It is so hard to believe the 2009-10 year for The Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia is drawing to a close.  Despite some adversity this year, it all turned out extremely well.  At the beginning of our year, we were faced with the need to fill the position of executive secretary.

We welcomed Ms. Teri Wiseley, who did a fantastic job taking over the helm, and basically restructuring and bringing it into the new millennium.  We also dealt with losing our January speaker due to illness, and had a number of our own members step up to the plate, and offered to give lectures.  Ultimately, the lecture was covered by Dr. Stephen Sawin, one of our own local doctors, and a member of PARES, who did a phenomenal lecture on Fertility “Options for Cancer Patients “  February brought us the Blizzard of 2010, which forced us to cancel our meeting that month.  We came back and had held two meetings in March, both of which were excellent and well attended.  Our historic Obstetrical Society continues to this day because of the commitment of its fine members to its mission.  To everyone who made this all happen…Thank you!

We also shared many positive experiences this year.  Our guest lecture venue was top notch.  We were privileged to hear from professors such as Dr. Ron Wapner, Dr. Geoffrey Sher, Dr Vince Lucente and Dr. Steve Klasko to name of a few.  Lectures were informative and well attended. Thanks to the dedicated work of Dr. Mark Woodland, The Obstetrical Society now has its historic documents and artifacts safely archived and preserved for our future generations and members to enjoy.  Our newsletter and the society’s Website have been taken to new levels by Dr. Albert El-Roeiy, who has donated countless hours to this endeavor.  Drs. Arnie Cohen and Jason Baxter put on our first quality assurance obstetrical forum sponsored by an educational grant from The March of Dimes.  These are a few of the things that made our year successful and define our society.

The future is equally promising.  We have an exciting and informative Resident Education Day coming up on Friday, May 7th.  The theme for the day is “Communication”, a greatly needed quality for all of us.  And don’t forget the infamous resident bowl later that day.  It will be tradition at its finest!   President’s Night will be Thursday, May 13th.  This will be my farewell as your president this year.  I plan to present an informative lecture on global issues facing the health care of women entitled, “Healthy Women, Healthy World”.  I would be honored to see you all there.

Finally, I want to thank the membership for supporting me and The Society throughout this past year.  It has been my honor and privilege to serve The Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia.  When I first took office, I was extremely nervous.  I felt intimidated, wondering how I would be able to be an effective president compared to the iconic individuals who held this office before me.  Thanks to a selfless and dedicated council, my job was made easy.  Most importantly, it was one of the most rewarding years of my life.  Thank you for this great opportunity!  I wish Dr. Susan Kaufman much success in her presidency next year.  She is a superb candidate to guide The Society into the next decade.  We will all support her during her term to keep our society viable and progressive.

Thank you again and best wishes.

Respectfully and sincerely,

Al Peters, D.O., F.A.C.O.G

President 2009-10