Dear D.C. Section Members,

We are taking this opportunity to introduce you to your District of Columbia Section Membership.  Until 2011, I and Dr. Bohon will be your section chair and vice chair, respectively.  In addition to our introduction, we want to inform of current activities of the Section and to invite you to our Section meeting scheduled for September 10, 2009 at Sibly Hospital in Washington, D.C..

Kerry M. Lewis, M.D. is your section chair.  He was announced section chair at the Annual District meeting in Orlando, Florida in October 2008.  Dr. Lewis was section vice chair from 2005 to 2008 under the leadership of Stephen Proctor, M.D. as section chair.  He is currently Associate Professor, Interim Chairman and Chief of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Howard University Hospital.

Constance Bohon, M.D. is your section vice chair.  Dr. Bohon was announced section vice chair at the Annual District Meeting in Orlando, Florida in October 2008.

Dr. Bohon is in private practice in Washington, D.C. and is affiliated with Sibley Hospital and George Washington University Hospital.

As many of you may know, there are some very important changes occurring in the College that will impact all members.  These changes can be complicated and confusing to understand. 

One change is the board recertification process.  The Maintenance of Certification involves a written examination, a review of articles (ABC) and a review of clinical management.  Successful completion of this process requires familiarity of the new guidelines.  We encourage you to visit the website at www.acog.org and www.abog.org.   We plan to have a detailed discussion of the process at our section meeting in September.

Another very important topic involves the development of the companion organizations, namely the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.  The reasons for this change are critical to the advocacy and educational functions of the organization.

Current activities of the section include implementation of a survey to evaluate HIV screening in pregnant women in the District of Columbia.  More details of this survey will be forthcoming in the next week.  We are looking forward to your participation in this survey.

Lastly, please note that your Annual District Meeting will take place in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina October 16-18, 2009.  The educational program is excellent and the Grove Park Inn is an extraordinary location.  Please plan to attend.  You can review the preliminary program and register at www.acog.org.

We will continue to inform you of College, District and Section activities.  We look forward to representing you on the District Council and to communicating your issues and concerns to the College.  We will continue to keep you informed of the upcoming Section Meeting and look forward to your participation in the District Meeting in Asheville, NC.

Sincerely,

Kerry M. Lewis, M.D., FACOG                                              Constance Bohon, M.D., FACOG 

Chair                                                                                        Vice Chair

District of Columbia Section                                                      District of Columbia Section