Savannah, GA Jan 21, 2023 — The South Atlantic Medical Association (SAMA) has selected Dr. Jamal Lawrence as its new president for the 2023 -2024 fiscal year. SAMA one of the state’s old medical associations has seen its fair share of changes and challenges through the years. Most recently, the Covid -19 pandemic paused many of the organization’s primary functions and reduced the ability for local physicians to get out ad engage with the community. “ Covid -19 put a strain on a lot of organizations, as healthcare professionals I think we did the best we could with all of the unprecedented uncertainty. It was one of the first times that this generation saw the scientific process unfold in real-time and unfortunately many things in life, there were ups and downs, redirections, and misfires. At this point, with the pandemic relatively over and us resuming some semblance of normalcy, we are excited to re-introduce ourselves to the community.”
As they move forward the South Atlantic Medical Association hopes to engage community stakeholders and nonprofits to leverage their individual strengths to create a more cohesive approach to addressing equitable healthcare and health outcomes in the hostess city. “ We look forward to working together, building new partnerships, and reestablishing older relationships that can ultimately benefit the members of the Savannah Community.”
As part of their 2023 vision, Dr. Lawrence his goal is to increase black physician visibility, /Black camaraderie amongst his colleagues as well as develop new organization infrastructure that will serve the organizations for years to come.
About South Atlantic Medical Association
The South Atlantic Medical Association (SAMA) can trace its beginnings over 100 years ago. Originally organized as the Southern Medical Association in 1892, the organization was established to address specific concerns of local African American physicians and their patients and to support the advancement of medical science to benefit African Americans. Currently, the organization is a diverse group of African American medical providers including physicians, dentists, pharmacists, and podiatrists, who share similar experiences, concerns, and desires to lend collegial support to one another and to foster the recruitment and retention of African American doctors in Savannah.
Learn more at www.samacares.org
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