Welcome
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Candidate Statement | Tracy Tomac, MDI will soon be serving as president-elect for MPS, and I would like to express my thanks and my honor at receiving this invitation. I will be joining a long line of respected colleagues who have served in this position over the years. I will strive to carry forward the mission of MPS as we support our profession and patients.
As I reflect on writing a brief bio, I am a bit alarmed by the passage of time. I have been involved with MPS on and off for almost 30 years at this point! I started my psychiatric career in residency training at Mayo Clinic. My career path has taken me to jobs in New Ulm, Winona, Duluth, and finally at Regions in St. Paul. I have worked in outpatient clinics, nursing homes, group homes, and hospitals. My current position of 15 years is inpatient psychiatry hospitalist at Regions. I started with MPS in the 90’s, working with Linda Vukelich on meeting planning. When I moved to Duluth, I was appointed to the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice and worked primarily with the legislative committee. After moving to St. Paul, my role at the Board of Medical Practice changed to Medical Coordinator. I re-engaged with MPS, back on the program planning committee, for the last several years. It has been a joy to reconnect with MPS. Our organization does so much important work for our profession. We provide high quality educational opportunities at our CME meetings. We interface regularly with legislators at the State Capitol. We provide networking and social connections for our members across generations. Most importantly, we support our members in striving to provide the highest quality care to the patients we serve. Our profession, and indeed our nation, are facing unprecedented challenges. We will all be called upon to provide the best care with increasingly reduced resources. We are practicing medicine in a climate increasingly hostile to science and facts. We are at the front lines, witnessing the suffering of the most vulnerable members of humanity. Despite these circumstances, I have high hopes for MPS moving into this unknown future. I hope for increased engagement of our members across the entire state. I hope for recruitment of new members across all career stages and practice types. I hope for increased interface with other medical professional organizations in the state. I have used the word “hope” so many times in the last paragraph. I believe hope is the key to moving forward. Working together, we can continue to support each other and our patients. When we work together, there is always hope. I look forward to serving MPS, Tracy Tomac MD |