In order to have my candidacy for the SFM President validated I had to submit a “half-page letter of intent”. As I am sure you can appreciate, a half page is woefully inadequate to offer any real glimpse into policy or plans of action. All you are going to get out of a half-page declaration is various flavors of status quo. Proclamations that the candidate is as mad as you are. Identification of foreseeable challenges. Reassurances that past efforts are an indicator of future efforts. Certainly you will not get accountability, no indication that we are failing to keep family medicine alive. Further, you will not be able to convey new ideas, no fresh paradigms in a half-page. As such, I have also written a four page description of my and UFPA’s plan to bring foreign methods into this fight. Methods that are new to the profession of family medicine, but are honed and successfully implemented in other arenas where high-value skilled workers find themselves up against ideologically-opposed employers. I could have written a book on this concept, but four pages seemed to be a natural limit.

Please find here links to my “half-page letter of intent”, and my more in-depth “four pages of why”. There is a poll at the end of the second document. It is not the same poll as is part of this website package. It is still available to be filled out if you wish. If you get to know me, you know I live and die on my integrity and will not reveal personal information…something that UFPA members have proof of).

Finally, here is a link to the AMA voting page. You will need to login (troubles logging in?). You will also need to be a member of the section of family medicine. Should you join the section to vote? I am conflicted about that. Some of my colleagues have done that, and I dearly appreciate that support. Should you, without knowing more about me, do the same? That seems like a tall favour to ask, unless all you see here makes you think there is crucial need for this new approach to be attempted now. Do what you see is best for you. Jennifer McCombe - AMA Membership and Benefits Team Lead can be contacted for that. Should I get in, I am sure you will find being a member of the SFM for 2024-2025-2026 is going to be essential to yours and our recovery.

Also…please understand that making all the reforms will take many hands, inside and outside. You will see that there are other names on the ballot for other positions. I am sure that everyone getting into seats this season will do the best work they can do, as earnestly as possible. But, if I were able to nominate a vice president to match my presidency (by your will, at your service), it would be Nabil Elkabir.

I want to emphasize at this moment: Yes, I want you to vote for me. But I would rather you vote for my opponent than not vote at all. If ever we want to break this endless cycle of deterioration, we need to show everyone and ourselves that we are able to show up to be counted, and then to act.