Please let us know of your interest to become a regional leader or for one of our committees (please list the committees)
• Advocacy – Each year NCS-ACOFP sends representatives to the ACOFP Congress of Delegates to discuss and vote on changes to the constitution and by-laws of the ACOFP and on policy statements. As a small state NC is often unaware of the background or subtleties of these measures. Dr Larry Anderson, ACOFP past president, recommended NCS-ACOFP take the initiative to form a consortium or caucus of the Southeastern states.  I will be contacting the presidents of South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana to see if there is interest and then move forward to establish a caucus.
• Education – Each year the NCS-ACOFP hosts a summer CME Conference. This past year’s event in Pinehurst included excellent content and very well attended. In conjunction with NCOMA and Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine, a winter CME meeting is presented at Campbell.  I would like to set up a one day CME for the western part of the state if there is interest.  This would serve to bring us together and add to our medical education opportunities.
• Financial – I must be a good steward of our finances – thus we need to increase membership, continue to host excellent well-attended meeting and invest our funds wisely.

To accomplish these bold goals I will need your help. Please contact me at mkmurphydo@gmail.com  or Nancy Guy at guy@campbell.edu with suggestions for additional goals or event.  With your help, this will be a great year and an ever better organizaation.

Sincerely,
Michael Murphy, DO