Texas Medical Association

Inspiring the next generation to improve access to health care in rural areas. The solution to health care access in rural areas could come from students who call those rural communities home. At the National Rural Health Day Conference and Recruitment Fair in Odessa, rural high school and college students learned about the unique rewards of health care careers in underserved areas. Vivek Rao, MD, who attended the event, was impressed by what he saw. “If you want more physicians to practice in a particular community, encourage students in that community to go into medicine. Someone who grew up in a small town is more likely to return there to practice medicine than someone who never lived in a rural area,” Dr. Rao said. Dr. Rao learned of the event from Adrian Billings, MD, associate academic dean of rural and community engagement with TTUHSC, who helped spearhead the event. “We’re incredibly fortunate here in West Texas to have physicians like Dr. Billings finding innovative ways to address the shortage of physicians in rural areas,” Dr. Rao said.

Nominations Open for 2025 Ernest and Sarah Butler Awards. Educators presented with the Ernest and Sarah Butler Awards show unwavering dedication, introduce innovative teaching methods, and ignite a passion for science in their students, shaping the minds of potential future physicians. Nominations will close in January. https://hubs.li/Q02Z5KqW0

Happy National Rural Health Day! Shoutout to the amazing physicians serving rural Texas.

The Physicians Foundation Seeks Health Care Leaders for New, Free Training Program. The one-year, hybrid training program will teach 25 physicians from across the country how to influence health care policy development at both state and federal levels. Participation in the program includes full coverage for tuition, travel, and CME credits. https://hubs.ly/Q02Y_6M90

Featured Member: Jennifer Blankenship, MD Pathology Austin Though interested for years, Jennifer Blankenship, MD, didn’t know if she could sustain a Walk with a Doc chapter alone. But partnering with Anna Buteau, MD (left), whom she met through TMA, made their joint mission possible. “I spend most of my working hours in an office behind a microscope, so I love that Walk with a Doc allows me to get out and interact with patients,” Dr. Blankenship said. The collaboration continued at the chapter’s Nov. 9 meeting with a talk from urologist Michael McClelland, Jr., MD (center), observing Prostate Cancer Awareness month.

How This Physician Takes a Break From Medicine on the Colorado Trail. Catch up on November Texas Medicine with a look at how John Shepherd, MD, and his wife Jenny tackle the 567-mile Colorado Trail. Plus, read about the new rules guiding end-of-life care in Texas, including how to navigate advance care planning and the state's death registry. https://hubs.li/Q02Yh50K0

Thorough History and Travel Details Can Help Uncover a Diagnosis. International travel continues to climb, and so too does the spread of travel-related infectious disease. To mitigate public health threats, physicians share in the public health responsibility to thoroughly investigate patients’ travel history. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers guidance on how to do so. https://hubs.li/Q02Y7LCS0

Experts Share Best Practices on Using TxEVER. The Texas Electronic Vital Events Registrar (TxEVER) can be a pain point, especially for infrequent users. But mastering it is vital for patient death certificates and public health data. The Texas Department of State Health Services has therefore developed resources to aid the registrar's 11,000 physicians. https://hubs.li/Q02XZwWV0

This #VeteransDay we honor and thank all those who have served our country, especially our physician members, for their dedication and sacrifice.

TMA scholarship supports the next generation of physicians? ? TMA awarded three 50-Year Club scholarships, in keeping with its mission to support the next generation of physicians. Bowen Song, a fourth-year student at the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth; Hannah R. Chang, a third-year student at UT Southwestern Medical School; and Chukwuebuka Ufomadu, a third-year student at Baylor College of Medicine, were each awarded $1,000.?? ? The recipients each demonstrated exceptional dedication to their studies. Chang shared how her enthusiasm for each rotation has “kept [her] focused, engaged, and grateful for the learning opportunities each day.”? ? Ufomadu expressed how the award “puts me one step closer to my life's mission: delivering patient-centered, resource-oriented preventive medicine that bridges gaps in healthcare access and affordability.”?? ? The scholarship’s impact will resonate far beyond their medical school years. As Song explained, “I am inspired to one day contribute back to future medical students as you have done for me.”