A Message from the NMA President, Nelson L. Adams, III, M.D.

The attention of the entire nation was captivated by the scenes of raging fires and devastation engulfing Southern California a few weeks ago. I am extending on behalf of the entire membership of the National Medical Association our sincere and heartfelt prayers to each of you who live and work in the region – especially those whose lives and livelihoods have been significantly impacted.  Please know that you, your families, and your associates remain in our thoughts throughout this difficult time as we continue to pray for your well-being.

Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., San Diego Public Health Officer, offers Health Tips for Wildfire Aftermath

NMA Board Member, Wilma J. Wooten, M.P.H., suggests steps that residents should take to protect their health in the aftermath of the wildfires. Her health tips appear on the website of San Diego’s Channel 8. To see the health tips, click here.

To assist with recovery, the ASAE (American Society of Association Executives) is posting recommendations and helpful information for affected communities on its website, along with names of associations responding to the wildfires. Visit the ASAE website.

Mohammad N. Akhter, M.D., M.P.H. received the American Public Health Association’s most prestigious award, the Sedgwick Memorial Medal for Distinguished Service in Public Health, at the APHA Annual Meeting in November. This award is granted to an individual who has “demonstrated a distinguished record of service to public health and who has tirelessly worked to advance public health knowledge and practice.” Dr. Akhter is internationally known for his work to eliminate health disparities and improve children’s health.

In response to the growing diabetes epidemic in the African American community, the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute and the National Medical Association’s Gulf Coast Medical Society will host a town hall meeting on “Diabetes Mellitus: Challenges and Opportunities.” On January 11-13, 2008 in Sarasota, Florida, diabetes experts from reseach and policy worlds, academia, and the community will discuss the impact of diabetes which affects more than 21 million Americans. We invite you to all join us in Sarasota.

Read more.

This NIH Workshop is taking place November 27-28, 2007 at the Natcher Conference Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. The purpose of the workshop is to provide “leadership in mentoring to sustain the advancement of women in biomedical careers.” For more information about the workshop, visit the NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers website at: http://womeninscience.nih.gov.

Select presentations from the Scientific Assembly and the 2007 NMA Colloquium can now be viewed online via the NMA website.

The Old North State Medical Society’s (ONSMS) Founders’ Inaugural Leadership Summit, held on November 2-3 in Raleigh , North Carolina , convened 168 of North Carolina ’s strongest advocates for eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities. NMA President Nelson L. Adams III, M.D., and Executive Director Mohammad Akhter, M.D., M.P.H. discussed how the society can work with the NMA to eliminate health disparities and increase the number of minority physicians in North Carolina and prepare physicians to take leadership roles in forming local and state health policy.

For more information, click here.

The W. Montague Cobb Institute, the research division of the National Medical Association that was launched in December 2004, has received approval from the NMA Board of Trustees to seek 501c3 status. Dr. Randall Morgan will continue to serve as Executive Director of the Cobb Institute. The Institute’s mission is to identify and develop solutions to the problem of racial and ethnic health disparities to improve the health of all Americans.

The NMA’s Annual Colloquium on African American Health will be held from March 8 - 11, 2008, at the Key Bridge Marriott, in Arlington, Virginia. Videos of the 2006 and 2007 Colloquia are available on the NMA website.Check the NMA website for more details. You may also contact Byron Sogie-Thomas at 202-207-1541 or by email bsogie-thomas@nmanet.org.

The NMA e-Newsletter was created for the benefit of the NMA community. Please help us evaluate how we are doing by filling out this brief online survey.

Go to survey.

Janice Whitty, M.D., will be the NMA physician speaker November 13 at the Prematurity Awareness Day sponsored by the March of Dimes in Columbia, SC. The NMA/March of Dimes poster will be presented at the African American Achievement Award breakfast.

To download the poster, click here.  

Liberia needs medical personnel - now! The need is most urgent in the areas of pediatrics, anesthesiology, surgery, and ob/gyn. If you have an interest, expertise, and experience in international development or have spent time in West Africa, there may be an opportunity for you to help fulfill this need. A two to three year commitment, will be paid for by aid from international institutions including USAID and the World Bank. If you or anyone in your network is interested, please contact NMA's Director of Health Policy and Government Relations, Byron Sogie-Thomas, at 202-207-1541 or by email at bsogie-thomas@nmanet.org.

The NMA has had another successful year of diabetes outreach dedicated to educating consumers about preventing and controlling diabetes, under its five-year cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of the “National Diabetes Education Program” (NDEP). In November, Diabetes Awareness Month, the NMA Diabetes Program is launching a new media campaign.  Last year's campaign reached 56 million people in 23 different states with its “Five Small Steps to Prevent Diabetes” and nearly 4 million with its radio public service annoucement. 

To hear a public service announcement, click here.
Read more about the NDEP Program

The National Medical Association congratulates the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the National Medical Association on receiving the “Harvey E. Beech Outstanding Alumni Award” from the University of North Carolina.

At its annual meeting on October 6th in New Orleans, the Matthew Walker Surgical Society presented expert speakers on surgical topics. The program was followed by a business meeting and a dinner. The Society was founded in 1958 by residents and surgeons who admired Dr. Matthew Walker, professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN from 1944 to 1973. In 1948 he established the surgical residency program there with Dr. Asa Yancey as his first resident.

Presenters at the annual meeting were Dr. Dilip Dan (An Update on  Laparoscopic Surgery in the Caribbean), Dr. Ken Simon (Upcoming Changes in  CMS That Will Affect Surgical Practices), and Dr. Derrick Beech (Surgery: The Present and Future at Meharry).

Read more about the Society.

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases launches a Call to Action to physicians asking them to notify their patients with diabetes to be sure to get their vaccinations, especially a flu shot.

Go to Call to Action.

Millions of Americans take prescription medicines each day to stay healthy and to treat disease.  To help people without other prescription coverage pay for their medicines 11 leading pharmaceutical companies sponsor the Together Rx Access™ Program.  Its quick start savings card, free to consumers and free to use, saves 25 to 40 percent* of the cost of brand-name prescription products for most cardholders. Healthcare professionals can receive a supply of the Together Rx Access cards to distribute to eligible patients by contacting Amy Niles, Chair, Medical Relations and Advocacy, Together Rx Access at amyniles@aol.com. They may also contact Ms. Niles for additional materials or to speak about outreach opportunities. For more information visit or call 800-250-2839.