Basketball is the one athletic activity that defines me and I carry my game philosophy into my personal and professional life. As a leader, it is my job to bring out the best in each of my team members. I learned how to identify the unique skills and strengths of every one of the players to be able to harness them at the right time to win the game.

The basketball analogy is applicable to our work at the Medical Society of Milwaukee County. We have unique skills and diverse backgrounds and we work together to achieve the Society’s mission. Together, we advance our mission and vision because we have a well-established organization. This allows us to leverage the strength of our collective membership.

Early on, when I was serving some of our most disadvantaged and underserved populations in Milwaukee, I found the only way that could be accomplished is to have the structure and coordination in place to make the best use of limited resources. I, along with many of you, dedicate time to the free clinics for the uninsured in Milwaukee. It is an important part of who I am as a person to give back to the people in my community.

I have been fortunate to have had multicultural exposure by working and studying in countries that are underserved, deep seated have disparities that are through the roof, natural disasters are common and critical infrastructure and health care is scarce. With that said, disparities exist in modern health care models, too. I learned from these experiences that people thrive only if they have opportunities and support from their family and community.

I had been affiliated with this organization as a member for a number of years before I stepped into a leadership role. Through the Society, I was able to share my passion with other members.

It is a great honor and privilege to serve you, as fellow physicians and members of the Society. Leaders will come and go in our organization, but I want to put into place changes that will have a positive impact on our longitudinal charitable investments and organizational goals, regardless of who is in the leadership position. It is my wish to pursue these goals not by changing the entire organizational structure and constitution, but by putting in durable amendments that will have a lasting impact on this Society and serve the greater community for decades years to come. We are the largest medical society at the county level in Wisconsin. As such, we have an important, bidirectional relationship with the Wisconsin Medical Society. We must work together with other like-minded stakeholders and legislators on advocacy issues that enable us to serve our patients and ensure they have adequate coverage and can receive the health care they need, regardless of their situation.

Respectfully,

Muhammad Bilal Abid, MD, MS, FACP, MRCP, FRCP

President, Medical Society of Milwaukee County

Dr. Abid is President of the Medical Society of Milwaukee County. He is an Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin with joint appointments with the Hematology/Oncology and Infectious Diseases Divisions. Dr. Abid and his wife, Dr. Paras Mughal (an orthodontist), have two children.