Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Winter 2021 - 7

found in the Serenity Prayer, written by
American theologian Reinhold Neibuhr
and commonly quoted as: " God grant me
the serenity to accept the things I cannot
change; courage to change the things I
can; and wisdom to know the difference. "
I would suggest a revision regarding our
2020 dumpster fire issues: " God grant me
insight into the importance of persevering
in doing what I can to bring about change,
and the serenity to accept that I can only
do so much. " Or to that effect. Focusing
on what we can control and the changes
we can effect, however small they might
seem, is one antidote to despair and
burnout.
Membership in the BCMS offers many
opportunities to join with like-minded
colleagues towards positive change in
our profession and our community. Our
newest initiative is one that promises to
be especially rewarding for physicians who
participate. As alluded to by Dr. Haas in
his President's Message, the society is in the
process of developing programs designed to
encourage local youth to consider careers
in a medical field and provide mentorship
and other assistance to those who respond.
This initiative will target youth from
groups that are underrepresented in our
profession and historically marginalized in
our society.
According to data displayed on
the website of the AAMC (American
Association of Medical Colleges) (https://
www.aamc.org/data-reports/workforce/
interactive-data/figure-18-percentage-allactive-physicians-race/ethnicity-2018)
the race/ethnicity breakdown of active
physicians in July, 2019 was as follows:
56.2% White; 17.1% Asian; 13.7%
Unknown; 5.8% Hispanic; 5.0% Black or
African American; 1% Multiple race/nonHispanic; 0.8% Other; and 0.3% Native
American or Alaskan Native. Data on the
US Census webpage (https://www.census.
gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/RHI725219)
indicates that persons who are " Black or
African American alone " comprised 13.4%
of our population in 2019 and those
who are Hispanic or Latino comprised

Great care for your patient
starts with a strong team.

Adam J. Altman, MD
Angela Au Barbera, MD
Helga S. Barrett, OD
Jennifer H. Cho, OD, FAAO
Christine Gieringer, OD
David S. Goldberg, MD, FAAP
Marion J. Haligowski III, OD
Dawn Hornberger, OD, MS
Y. Katherine Hu, MD, MS
Lucinda A. Kauffman, OD
Christina M. Lippe, MD
Barry C. Malloy, MD
Michael A. Malstrom, MD
Mehul H. Nagarsheth, MD
Abhishek K. Nemani, MD
Jonathan D. Primack, MD
Kevin J. Shah, MD
Michael Smith, MD
Anastasia Traband, MD
Monica Wang, OD
Denis Wenders, OD
Linda A. Whitaker, OD, MS

With 20+ eye care specialists, Eye Consultants of
Pennsylvania is the leading eye care practice in the
region. Our doctors are always available for consults
and referrals on eye issues, and our entire practice
is committed to cooperative management of your
patient. That means that we communicate and consult
360°. We share information, and we provide direct cell
numbers to our partner physicians. And ultimately,
it means better care and outcomes for your patients.

For consultations and referrals, call 610-378-1344.

Offices in Wyomissing, Pottsville, Pottstown, Lebanon and Blandon

18.5%. So these two groups are among
those significantly under-represented in our
profession.
Any BCMS members who are interested
in taking advantage of the opportunity to
connect with local students and stimulate

interest in a medical career-especially
those physicians who identify with underrepresented racial/ethnic groups-are
encouraged to reach out to our Executive
Director, T.J. Huckleberry at: tjhuckleberry@
bcms.org.

WINTER 2021

http://www.EyeConsultantsOfPA.com

Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Winter 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Winter 2021