Chapter Leadership Elections
Congratulations Governor-Elect Designees!
Governor-Elect Term begins April 2025
Governor Term begins April 2026
What do you see as an "existential challenge" to our specialty over the next 3-5 years, and how would it be best for Internal Medicine to meet that challenge?
How will your experiences, skills, and background help to support and advance the New York Chapter over that same time frame?
Harvir Singh Gambhir MD, FACP, CPL, CPHQ, FHL, FHM
Governor-Elect Designee
Upstate Region
Moving forward from the pandemic, we are still facing challenges in expanding our workforce, creating a sense of belonging in clinical and organizational medicine, promoting the well-being of our team, nurturing the next generation of mentors and leaders, and ensuring diverse representation within the healthcare team. As we lay the foundation for our future, we must be committed to nurturing the development and mentorship of medical students, residents, fellows, and early career physicians. Through innovation and strategically engaging and developing healthcare team members in clinical and organizational activities, the aim to foster a culture of belonging and ensure that each member is genuinely appreciated. Additionally, seek to build a diverse workforce that incorporates a range of perspectives. It's critically important to have the support of current leaders to foster a culture of belonging and inclusivity.
I had the privilege to join NYACP as a resident and gained invaluable experiences and took on various leadership opportunities. Now, I'm eager to pay it forward by nurturing and guiding medical students, residents, and fellows through committee work. As a mid-career physician, I aspire to bridge the gap between early career physicians and leadership to foster the next generation of leaders and mentors. In my role as a Governor, my main focus is to advocate for membership, well-being, provide support to foreign medical graduates, empower women, and support as many members as possible on their journey to fellowship for American College of Physicians.
Moro O. Salifu, MD, MPH, MBA, MACP
Governor-Elect Designee
Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island Region
Of the many challenges facing our specialty, I believe, the declining physician workforce number is the most existential challenge facing us, in the next 3-5 years and beyond. Over 40% of physicians are older than 55, nearing retirement and the current shortfall in primary care (PC) physicians is estimated at about 20,000 nationwide, leaving patients with fewer choices and overwhelmed, burned or burning out physicians.
Meanwhile, the population over the age of 65 is growing at an alarming rate of 34% and needs more care. The solution then, is a process that will engage ACP leadership in hard discussions with HRSA, Congress and the ACGME to increase GME slots dedicated to PC in existing or new PC residency programs, aimed at closing the shortfall in the next decade. Short of this solution, is a crisis in the making.
Moreover, of the approximately 40,000 residency applications/year, only approximately half are enrolled into residencies, which means the candidate pool is robust and can expand or absorb new residencies. As the longest serving chair of medicine at SUNY Downstate, who has already implemented a new PC Internal Medicine Residency Program with it first graduates in June 2024, former NYACP Councilor and currently serving as the NYACP DEI Taskforce Chair, I believe I have a track record of leadership and positive energy that will advance this topic at both the chapter and national levels. Any incremental gains would make our discipline more attractive, raise morale and promulgate solutions on other challenges.