Dermatologists made a strong showing in at the North Carolina General Assembly this week with more than 20 physicians in Raleigh for the NC Dermatology Association’s annual White Coat Wednesday lobby day, which included a large group of residents from Duke University. The morning kicked off with a briefing from NCDA lobbyist Rob Lammé and several featured guests including NCDA President Dhwani Mehta, MD; Rep. Tim Reeder, MD (R-Pitt), Co-Chair of two key House health committees; and AAD Senior Manager of State Policy Victoria Pasko, who shared legislative developments at the national level.
Attendees then headed to the legislative complex to meet directly with lawmakers, including Rep. Larry Potts (R-Davidson), one of the physician community’s strongest allies, as well as Rep. Ray Jeffers (D-Durham) and Sen. Natalie Murdock (D-Durham). The group later gathered to hear from Rep. Grant Campbell, MD (R-Cabarrus), who underscored the power of physician advocacy and the importance of building lasting relationships with legislators. The day wrapped with additional meetings with Sen. Amy Galey (R–Alamance) and Sen. Benton Sawrey (R-Johnston) – both key health and human services policymakers in the Senate.
