E-Journal of the Society of Chest Pain Centers

Spring 2003, Volume II, Number I

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Anthony J. Joseph, MD, FACEP
President, Society of Chest Pain Centers
Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine
Wayne State University
4900 Reed Rd., Suite 128
Columbus, OH 43220
AMC_TJoseph@compuserve.com
(614) 457-9190 ext.14

Closing the Book on 2002, a Message From the President

As the newly elected president of the Society of Chest Pain Centers and Providers I have the pleasure of "closing the books" for calendar 2002. In general, if you mention anything related to accounting, I go running in the other direction. Not this year! My predecessor, Dr. Graff, left the Society in good shape. We had a successful Fifth National Congress of Chest Pain Centers, co-sponsored by Yale University. The folks at Yale were great. The participants' evaluations were among the best ever. Our work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services remains on solid ground. A Society "Scholars Fund" has been established and funded that permits the society to include those who otherwise could not be members. The e-journal has been launched. Liaison relationships with the American College Emergency Physicians and the National Institutes of Health were established. On the international front, many successes were reported. In Brazil, Dr. Roberto Bassan reported that there are now 47 operational Chest Pain Centers. Other countries are adopting the Chest Pain Center model and adapting it to their healthcare systems. So, as we "close the books" on a successful year, we find ourselves with a Society that has served as the hub of communication and information exchange for the global village. What's next? What do we have to look forward to for 2003 and beyond?

The answer can be found in the individuals who make up the Society and our shared mission. Every accomplishment to date has come by dedicated individuals working with other dedicated individuals. When we work together, we magnify and augment our individual effort to the degree that the Society is making a difference - a positive difference - on our planet and that difference is focussed on doing what is right for the patient.

I am optimistic about 2003 and beyond. For the first time, the Society has an executive director, Robert Weisenburger Lipetz, who is completing his first full year. Bob has done a masterful job moving the Society's mission forward. In 2003, he will oversee the Sixth National Congress of Chest Pain Centers (co-chaired by Bob Jesse, MD and Ezra Amsterdam, MD), charter three new committees (Architecture and Design; Communications and Marketing; Medical/Legal), and launch a Chest Pain Center accreditation process.

How do you feel about 2003? What is your passion? The Society is an inclusive international change agent. How can you magnify your individual effort by working with others? The book on 2003 will soon be opened. The pages are all blank. What part of history will you write?