September 2017

One of IAMRA's many strengths comes through the diversity of its membership. As members of IAMRA, we are continually reminded that there are multiple ways of fulfilling our missions to protect the public and ensure that patients are treated by safe and competent physicians. When I have opportunities to meet with IAMRA members from around the world, I am reminded of the diversity of strong approaches to medical regulation and also comforted by the many similarities in the ways in which we approach our work. I look forward to seeing examples of these at IAMRA's upcoming Revalidation Symposium in London, hosted by the General Medical Council.  

Similarities and robust discussions were in abundance at the 21^st Annual Conference for the Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA) in Cape Town, South Africa, which I recently attended and had the honor of speaking at. The conference was hosted by the Health Professions Council of South Africa, who's President, Dr. Kgosietsile Letlape is also a member of IAMRA's Management Committee. There were nearly 200 attendees at this year's conference, many of whom represent IAMRA member organizations, including IAMRA's newest member, the Medical Council of Tanganyika (Tanzania).

AMCOA's ambitious agenda focused on the advancement of technology in medicine and the various impacts it can have on medical regulation, including many issues familiar to us all: regulation across jurisdictions, the use of social media in healthcare, and telemedicine, among others. My warmest thanks to Dr. Letlape and his staff for being such gracious hosts and putting on a fantastic conference.

IAMRA Operations Officer Roxanne Huff, Management Committee 

Member Daniel Yumbya, IAMRA Chair Humayun (Hank) Chaudhry 

attending AMCOA

IAMRA continues to experience increased diversity and richness of perspective as the Association gains new members. As always, we would be very pleased to hear from you about potential opportunities to expand IAMRA's membership. Please join me in welcoming IAMRA's newest Members and Partners:

Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine (U.S.)

Medical Council of Tanganyika (Tanzania)

American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (U.S.) - Partner

I would like to finish by offering hearty congratulations on behalf of the entire IAMRA Community to our immediate past-chair, Mr. Niall Dickson, for his recent recognition as a Commander of the British Empire. This honor is very well-deserved for Niall's many contributions to patient welfare and safety, both in the United Kingdom, as well as internationally through his magnificent leadership of IAMRA. Congratulations Niall!

Sincerely,

Humayun J. Chaudhry, D.O., M.S., MACP, MACOI