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PRESIDENT’S SAN ANTONIO
MESSAGE MEDICINE

BCMS Contributions to TexMed 2024 BCMS President, Ezequiel “Zeke” Silva, III, MD,

Elected for American Medical Association
By Ezequiel "Zeke" Silva III, President, Bexar County Medical Society (BCMS)
Council on Medical Service
One of my priorities is to enhance the contributions of BCMS to The Business of the House
the Texas Medical Association. A key aspect of this objective is ensuring TMA policy is shaped by the HOD through resolutions. Each By Gabriella Bradberry
a robust BCMS presence at TexMed, the TMA’s annual meeting, which resolution is assigned to various reference committees by the TMA
took place in early May. I am pleased to report our significant achievements. Speaker and Vice-Speaker, who recommend actions based on the tes-
timony and existing TMA policies. BCMS was well-represented in the
The Importance of TexMed reference committees: The Bexar County Medical Society’s very own, 2024 BCMS Pres-
TexMed serves as the annual meeting for the TMA House of Delegates • Science and Public Health: David Trueson Lam, MD, Chair ident, Ezequiel “Zeke” Silva, III, MD, was elected to serve on the
(HOD), the policymaking body of the TMA. It also hosts TMA Councils, • Financial and Organizational Affairs: Jim Humphreys, MD American Medical Association’s Council on Medical Service. On June
Committees, Caucuses and Sections and welcomes new leaders and mem- • Medical Education and Health Care Quality: Soma S. K. Jyothula, MD 11, 2024, AMA held their Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates
bers. Crucially, the HOD conducts its election of new officers, including the • Socioeconomics: Lyssa N. Ochoa, MD where Dr. Silva was voted as one of the council members for the 2024-
President-Elect and members of the TMA Board of Trustees. 2028 term.
Our Resolutions The AMA’s Council on Medical Service functions to study and
A New President-Elect from Bexar County BCMS sponsored a number of resolutions with the following out- evaluate the social and economic aspect of healthcare. As a council
Dr. Jayesh “Jay” Shah was elected as the 2024 President-Elect, with comes: member, Dr. Silva’s roles will include investigating social and economic
his presidency set to begin at TexMed 2025. Jay will be the 14th TMA factors influencing the practice of medicine and to confer with and
President from Bexar County and the first Indian-American to serve • Resolution 105 – Developing National Guidelines for Physician assist state associations, component societies and national medical
in this role. He is the first BCMS member to serve as President since Supervision of Midlevel Practitioners: Adopted as Amended specialty societies regarding changing conditions and anticipated pro-
William Hinchey, MD in 2007-2008. A former BCMS President, Jay • Resolution 203 – Supporting Diversity-Focused Student Affinity posals that would affect medical care.
has contributed immensely to the medical community in Bexar and Groups in Medical Education: Adopted Factors that contributed to Dr. Silva’s election included his exper-
surrounding counties. Jay’s acceptance speech was remarkable. • Resolution 317 – Ensuring Safety with Devices Producing Car- tise in payment policy, history of sharing expertise with lawmakers,
bon Monoxide: Adopted advocacy on physicians’ practices and patient care and more. Dr. Silva
A New TMA Alliance President • Resolution 414 – Regulating Non-Compete Clauses for Doctors has proven himself to be a voice for medicine.
Jenny Shepherd, the spouse of our BCMS President-Elect, John in Texas: Adopted Congratulations to Dr. Silva on his election as a member of the
Shepherd, MD, was inaugurated as the new TMA Alliance President. • Council on Science and Public Health Report 2 – Bexar Resolution AMA Council on Medical Service. He has proven to be a voice for not
Jenny’s role extends to the AMA Council on Legislation, where she 301 from 2023 – Labeling of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages: Adopted only medicine in Bexar County but across the nation.
will help shape AMA legislative policies. Like Jay, Jenny gave a memo-
rable acceptance speech to the TMA HOD. A full description of these resolutions as well as others from
TexMed can be found here: www.texmed.org/uploadedFiles/Cur-
New TMA Leaders rent/2016_About_TMA/TMA_Leadership/House_of_Delegates/ Gabriella Bradberry is the Admin/Communications Specialist for
Beyond our new President-Elect, several BCMS members have Summary%20of%20Actions%202024.pdf the Bexar County Medical Society.
assumed TMA leadership roles. For instance, I have been appointed
Chair of the TMA Council on Legislation. Over 50 BCMS members Opportunity Remains
serve on various TMA Councils, Caucuses and Sections. BCMS made a strong impression at TexMed 2024, and we contin-
A list of our members and their roles can be found here: ue to grow in representation and influence. As the voice of physicians
www.bcms.org/bcmsdelegates.php in Bexar and surroundiwng counties, the opportunities and respon-
sibilities are substantial. We depend on our dedicated volunteers. If
Our BCMS Delegation you can spare the time and energy, we invite you to join our TMA
BCMS has a specific number of delegates based on our total mem- delegation.
bership. Our delegation also includes several ex-officio delegates, such
as members of TMA Councils and Committees and past presidents. Learn more about opportunities with BCMS at TMA here:
Although we had a www.bcms.org/committees.php www.texmed.org/hod/
substantial number of
delegates, we did not
reach our full allotment,
presenting an opportu- Ezequiel “Zeke” Silva III, MD, is the 2024 President of the Bexar County
nity for more delegates Medical Society. Dr. Silva is a radiologist with the South Texas Radiology
to participate in future Group, Adjunct Professor of Radiology at the UT Health, Long School
meetings, such as the of Medicine, and Vice-Chief of Staff at Methodist Hospital Texsan. He is
2025 TexMed, which Chair of the TMA Council on Legislation and is a TMA Delegate to the
will take place in San AMA. He serves on the AMA Council on Medical Service, and chairs the
Antonio. AMA RVS Update Committee (RUC).

8 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • July 2024 Visit us at www.bcms.org 9