President’s Message
Katie Davenport-Kabonic, DO, FAAFP
Happy New Year! This month kicks off the Missouri Legislative Session, which MAOPS will be keeping close eyes and ears on, as bills relevant to healthcare and our legislative priorities are introduced. If you have not had the opportunity to participate in our Physician Advocacy Day, please consider registering this year. And if a massive, one-day white coat gathering event at the Capitol is not your particular modus operandi, please consider other opportunities to advocate locally in 2026 for our osteopathic profession and the patients we have committed to serving.
During the joint Boone County and Osage Valley District meeting last month, I was inspired by the member relationships developed with one of their local legislators. These relationships resulted in an invitation extended to the legislator to join the MAOPS district meeting and witness our organization in local action! Hearing about how the member-legislator relationships developed locally, through individual efforts and availability, was encouraging. These aren’t the only MAOPS members seeking to build relationships with their local legislators; there are members throughout our state building relationships and advocating in this way, although they may not have the opportunity to attend the single-day event each year.
Advocacy takes many forms and is not a “one size fits all” professional experience. While I enjoy our annual Physician Advocacy Day and look forward to it each year, it is certainly not in my comfort zone or at my social pace. As a family medicine physician, physician educator, and introvert in general, taking time to develop relationships and facilitate reflection is my preferred style, which is best suited for a conversation over coffee. Taking to heart the example set by our Boone County and Osage Valley District members as well as the recommendations from numerous MAOPS members from other districts- not to mention our own Executive Director- I reached out to my local legislators as a constituent first, and enjoyed a more casually paced conversation over that cup of coffee. When the opportunity arose to share our MAOPS legislative priorities as well as information about the Medical Emergency Kits, I was prepared to don my MAOPS hat and advocate for our organization and patients. That felt more natural and comfortable to me.
Yet, growth begins at the end of our comfort zones. So, I will keep attending our Physician Advocacy Day events and encourage all MAOPS members to seek opportunities to advocate in whatever capacity you can. Whether it is at a pizza restaurant on a Thursday night, a coffee shop on a Tuesday morning, in your white coat on March 3rd, or any of the other countless days in a patient room, keep taking those steps, no matter how small they may seem. Together, they add up, and we all cover greater distances.