January 2020 President’s Message

When we come together as a team, we really are superheroes

by Patricia Wyatt-Harris, MD —

It is now the middle of November. The weather is colder, and patients are racing to get things done before their deductibles start over again on Jan. 1. The holidays loom large on the calendar.

This time of year just feels busier and busier each year. But it is important to take a moment to be thankful. As I write this column, I am struck by the desire to express my gratitude for many things.

Thank you to all members of the MSSC for honoring me with the opportunity to be president of this unique group of physicians.

I have learned a great deal about organized medicine at the local and state level. I have learned it is important that we stay connected to each other. I have learned that our predecessors in this community were very smart, practical professionals with a strong sense of duty. We owe it to them, and to those who will follow us, to be good stewards of the Medical Society of Sedgewick County. I have been fortunate to meet many people this year and to get to know others better.

Thank you to Phillip Brownlee, our executive director. If you haven’t had the opportunity to get to know him, I hope you will soon. He is a uniquely talented individual. He has a strong background in accounting, which has benefitted our bottom line. He has a strong background in journalism and the news media, which has given him a broad understanding of people, our community and our culture. He is well-connected, which helps open doors that might not otherwise be opened.

He is intelligent, wise and compassionate. It is interesting to converse with him, and I always walk away from our conversations better informed, and with something to ponder.

He is a great steward of MSSC’s resources and its place in the community. Our general membership meetings have been held at interesting venues, with interesting topics, because of his work. Attendance is up at these meetings as well, which is important.

I am grateful to have been given the chance to work with him. I am also grateful for the staff at the MSSC. They work very diligently for all of us. They know all of us much better than you think, and they are good advocates for us as well. I am proud to be associated with them.

I am thankful for this community. It is nearly perfect in size. It’s big enough to be diverse and offer plenty of opportunity, yet small enough to make it easy to live here. It is home to many good people.

I moved here with my family over 21 years ago, and we still love it. I am grateful for the opportunities we have had here, and the life we have been blessed to experience here. I look forward to many more years here. I am thankful for this medical community. This is a hardworking, caring, diverse and intelligent collection of talented people. We are all lucky to have so many colleagues we can trust.

I am thankful for my partners in my own practice. They have graciously allowed me the freedom to serve in this office, and have this experience. I am confident they have had to cover for me a little bit more to allow me this honor.

Last, but by no means least, I am thankful to my lovely wife and our adult children. They put up with me and my long hours. They have been incredibly supportive of my career. They give me so much joy.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!