I’ve been asked several questions at various meetings, so have tried to collect them and the answers here.

Are you a certified parliamentarian? If so, which organization and why?
The ASA uses the American Institute of Parliamentarian’s Standard Code (AIPSC, formerly called Sturgis) as our parliamentary authority.
The California Medical Association and my hospital system both use Roberts Rules of Order (RONR)
I am an active member of the AIP, have received training through them which covers both AIPSC and RONR, and will be taking the exam in January 2027.

How would you handle divisive issues?
Almost any issue can become divisive, although some are anticipated more than others.
The Speaker controls the assembly by ensuring that all debate is addressed to the Speaker, not to any member of the assembly. In addition, only the motion is subject to debate, not the person who is advocating for or against the motion.
The Speaker should assess the agenda to determine what might be divisive, what might lead to a member becoming disruptive, and then plan and script how to handle issues in advance.

What would you consider key performance indicators for a Speaker?
The ASA is not a legislative body, such as Congress or Parliament, although our Board of Directors and House of Delegates are representatives of our component societies. Both Board and House deliberate and make decisions for the organization as a whole.
For our type of organization, KPIs for a Speaker should focus on pre-meeting preparation, effectiveness of explaining how to use parliamentary procedure to debate and make decisions, and predictability during meetings. Speed is not the goal, but transparent processes and clarity so that the assembly can make a decision is.

What does a Speaker do if they don’t agree with the decision?
The job of a parliamentarian and presiding officer is to not have an opinion, other than on the parliamentary process used to achieve that decision, but rather to ensure that the opinions of all of the members of the assembly (Board or House) are heard and discussed prior to a vote.

How do you ensure inclusion in the parliamentary process?
The job of the Speaker is to ensure that every voice is provided the opportunity to be heard. This means ensuring everyone knows how they can share their opinion – whether in writing, on a video call, or in person. This may also mean specifically reaching out to someone to help them be prepared to provide testimony, through things like speakers’ office hours and educational sessions.

How would you teach people to be prepared for a meeting?
Both ASA and CSA routinely have a new delegate orientation session. This is an opportunity for new delegates, alternate delegates, and just interested members to learn how the meetings are structured and some basics of parliamentary procedure. It’s usually offered about 2-3 weeks before the House of Delegates for both organizations. Even those of us who are experienced may benefit from a refresher, particularly this year as we make significant changes to the structure of the House of Delegates.

What is one thing the ASA does well? Or doesn’t do well?
While we have long focused on education and advocacy, we still struggle with effective communication with both current and potential members.
We need to do more thorough subgroup analysis, because what one group wants or needs may not be what another group wants or needs. In addition, if the wants do not meet the needs, we must to be able to communicate why to the membership.
We have made significant improvements in communication over the last few years, ranging from the Monday Morning Outreach e-mails to social media posts to short-form videos. Creating a formal structure for quick response to breaking news and sociopolitical events has facilitated our ability to respond appropriately.

Where do you see the ASA in 5 years? 10 years?
While the environment we are in keeps changing, and we have to keep reacting to those changes, the key thing we need to focus on is communication — communication with our members, with our patients, with legislators, and with the public. And we need to determine the best method for that communication, whether e-mail, text, social media, etc.
In addition, we need to ensure that we are addressing the various subgroups. Subgroups are not limited to just the component societies, nor to things like early career or late career. Different employment models, including locums, continue to create important groups. Teasing out all of the different groups and ensuring that they are engaged is difficult but critical to be relevant to members.
While we have all become fairly facile at remote communication in the last few years, there are some significant limitations. Video meetings are better than phone calls, but there are still some advantages to in-person meetings. It’s often easier to be pro-social when folks are in the same room.

What is the role of mentorship or sponsorship within ASA?
Mentorship and sponsorship are key components to a strong and diverse organization. I have benefited from both throughout my career, including my residency department chair, Dr. Ron Pearl, and my group’s senior member and past CSA president, Dr. Larry Sullivan. I recognize the importance of that sponsorship, and consider it a personal mission that I pay it forward to medical students, residents, and physicians in many specialties and situations. That also includes teaching them how to pay it forward in turn. It becomes viral when done correctly. You can’t be what you can’t see, and I want everyone to see and be seen.

Why bioinformatics? What does that degree offer to the ASA?
A Masters degree in Biomedical Informatics includes many of the same topics as in a MBA or MPH: project management & organizational behavior. But it also includes data visualization, data analytics, programming (so you can write that analytical tool), etc.
I used my class project to rework our preop clinic questionnaire, eliminating the need for double-charting by our nursing staff.
Within the ASA, we have steadily made progress in better data visualization with the monthly financial reports, but we can continue to improve visualization and identify new information that could be shared more effectively with the Board and House.

How do you respond to unexpected events?
Nearly every CSA president has had to respond to something unexpected during their term. During my term, I faced both the COVID-19 pandemic and significant social unrest.
The most important first step is to identify all of the key players, and then take the time to learn their concerns in their own voices before moving forward. This does not have to take a lot of time, but it does require knowing your membership and maintaining a strong connection with each of the groups. Having those relationships in place before something happens means that you can respond more quickly, thoughtfully, and effectively when something unexpected occurs.

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