During the November Board Meeting, I had the honor of being sworn in as the North Carolina Medical Board’s 121st President. It meant a great deal to have my father beside me as I spoke the oath of office.
I was not the only Board Member to invite a guest to share the spotlight. In fact, it was an unusually busy year for swearings-in, with four new Board Members and two other officers formally assuming leadership roles. Nearly every Board Member swearing an oath this November chose to have someone special to them – a spouse, a parent, children – at their side.
This struck me as especially appropriate because service on the Medical Board is not about personal glory or individual accomplishment. It is about working together in the best interest of North Carolinians. It is about protecting patients and families and, in so doing, preserving the honor of the medical profession. Sharing the stage with loved ones and cherished friends and mentors is a small way of reflecting this.
It’s something of an NCMB tradition for the incoming Board President to unveil a special project that they hope to complete during their term. As I considered my options, however, I found that I have no one grand objective in mind. Rather, as NCMB President I plan to do what I always do: show up and do the very best I can do and hope, at the end of the day, I’ve helped to make things better.
So, towards this end, I’ve identified three areas of focus for the year. For those who like catchy slogans, I call it the “3Es” – education, engagement and evaluation.
Education: As I mentioned, NCMB has four new members. It is imperative that they receive the training they need to be successful. In preparing to serve as President, I worked with NCMB staff to develop a comprehensive one-year onboarding process. This has included revising existing resources – such as NCMB’s Board Member Manual – and creating new ones to help ensure that new members are quickly able to fully participate in committees and Board discussions. At the same time, NCMB will continue to regularly schedule training to enhance the knowledge and efficacy of all Board Members.
Engagement: Again, NCMB is not just me and my colleagues on the Board, but the entire organization. To capitalize on our collective strengths, I will be encouraging additional collaboration among Board and staff. This will allow us to tap into the vast institutional memory and wisdom within the organization and, hopefully, allow NCMB to become nimbler in its decision making.
Evaluation: The Board’s initiatives are only of value if they achieve their intended aims. As Board President, I am challenging NCMB to do a better job of evaluating its efforts, from NCMB’s strategic priorities, to initiatives such as SOPI (the proactive opioid investigation program) to Board Member performance and more.
I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this organization. When I’m done, of course I hope people will say, “Bryant did a good job.” But, truly, the work we are doing isn’t about me. Ultimately, I want people to remember what we did and not necessarily that I was the one who helped do it. At the end of the day, it is all about fulfilling our mission to serve and protect the citizens of North Carolina.
