Dear Members,

As I write this, we’re just one week past the Baltimore Running Festival, which saw over 12,000 runners – including many of our own members and their families – coming together in celebration of health, community, and perseverance. This event is one of my favorite days of the year. It brings our city to life with a sea of participants who prioritize their health, motivated by goals that uplift both body and mind. We spend countless hours encouraging our patients to embrace exercise, not just for physical benefits but for the mental resilience and fulfillment that it brings. It’s a powerful moment when we see so many individuals, young and old, putting this advice into practice.

This year’s event proved especially challenging with higher temperatures leading to a greater need for medical support. I am incredibly proud of our members who volunteered in the medical tent, offering their expertise to ensure the safety of everyone involved. This is a reminder that our work as family physicians doesn’t always have to be confined to clinic walls. Engaging with our community in settings like this – where people are actively choosing to improve their health – is a meaningful way to show that family medicine is a versatile field, extending into every aspect of our lives and theirs.

Our role as family physicians allows us to reach patients on multiple levels. I encourage you to motivate your patients, not just with words but by setting an example. Sports medicine is ultimately an extension of family medicine; it’s about prevention and readiness, supporting our patients’ highest aspirations while preparing for the challenges. In this spirit, I encourage each of you to set both personal and professional goals and to savor this beautiful fall season, with its opportunities for outdoor activities and well-being, before the winter chill sets in.

Don’t forget to mark February 6 on your calendar for advocacy day!

If anyone is interested in learning more about Pocus, we have two ultrasound courses coming up, which are a great price and we’ll focus on tangible items that you can implement into your practice.

Kelly Ryan, DO, FAAFP
MDAFP President