Friends, Doctors, ECMA membership,
We made it through 2024 and cruised right into 2025 in a flash. And what a tremendous 2024 it was! Many new members joined our ranks (including many medical students). We hosted a variety of excellent events such as a fireside chat with Florida’s First Lady (I still find that one difficult to believe). We also faced some tragic losses in our community, and saw significant growth in our practices ubiquitously. It has been a whirlwind of activity and now we have officially kicked off 2025 with our CME beach retreat.
The speakers were excellent, engaging the membership in a multitude of subjects including but not limited to an overview of the treatment of bone infections, a tremendous panel discussion on obesity treatment via diet and pharmacology, and a promising treatment option for sufferers of gastroparesis. An amazing pair of UF physicians provided a cutting-edge view on the devastating disease of Glioblastoma. Additionally, we received a legislative update from our own congressman Dr. Neal Dunn.
Our keynote speaker, however, simply stole the show on Friday night. Dr. Tasha Faruqui, a pediatrician, with her husband Dr. Safi Faruqui in the audience, shared a simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming story of her beautiful daughter, Soraya, and her struggles with an as of yet undiagnosed illness. She took us from the early “something’s wrong” stage in early infancy, to the difficulties in her differences with her sisters and friends, to her “make a wish” adventures, to the profound step of placing her in palliative care. Dr. Faruqui’s talk was punctuated by moving videos of her daughter and provided an honest and raw perspective of what it’s like caring for a child with special needs. I don’t imagine anyone there had dry eyes. I certainly didn’t. We anxiously look forward to Dr. Faruqui’s book which should be out in six months or so. Her message of trying to “suck the joy out of life” should resonate deeply with all of us.
Furthermore, ECMA members were able to obtain our Florida mandated CME during the retreat. We thank all of our wonderful sponsors and bid farewell to the Henderson as we are excited to move to the Sandestin Hilton for our 2026 CME event. Mark your calendars now for Jan 23-25, 2026 and plan to join us at the new venue with much more space. With that said, our CME event planning team should be commended. Deb Williams MD, Zach Wilson, MD, and Steven Finklestein, MD did an incredible job of finding astounding speakers and insightful topics. They are already hard at work preparing for the next retreat. I’m uncertain when they sleep.
The ECMA, of course, has many more events and meetings in the works for 2025. We’re planning several recruitment and networking meetings with special guests we think everyone will enjoy! We also have some other things cooking that aren’t quite ready for primetime, but we’re looking forward to announcing when the time is right.
Thank you all for taking care of our patients and our families. As always, I should extend a special thank you to the ECMA Board Members who do such an incredible job behind the scenes improving our medical community and empowering you to do what you do.
Finally, an exceptionally special thank you to Michelle Flaat. I’m not sure how she continues to outdo herself but she extends past the bar every year, at every event, from the success of her own making. She really is the glue behind our organization.
I look forward to serving you again in 2025 and making our community the happiest and healthiest it can be.
Never hesitate to reach out to me for anything.
Don Davis, MD
President ECMA
