Dear friends and colleagues,
As my time as president of our Massachusetts Medical Society winds down, this will be the final President’s Message I pen for this publication.
As I deliberated over a message, I opted for the simple approach — a thank you.
I want to thank all of you for being a community for me and for each other, and for assembling as one to work incredibly hard on the issue of physician burnout, which is the theme of this issue.
I wish that I could tell you that this challenging period in the illustrious history of medicine has come to an end and burnout has been eradicated, but we still have much work to do. Yet our work has had an impact. Burnout is more openly discussed within our ranks, by the media, and among our patients. Our efforts have opened the door to important conversations with legislators and regulators.
We will persist, and I cannot think of a more committed and relentless group than the members, leaders, and staff of the Massachusetts Medical Society. I look forward to our continuing work together.
In addition to the latest on burnout and an Annual Meeting preview that you’ll find within these pages, I’d like to also direct your attention to some thoughts I share on page 1 about the future of medicine. I believe that health care is not in need of a complete tear-down and rebuild, but rather a commitment from usall to adopt principles that can effect change.
I hope and trust that a good number of you will be attending our Annual Meeting to expand your knowledge and to share your experiences, concerns, and ideas.
— Alain A. Chaoui, MD
