For those who attended EMI in NOLA this April, I hope you had as much fun as I did! Our new associate director, Danielle Daly, made sure to include so many entertaining networking activities. Danielle organized a second line parade where we marched and danced in the streets of NOLA with a marching band and a police escort. The parade came after a reception hosted by the In-House Counsel IG. There was also a 25th Anniversary Bash where the record number of attendees were treated to karaoke and DJs.
In addition to all the fun, EMI was special this year as we celebrated its 25th anniversary. Former chair Howard Wall was in attendance, which was remarkable because it was Howard’s vision over 25 years ago to hold a conference that addressed emerging technologies in healthcare. Without his vision, the HLS would not be celebrating 25 years of EMI. Thank you, Howard.
We also had the pleasure of honoring the “Father of the Section,” E. Paul Herrington, with an ABA HLS Lifetime Achievement Award at a black-tie event. E. Paul was excited to receive such an award where he was surrounded by friends and many past chairs of the HLS.
I want to acknowledge Beth Guest, who presented a touching tribute to Kathy DeBruhl , the winner of the ABA HLS’s Diversity and Inclusion Award. Kathy’s achievements around women in the profession and her work on the ABA’s Commission on Women were just a few of the reasons she was selected as this year’s award winner. Those who know Kathy will not be surprised to hear she did not disappoint with her acceptance speech, which was both inspiring and funny. Congratulations, Kathy.
I personally enjoyed the IG lunch, sponsored by the Medical-Legal Partnerships IG, which included an excellent presentation on MLPs by Clay Countryman, Julian Rivera, and Yasamine Salkar. This presentation was followed by Isabella Datillo, Kennedy Hagens, and Lydia Lockwood, three law students from the University of Maryland Clinical Law Program, who did an amazing job presenting their work with an MLP. I heard from so many attendees how impressed they were with the students, and I could not agree more. The future is bright for these up-and-comers.
There were also so many excellent educational sessions covering a wide array of hot topics, including the future of federal and state healthcare, big data concerns, updated Stark information, and current enforcement initiatives. Co-chairs Hayley Penan and Bill Mathias and the entire EMI Planning Committee did an excellent job making sure EMI was successful. We had a record-breaking attendance.
I am extremely proud to announce we exceeded our goal of raising $35,000 for the ABA HLS Program Support Fund. This money helps fund important initiatives of the HLS. This would not have been possible without the work of the entire Stewardship Committee, led by co-chairs Joyce Hall and Hal Katz. Thank you to everyone who donated (this included many past chairs).
Finally, thank you to the HLS Staff and everyone who attended EMI. I can only hope that EMI will be held in NOLA again someday!