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BCMS
ALLIANCE

BCMS ALLIANCE WELCOMES
NEW PRESIDENT FOR 2017

I am excited to be celebrating the centennial year of the Bexar Top Row (L-R) Anne Foster (VP Programs), Jenny Case (Recording Sec-
County Medical Society Alliance with you! Our Alliance is one of retary); Middle Row (L-R) Rebecca Husain, Jenny Shepherd (President-
the oldest in the state of Texas (3rd oldest to be exact). The Elect), Lori Boies (President), Valerie Garrison (VP Civic and
BCMSA — named the Auxiliary at the time — first met on Oct. Philanthropic), Rebecca Husain (Corresponding Secretary); Bottom
29, 1917 at the Menger Hotel to make surgical dressings for the Row (L-R) Kelly King (Treasurer), Sandra Vela (VP Social).
local Red Cross. From its inception, the BCMSA was organized “to
create fellowship among families of physicians and to foster activi- Pre-Health Professions.
ties in benevolent, philanthropic, charitable, and patriotic endeav- I am honored to serve as the 2017 BCMSA President during our
ors.” A century later, I feel that this statement still fully embodies
what we represent. Centennial Celebration. We have something for everyone: special
interest groups, book club, activities for young families (I have a 2-
How do we continue to “create fellowship among families of year-old daughter and love the play dates!), lunch bunch, shopping
physicians,” when the definition of the physician family has changed trips, community service, evening social events (Sips & Dips),
since the founding of the BCMSA during World War I? We recog- bunco, etc. We like to have fun, and it is an organization I am truly
nize that half of graduating medical students are female; many excited to lead!
households now have two working spouses (possibly two physi-
cians), and the role of the traditional “housewife” has evolved. While Please mark your calendars for Oct. 28, 2017 for our centennial
being the spouse of a physician grants us many benefits, there are celebration, “A Century in the Making!” at Neiman Marcus. All pro-
inherent sacrifices. I joined the BCMSA in 2010 when my husband, ceeds will go towards funding our scholarships. If you are interested
Brian, and I moved to San Antonio for his residency. The Alliance in being a sponsor for this event, please contact:
proved to be a cornerstone in making San Antonio feel like home bcmsalliance@bcms-alliance.org.
in those early, demanding years. The friendships I have gained
through the Alliance have always been refreshing to me, as physician Fondly,
families alone understand physicians’ incredibly demanding sched- Lori Boies, 2017 BCMSA President
ules; these friends never blink an eye when I show up to an event
alone or with a very tired husband. Please visit our website; www.bcmsalliance.org

How do we stay true to the pledge to “foster activities in benevo-
lent, philanthropic, charitable and patriotic endeavors” a century
after our inception? We have many volunteer opportunities for our
members who are interested in serving our community through
BCMSA Cares. Our VP of Civic and Philanthropic activities coor-
dinates our “Hard Hats for Little Heads” bicycle helmet giveaways
to children at the City of San Antonio’s Síclovía. Texas Medical As-
sociation Alliance (TMAA) awarded us the “Dedication to the Mis-
sion” award at the AllMed Conference in May 2016 in recognition
of our efforts to fit and give away almost 700 helmets! The “Hard
Hats for Little Heads” and “Be Wise, Immunize” initiatives are gen-
erously subsidized by the TMA Foundation. During 2016, we pro-
vided flu and Tdap vaccinations to those in need through events at
local men’s and women’s shelters, using grant money awarded to us
from the TMA Foundation. Additionally, we raise thousands of dol-
lars in scholarships for university students in Bexar County studying

10 San Antonio Medicine • January 2017