2017 WMS Annual Meeting A Success

Donald Annino, MD presents on facial transplants during the President’s Dinner at the 2017 WMS Annual Meeting
at Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park, June 3. 

A group of 95 physicians, and PA’s took part in the Wyoming Medical Society/Wyoming Association of PA’s Annual Meeting June 2-4 at Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park. The meeting featured a new format, tremendous speakers, and a Saturday night of awards and laughs.

The 2017 Annual Meeting featured a change in format with Continuing Medical Education in the mornings, followed by a combination of specialty society meetings and free time in the afternoon. According to meeting surveys the change was a hit with respondents, as 10 of the 22 comments offered were positive of the new format. One asked that specialty society meetings be reined in to some extent as to keep the afternoons more open for time with family and friends.

The open afternoons didn’t get in the way of WMS offering 13 hours of CME through the Ada Canyon Medical Education Consortium. Highlighting the event was Boston area ENT surgeon Donald Annino, MD, who offered a presentation during Saturday’s President’s Dinner on his experiences on Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s facial transplant team.

The meeting also featured two presentations on physician burnout including talks by Betsy Spomer, MD of Powell, as well as the Mayo Clinic’s Lotte Dyrbye, MD. Two other presentations covered the need for HPV vaccinations, while cyber security, and atopic dermatitis were also covered.

The President’s Dinner on Saturday night was anything but boring. Out-going WMS President Paul Johnson, MD was presented with a cowboy hat, the traditional showing of appreciation from the WMS to its presidents. Johnson offered a presidential citation to Joseph Steiner, PharmD, who is the dean of the University of Wyoming’s College of Health and Sciences.

Johnson then turned over the ceremonial gavel to incoming President Joe McGinley, MD, PhD, who was introduced by former Wyoming Treasurer and Congressman Cynthia Lummis. McGinley laid out his goals for the 2017-18 year, including an increase in membership.

Past President Sigsbee Duck, MD, RPh then took his turn at the podium as he thanked the society for honoring him as the Physician Achievement Award winner for 2017.

The Wyoming Medical Society took the time to honor three scholarship winners during its Annual Meeting, as Green River’s JayCee Mikesell and Glen Clinton of Cody were honored with $2,000 Centennial Scholarships as outstanding first-year students in the Wyoming WWAMI program. Sean Bell of Casper was named the WWAMI outstanding graduate for 2017 and received another $2,000.

Our friends from WAPA then took the stage to honor their own. Hulett’s Bob Cummings, PA-C, was honored by The Wyoming Association of PA’s (WAPA) as it’s State Physician Assistant of The Year. Cummings is one of two employees at the Hulett Clinic. WAPA’s Physician/PA Team of The Year award deviated from tradition. Instead of honoring one Physician and one PA, the award was given to a team at Sheridan’s Big Horn Mountain Medicine. Winning the award this year was the team of Julie Ackerman, MD; Hannah Hall, MD; Autumn Barrett, PA-C; and Erin Strahan, PA-C. The team won out over three other Physician/PA Teams which were nominated.

The Wyoming Association of PA’s honored two future members of the PA profession with $1,000 scholarships Teton National Park. Earning this year’s $1,000 scholarships are Cody’s Zulia Anderson and Kathryn Martin of Lander.

The date and location for Wyoming Medical Society’s Annual Meeting in 2018 is still being worked out by Wyoming Medical Society staff, though there is hope for an announcement in the coming month.

To see a gallery of photos from the event, click here.

Sigsbee Duck, MD (left) accepts the 2017 Physician Achievement Award from WMS President Paul Johnson, MD
during the WMS Annual Meeting at Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton Park, June 2.