AAEM PAC

New AAEM PAC Chair Named

William Little, MD FAAEM, has been appointed to chair AAEM PAC, the political action committee of AAEM, which, through voluntary donations by the membership, is able to support legislation and effect change on behalf of the interests of specialists in Emergency Medicine.

Dr. Little has been a member of AAEM since 1997 and currently works in a small, independent group of doctors that staff one rural emergency department in a Tennessee community hospital. He is a graduate of the EM residency program at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and became board certified in 1998.

In his letter of application for the position, Dr. Little made the following comments:

"I would like to serve as the treasurer for AAEM PAC. I am finishing my MBA at Owen School of Management at Vanderbilt in May. I am in the first MBA class to have been offered the health care focus option. The health care class went to Washington, DC, last week to learn how legislation is enacted and how it can be influenced by various factions, including PACs and Congressmen's constitutes. I met Senator Bill Frist, from my home state of Tennessee. As the only doctor in the Senate, he is looked to by the other members of both parties for leadership in health care matters (he is a former cardiothoracic surgeon who practiced at Vanderbilt). He is also the son of the founder of Columbia/HCA and his brother is that company's current CEO.

"I also met with Tennessee Representative Bart Gordon's legislative assistant who is his health care "specialist." He is on the Commerce Committee, the second most influential committee in DC. My group also met with another Tennessee Representative, Bob Clement, from Nashville. I found the whole process very intriguing."

AAEM PAC was previously chaired by Tom Scaletta, MD FAAEM, who became ineligible to serve in that capacity when he was elected to the AAEM Board of Directors in February 2000.