Whenever my department meets for grand rounds, or M&M conference, invariably one of the old heads in the room will stand up and argue why this policy or that practice is backwards, or how ridiculous it is that we still do certain things, or don’t do others.
For some, these are treasured moments of glee, hearing a loud, confident, voice shout to a room full of people who generally agree with them, chastising the powers-that-be for failing to right the wrongs of the world. For me, it’s a simple reminder that it takes more than preaching to the choir to actually get things done.
My name is Ben Moses, and I am running for Virginia House of Delegates. I started my career as a military physician, stationed in Texas, then Missouri, then Texas again, initially training in general surgery before deciding on a different path.
I spent most of my time on active duty working for large groups of soldiers and their families, with a focus on primary care and deployment readiness. But I also spent four years in medical administration, writing policy for my units, meeting with hospital leadership to ensure best access to care for my soldiers, translating the language of medicine into terms both accessible and meaningful for those whose lives I worked to impact and improve. Upon leaving active duty, I completed anesthesiology training here in Virginia, at UVA in Charlottesville, and after a critical care fellowship at Hopkins, returned to UVA, where my wife was already on faculty as a pediatric hematologist/oncologist.
I’ve spent most of my career dedicated to the education of students, residents, and fellows on the basics and the finer points of critical care anesthesiology. I may save hundreds of lives a year as a clinician, but the more I teach, the more lives I reach. I have accomplished some of my goals, but now entering my fifth decade, I am faced with a challenge. How many more lives can I reach?
I’ve heard the loud confident voices so many times in academic settings, but as I look out at the practice landscape in the Commonwealth, there are not enough of us using those voices in ways that actually lead to change. In the House of Delegates this session, there are zero physicians. How do we fight for physician-led care if physicians aren’t in the room, seated at the table, where laws are written?
The VSA is a powerful voice for both physician anesthesiologists and patients in Virginia. As such, I am proud to be a member of an organization that advocates for effective healthcare and patient safety. I am aware of the hard work you do for our specialty and our patients, and hope that I have the chance to make that work easier for you, with a seat at the table in our Virginia House of Delegates. Please consider investing some of your time and energy to helping me get elected in 2021.
Until we have a physician elected to office in our state House of Delegates, our voice will only be heard when given an invitation to speak. Imagine the difference we can make and the greater number of lives we can impact, if we have a dedicated seat at the table?
I considered this when I made my decision to run for public office. If nothing else, hopefully I can inspire other physicians that running for a public office is a real possibility. Please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, or suggestions.
My name is Benjamin Moses, and I am running for Delegate, so that you will know you have at least one loud, confident voice in the room that needs no invitation. Please visit my campaign website at www.benmosesforva.com for more information or opportunities to get involved.