Timothy Cheslock, DO, FACOEP
It is amazing how quickly time passes us by. It seems like just yesterday that we were all together for Scientific Assembly and already we are embarking on a new year! The whirlwind of events surrounding holidays and family gatherings are now in the rearview mirror while the never-ending demands of our departments leave little time to ponder the future and where we are headed. Thankfully your ACOEP board has a plan for this new year, and I wanted to spend a few minutes sharing those plans with the membership.
One of the challenges we have faced over the last few years was how to continue to provide high quality service to our members in light of the rising cost of business. Our plan was to transition away from a physical office space and our own staff to an association management model of services. This has helped save the college financially over the last three years and placed us in a much more stable financial position looking to the future. With the transition to an association management model, there have also been challenges. Many of these are not seen by the membership and that is intentional. Our goal is to be able to conduct the business of the college, provide stellar personal service to our members and continue to produce the best CME in the Emergency Medicine domain for each of you! We continue to advocate for our members across the spectrum of not only Emergency Medicine but the healthcare environment in its entirety, whether it be governmental, educational or in the clinical setting. Finding the right partners in helping us meet those demands can be daunting.
Over the last few years, we have partnered with the Kellen Company for our management services. They have helped us make the initial transition away from our previous management structure and helped us navigate the challenges of the pandemic. In re-evaluating our relationship with Kellen, the ACOEP board felt strongly that we needed more than what Kellen has been able to provide us on many fronts. Therefore, as of January, we have entered into a new agreement with Affinity Strategies as our management partner. I am excited to see what lies ahead for us and this new partnership. While the daily operations of the college will remain seamless to the membership, look forward to enhancements at our future meetings and events and a general refresh of some of our branding and outreach!
I am excited to announce our new Executive Director, DeAnna McNett will be part of this team. Many of you may know DeAnna from her previous work with both ACEP and CORD. She comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and experience that is sure to help propel the college forward in the coming years. In addition to DeAnna, you will see several other new faces in the coming months. Liz Schumacher, Sarah White and Mary Kate de Leon are but a few of the others from Affinity that will be partnering with the ACOEP team. You will find more information about them and how to reach them as you continue reading this edition of The Pulse. I also encourage you to meet them in person when we gather in Phoenix in April.
Speaking of Phoenix, be on the lookout for registration information for Spring Seminar coming your way! We are excited for a new venue this year in the Phoenix area! It is a beautiful resort offering many amenities that will be enjoyable for the whole family! As is tradition, we look forward to this family-friendly venue where you can come and get a stellar educational experience and still have time to spend with family, friends, and colleagues in a social setting.
Thank you for your support of the college! Please reach out to me should you have questions, concerns or needs that I may be able to assist you with! I look forward to seeing you in Phoenix! –•–