Medical Degree: MD, University of Alabama School of Medicine (2000)

Response

The work to avoid serious discord at the Board-level starts long before the resolutions come from Council to the Board for approval. Participation in resolution writing workshops and mentorship of resolution authors is the responsibility of all members of the Council, but it is particularly important for the Council officers. Getting solid ideas with sound language in front of the Council on the first try will significantly “grease the skids” towards making new policy.  Writing and editing the background material in order to help frame the debate and allowing asynchronous testimony to hash out the arguments ahead of time all help us arrive at our annual Council meeting at “first-and-goal” rather than “fair-catch at the 50,” or (to further torture this analogy) it is like arriving at Council as an SEC football team rather than ____ (fill in your team here)____.  [cough—Roll Tide—cough].  Building friendships and relationships over the long term is also critical so that coalition-building around any issue begins long before the gavel taps to open debate at the Council meeting or at the Board. 

The biggest challenge when the Council and the Board have different views is the same as in any organization: how to “disagree without being disagreeable.” After many years of Council meetings, it is not hard to predict which issues will be contentious on the floor and contentious in the Board meetings. The beauty of our parliamentary process is that we do not close debate until both sides have been heard on an issue.  This allows the Speaker and Vice-Speaker to prepare solid arguments in favor of the Council’s position and be well prepared to refute opposition from the Board members who try to alter the intent of a resolution passed by Council. Ultimately, it is about maintaining respect and decorum so that common ground can be found and the group can arrive at a constructive solution that contributes to the success of ACEP as a whole. 

Council Vice Speaker Candidates

Kurtis A. Mayz JD, MD, MBA, FACEP

Current Professional Positions: Chairman of pediatric emergency medicine and medical director of the Pediatric Emergency Center, Saint Francis Hospital, Tulsa, Oklahoma; attending physician, Heart of Mary Hospital, Urbana, Illinois

Internships and Residency: Emergency medicine residency, Stony Brook University Medical Center, Stony Brook, New York

Medical Degree: MD, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (2011)