Welcome, bienvenidos, bienvenue, welkom
Welcome my NASPAG family to Central Florida
Land of the Seminole, the Tequesta, the Miccosukee
Of Eatonville, the oldest incorporated Black Community in the US
Of Kissimmee con boriquos de Puerto Rico desde las setentas.

Welcome to the warmth, the embrace of our NASPAG community
To the energy and passion of those with a deep sense of the privilege and the responsibility of caring for our youth.
Especially now.
You are in your NASPAG home. You can breathe, renew, restore, engage. Meet new
friends, revel in our shared sense of purpose.
And this year you can even dance.

This is the 38th meeting, a numbe neither dramatic nor momentus.
But its planners fought for its success as a battle
Because we know for many of you to come to Florida, it has to vale la pena, be worth
the effort.
And it will be.
Gyl is my hero, a warrior, I hope the scars heal quickly my friend.
We will play in the sunshine soon.

Z-o-o-m is a four-letter word that kept dinner waiting on the west coast, and made
bedtimes later on the east.
Kids whined and dogs barked,
While committees connected, advocated, invested, educated, debated and created.
How lovely to see you all in person. The laundry can wait.

To the Past Presidents who have risen to support us this year as never before, we are
so grateful
To the students and residents and fellows, I stand with you as a trainee. Welcome to my
favorite school with my favorite teachers, role models and mentors.
To my young colleagues, starting careers and often starting families, thank you for fitting
this gathering into your busy call-filled, RVU targeted, EPIC documented, and scholarly
activity noted life.
To our nurses and A-P-P's, we are so glad you are joining our ranks, for your training
taught patient-centered care long before the medical schools did.

Whether this is your first NASPAG Meeting, or 10th, or 30th, your voice is welcome,
wanted and so needed here.
Hang a shingle and they will come taught my PAG mentor Joe, and the patients and
their families came. In droves. We are so needed.
Our NASPAG shingle is up, welcome to the 38th ACRM.

~ Judith Simms-Cendan