TSGE President's Messages 

Quarterly Presidential Update - August 2023

The dog days of Summer are upon us! I used to think it was called “the dog days” because it was so hot that all dogs did was sleep. I found out that instead the moniker came from Sirius the Dog Star-up in the sky during summer nights. A historic summer indeed which will go down as the hottest, thus far, the Earth has been during human existence. My wish for all of you is that your air conditioners do not malfunction. We should be grateful that is our worry while many others have greater concerns.

I am worried about the consequences of climate change for all of us, but particularly for the most vulnerable populations. I do not believe that the stresses of climate change will unite us as we face a common enemy. I think it will dig right into the furrows of the divisions that already exist. One of those divisions is that of the Haves and the Have Nots--like do you have health insurance or don’t you? If you don’t, then bugger off.

I am proud that the TSGE during this legislative session did our part to fill in a little of the gap in the health care divide. CPIRIT is an organization that helps prevent colon cancer in the underserved communities. However, it lacked funding to treat the colon cancers that were found during the process. With our Legislative Liaison, Marshall Kenderdine, TSGE worked with others to secure $10 million biennially to help those people get treatment. That’s just the tip of the iceberg of our legislative achievements during this past session that I won’t belabor. (Please see the Legislative Update by yours truly on our Twitter feed @TexasGastros).

This band aid is important even though $10 million will get chewed up in no time, as it sets a precedent. It’s in the budget; it’s a line item. We can work on making it higher later. These are all the chinks in the armor as we tint at the windmills of our best shot at bridging the health care divide; expanding Medicaid. This is a position of the Texas Medical Association that I fully support.

We have been busy little bees at TSGE. Our priority has always been to deliver the Best Annual Meeting Ever! Each year, we succeed. So, it gets harder. Our Course Directors Emmanual Coronel and Harsh Patel have been up to the task. I am so excited to be with you all in San Antonio September 15-17, 2023! Register at www.tsge.org. I have been earnestly working on my Presidential Address and am eager to share it.

The Board has nominated three new potential members to our body, to be approved by the Members of the Society at the Business Luncheon Saturday September 16, 2023. They are Sameer Islam from Lubbock, Susan Moster from Fort Worth, and Gaurav Arora from Denton. We’ve also selected our Course Directors for the 2024 Annual Meeting in Austin, TX. Namely Prasun Jalal from Houston, and Karthik Garapathi from Austin.

It’s hot out there, people. Be careful. With yourselves and with others. Drink water, wear sunscreen, show compassion. And have a great rest of your summer!

Best,

Pradeep Kumar MD President, TSGE