The values we honor on Memorial Day – duty, sacrifice, integrity, courage, and service – are also the values that have long defined organized medicine and institutions like the Medical Society of the State of New York. For generations, physicians through State and County Medical Societies have worked not for personal recognition, but to protect patients, uphold ethical standards, preserve the physician-patient relationship, and ensure access to quality medical care in communities across New York State.
That work has never been easy. Physicians have often had to stand against political pressure, corporate influence, and misguided policies that threaten patient care or undermine the independent judgment of medical professionals. The role of organized medicine has never simply been about advocacy for physicians themselves; it has been about defending the ability of physicians to care for patients according to science, ethics, and conscience. State and County Medical Societies remain critically important because they preserve the voice of practicing physicians, physicians who understand local needs and who remain accountable first and foremost to their patients.
Throughout American history, physicians have also served directly in times of war. From battlefield surgeons during the Civil War, to physicians storming the beaches with Allied forces in World War II, to military doctors caring for wounded service members in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, countless members of our profession have answered a second calling, service to country. Many never returned home. Others came back forever changed by what they witnessed and endured.
Many physicians sacrifice time with their families, risk their own health, and carry emotional burdens few outside medicine can fully appreciate. While different from military sacrifice, it reflects the same enduring spirit of service that has long defined both medicine and our armed forces: the willingness to place the needs of others before oneself.
As we gather this Memorial Day with friends and loved ones, let us remember that Memorial Day is ultimately not about politics, policy, or even institutions. It is about service, sacrifice for the sake of others, and gratitude. And may we never forget that the freedoms we enjoy today were secured by Americans who gave everything they had for the nation they loved.
All the best,
Mark J. Adams, MD, MBA, FACR
MSSNY President
