Pan-American Medical Association

January 1, 2010

Dear friends and colleagues:

About 12 years ago, and after finishing my active duty career in U.S. Air Force, I moved to Sebring, FL,  as a civilian.  One of the first persons I met there was Dr. Regino Rodriguez, a long time member of PAMA of Central Florida, and whom since then I consider a dear friend.  He spoke to me very enthusiastically about the association and invited me to join.  Few years passed by and I found myself making a career change, this time relocating to the greater Orlando area.  Following the advice of Dr. Rodriguez , I joined this wonderful organization in 2005. Since then I have enjoyed meeting quality people dedicated to the practice of a medicine and affiliated careers, and with the common thread of being hispanic and loving to socialize with their peers.

Now, I had the honor of being inducted as President  of PAMA of Central Florida for 2010. First, I want to thank Dr. Rodriguez, who introduced me to PAMA, and then to our immediate past presidents, Dr. Miguelin Lugo, Dr. Carlos Pacheco, and other distinguished past presidents for their  vote of confidence. Those, along with their spouses, are a wonderful example of dedication and caring for this association for which every member should be grateful.  It is a privilege and a great responsibility, which I intend to fulfill to the best  my abilities.

Our beloved PAMA find its roots back to about 30 years ago, when a group of cuban-american physicians gathered with the main idea of celebrating “Doctor’s Day”, a tradition in their native Cuba.  Along the way other hispanic physicians started to join the group, and in 1984 PAMA of Central Florida was established as an entity.  Since then we have grown in membership, counting now with over 150 registered members, as well as an influential force in our community.  Our main core values include the promotion of social intereactions among members, and the exchange of scientific and educational ideas. We, as hispanics dedicated to health related careers, are here to stay and to contribute with our effort, dedication, and knowledge to the well being of this community that we call home.  Exciting events are happening in the medical arena.  The development of the so called “medical city” in Lake Nona will bring state of the art facilities to include a pediatric hospital, a V.A. medical center, a nationally recognized institute of medical research, and the already operating U.C.F. College of Medicine.  There is great potential for this town, already known worldwide as a vacationing heaven, to become a national force in the medical field, diversifying its economy and bringing a lot of opportunities in difficult economic times.  Hispanics are in an enviable position to contribute and participate of this potential bonanza.  The PAMA of Central Florida can become a vehicle of interaction with these entities, promoting and emphasizing our presence in the community, and ultimately opening doors of opportunity for our membership.  It is imperative that we as a group continue to grow strongly.  Each individual member should become an ambassador of our association by actively recruiting qualified personnel, by staying up to date in our scope of practice through education, and by always remembering and honoring our hispanic roots.  Our comprehensive internet site(URL: PAMACFL.org) is a wonderful tool with information about our history, current events, and for the administrative part of our business.  I encourage each of you to log on to it, signed up as a member, and visit it frequently since it has become the best vehicle of interaction among our members.  Dr. Miguelin Lugo has done a wonderful job in keeping it up to date.

I am honored and humble to lead this organization, particularly during such a historic time in which changes in the delivery of health care that will affect each of us, as providers and as cutomers, are inevitable.  I am commited to making PAMA of Central Florida a more prominent and influential organization in our community.  My fellow members of the board of directors and I will work insatiably for the advancement of our goals, but we need the involvement and contributions of our membership by participating in our yearly scheduled activities at a high level to make 2010 a successful year. 

Once again , I thank everyone for this opportunity to serve, whish each of you a wonderful and prosperous 2010, and look forward to see you in our activities.

 Sincerely,

 Thomas Segarra, Jr., M.D.