President’s Message
President’s Message
By Paritosh Kaul, MD, FSAHM
SAHM President
I am writing to all of you as we celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. As the president of our organization, I felt this is what we all do in our professional lives in taking care of adolescents and young adults. We speak for all AYA, those who are marginalized and who do not have advocates, each one of us in our own unique ways. We all need to continue to work for them and serve them.
The Annual meeting will be in Chicago from Tuesday, March 7, to Friday, March 10, 2023! We will be meeting in person after a gap for three years! Registration will open soon. The Program Committee, under the leadership of Nicholas Westers, has been working tirelessly to present us with an excellent program that we all so enjoy. Once again, we will gather together to learn and strengthen our bonds that is part of our SAHM culture. Details are shared in Nicholas’ column. I also wanted to remind everyone that effective this year, one must renew or become a SAHM member before registering in order to obtain the discounted member registration rate for the annual meeting.
SAHM was busy during the summer. Our advocacy committee continues to work tirelessly to advocate for AYA and strengthen our relationship with organizations that also advocate for AYA. Thank you, Laura and your team, for your tireless efforts. The work is always within a tight timeline and on behalf of SAHM, thank you. The expertise that our Senior Policy fellow, Abigail English, adds to our advocacy efforts is greatly appreciated. Details are shared in Laura’s column.
The annual call for volunteers for various SAHM committees officially closed yesterday, Nov. 14. Please consider where you could best assist our organization, and please encourage others to volunteer all year long. It would be amazing as we continue to build on the diverse group of people who are part of our organization. SAHM needs each one of us. In addition, SAHM needs our financial support. I hope all of us will consider donating to SAHM as you renew your membership for 2023. The call for donations will also be announced soon.
I recently watched a Ted Talk by Shawn Achor — “The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXy__kBVq1M He recommends these five simples steps;
1. Three Acts of Gratitude: Spend two minutes a day scanning the world for three new things you’re grateful for.
2. The Doubler: For two minutes a day, think of one positive experience that’s occurred during the past 24 hours.
3. The Fun Fifteen: 15 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day.
4. Breathe two minutes of simply watching your breath go in and out.
5. Conscious Acts of Kindness: For two minutes each day, start work by writing a two-minute positive email or text praising or thanking one person you know.
I conclude with a Sanskrit prayer:
asato mā sadgamaya | tamaso mā jyotirgamaya |mṛtyormā’mṛtaṃ gamaya.
From falsehood lead me to truth | From darkness lead me to light | From death lead me to immortality
With gratitude,
Paritosh
