Dear TMAA Alliance Friends-
I can’t believe this is my last TMAA President letter! I began my term as President by selecting a theme: Hearts for Health | Creating Meaningful Connections Through Friendship and Philanthropy. To me it perfectly fit the culture of the organization: a generous community of women who truly care about their physician spouses and families; who have hearts for service and leadership; who desire to promote excellence in healthcare; and who thrive on support, friendship, and connection.
To put my theme into action, I turned to the TMAA Strategic Plan which, although developed in 2012, is still relevant today. It guided me to link specific activities of our board toward meeting those long-standing goals and to implement intentional, clear, consistent messaging both internally and externally as stated in the plan. I thank the members of my board for their cooperation in achieving tangible outcomes for our organization. These efforts include:
Philanthropic | We started the year with a Raise the Paddle at 2023 Convention which raised over $4,000 to support the Philanthropic Fund.
Update Retreat | The Update meeting this year was held as a Retreat event featuring discussion sessions allowing members to become familiar with our strategic plan and give input on its implementation. The schedule of events promoted sharing and networking between individuals and alliances.
Membership | Extra funds were dedicated to Update Retreat to allow for an enhanced member experience at the venue, and social events were planned to encourage member engagement. We created new language in our Bylaws that, moving forward, allows alliances to form directly under TMAA without needing to partner with a medical society.
Health Promotions | We developed a partnership with Dispose RX to initiate a turnkey statewide Health Promotion project consistent with our signature MEDS brand promoting safe disposal of prescription medication. To compliment this project, we scheduled a spring Health Promotions Lunch & Learn via ZOOM with Ann Hamlin, VP of Dispose RX, to educate our members about their product, opioid settlements, and remediation strategies.
Legislative Affairs | We scheduled a fall Legislative Affairs Lunch & Learn via ZOOM with Erika Thomas, TMA Associate Director of Member Engagement, to educate our members about legislative priorities concerning the practice of medicine in Tennessee. We provided information about joining TMA PAC and encouraged participation in Day-on-Hill.
Communications | A new website and member app were created providing members across the state with access to organizational resources and a membership directory. In addition, the website clearly brands our organization through color, style, and content.
Organizational | We reviewed bylaws and clarified officer duties to ensure job descriptions were current. We have dedicated time at Convention for a transition meeting between outgoing and incoming officers to encourage a smooth transfer of duties through communication of tasks, procedures, knowledge, and mentoring. We are working to collect and update a list of current TMAA policies. We created guidelines for use of Leadership Development Funds.
Cynthia Gash | TMAA President 2023-2014
The new website has been a signature project for this year. We partnered with Nathanna Design in Knoxville to create our site on the Wild Apricot platform. The process has been a lot of work and the timeframe took longer than expected, but I believe the results will be worthwhile. It is my hope that the website will improve TMAA’s messaging and identity, increase membership across the state, and improve organizational capacity – thus making it an effective tool as we continue work to meet all three of our strategic plan goals.
When I began this year, I questioned what I could do to help lead TMAA over my year as President. With the help of my board, I have had the opportunity to discover what we could accomplish together. Many of us doubt whether what we have to give is enough. On a recent trip to Bruges, I came across the heraldic motto of the Lords of Gruuthuse, one of the city’s noble families during the medieval period: Plus est en vou. Roughly translated it means: There is more in you. I believe there is more in all of us than we know.
I will close the year with the same words I used to begin my year: Thank you for the honor of electing me to serve as the TMAA President for 2023-2024.
Cynthia Gash | TMAA President 2023-2024
