The heart of the Texas Medical Association’s policymaking efforts, its councils and committees, will kick off TexMed 2025 with meetings open to all members, starting Thursday, May 8.
TMA’s House of Delegates (HOD) adopted open meetings in 2022 to meet members’ desire for more involvement in TMA’s organizational process.
“These changes are implemented based on feedback from TMA members, which is then put into action based on [guidance] from the Council on Member Experience,” said Lena Banks, TMA’s vice president of member experience and business intelligence. “Members told us what they wanted more of in their association, and how they wanted to be connected, and [TMA] is following through on that.”
To view the schedule, visit TexMed’s business meeting page, where you will find listings for the Councils on Socioeconomics and Medical Education and Committee on Independent Physician Practice, among many more, whose meetings will be held in person mostly on Thursday May 8 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country resort. Note the Council on Legislation will meet virtually.
Most TMA member sections will meet on Friday, May 9.
The open meeting policy only applies to councils, standing committees, and ad hoc committees. It does not include TMA boards, such as the Board of Trustees and the Board of Councilors. Guests may be required to leave if the council or committee goes into an executive session for closed deliberation.
If you are not a member of these groups, you must contact the appropriate chair or TMA staff to request or confirm attendance and you must be registered for TexMed to attend. Contact information can be found on TMA’s Boards, Councils, Committees, and Sections webpage.
Conference events will continue through May 10. Also scheduled for Thursday is the Specialty Speed Networking event, hosted by TMA Sections, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, and an all-conference mixer from 8 to 11 pm. For the conference agenda, see the TexMed 2025 webpage. Register now for free as a benefit of membership; on-site registration includes a $25 registration fee.
The adoption of open meetings is one of many initiatives the house – with support from TMA’s Council on Member Experience – has approved in recent years to increase the visibility of TMA member interests, bolster member involvement in the association, and strengthen TMA and the physician practices it represents.
This year, TMA’s Board of Trustees, with guidance from the Council on Member Experience, also green lit Monday night virtual presentations before each First Tuesdays at the Capitol. The online meetings provide timely updates on the association’s legislative strategies and specific actions TMA is taking to ensure an improved health care landscape for physicians and their patients.
To learn more about leadership opportunities, please visit the TMA Leadership page.
Alisa Pierce
Reporter, Division of Communications and Marketing
(512) 370-1469