LMS President’s Message, January, 2020
Building a Sense of Community
By Mamata Majmundar, MD
Belonging to a community of physicians that is bigger than where I work, or my specialty is why I have thrived in the Lexington Medical Society. Today’s society is hyper connected digitally, but what builds a sense of community is relationships. Twenty years ago, I joined the medical society to be part of a local group of physicians dedicated to advocacy, public health, and philanthropy. I never imagined how much the meaningful relationships would benefit my personal satisfaction. Through the years my interaction with the society grew from initially perusing the newsletter, attending an occasional dinner meeting, and supporting colleagues running for office, to being elected President of the society. What caused me to feel connected to the community of physicians was someone reaching out and asking if I’d serve as an at large member of the LMS Executive Board. I was hooked. Through my service on the board I participated in the creation of the hugely successful LMS Physician Wellness Program, now about to starts its fifth year. This program has provided free, confidential, counseling services to address life’s normal challenges for our members. I saw there was something bigger in medicine than the journey of working and pursuing a career. It is time to build community and embrace working together in the spirit of good fellowship to focus on a common greater good.
A community thrives because members are involved with each other in pursuit of common interests. Through programs of LMS and the KMA I actively looked for opportunities to pursue and enhance my leadership skills. While serving my first year as a board member for the Fayette County Board of Health, I completed the KMA Community Connector Program, a leadership program to enhance skills through education and direct community involvement to promote the practice of medicine in Kentucky. This led to my selection in the first class of the Kentucky Physician Leadership Institute (KPLI), KMA’s award-winning leadership program. These leadership development programs led to leadership experience in LMS, KMA, and the AMA. This curiosity to be part of something bigger was eye opening and exciting. I started to create connections and build lasting relationships. It has led to a path I never would have pursued if I was not part of this community. I developed a sense of belonging.
Building a community of physicians in Central Kentucky is our strategic vision for 2020 through 2022. We will implement three new goals base on our core values of camaraderie, connection, collaboration, and communication while we sustain the goals that have served us well the past few years.
Goal: The medical society will build a sense of community among physicians in Central Kentucky. We will implement strategies to facilitate connecting our members in meaningful relationships working towards common interests.
Goal: The medical society will strengthen our healthcare system outreach. We will develop programs that are of a common interest and service to healthcare systems across Central Kentucky.
Goal: The medical society will enhance our business operations. We will exploit technology to better serve our members and customers in our call center, credentialing, and media communications.
Building a community of physicians is our vision as we pursue our mission as being the principal voice and resource for Central Kentucky physicians to enhance their professional lives and improve the health of our community. I am honored to serve as president of the Lexington Medical Society. You too can share in this feeling of belonging, a feeling that we matter to one another and to the group, and a faith that our needs will be met through our commitment to be together focused on a larger good.
