I am excited to deliver this message as the President of the Texas Society of Allied Health Professions (TSAHP). I want to thank our Past President, Dr. Robin Satterwhite, for being an outstanding leader in allied health, and I would also like to thank the TSAHP leadership for their efforts over the past year.
The 2007 annual conference was held at the beautiful Texas State University campus in San Marcos, Texas. The keynote speakers, panelists and presenters provided outstanding programs for allied health professionals. The conference pointedly addressed the need for TSAHP to expand our emphasis on legislative policy affecting the allied health professions and the institutions who educate these professionals.
This new year will bring some new avenues and opportunities for TSAHP. One of these is the development of the legislative committee. This committee will be a voice for TSAHP and serve as an advocacy campaign for us to develop means to communicate with our district and state representatives on issues affecting allied health. Another opportunity is a membership campaign in which I challenge each member to invite a colleague to join TSAHP and attend the annual meeting in September 2008. The 2008 annual meeting is entitled, “Collaboration and Legislation: Partnership for Allied Health in Texas”, and will be hosted by the El Paso Community College on September 25-26, 2008 in El Paso, Texas.
In closing, I look forward to serving as your TSAHP president, and I encourage all of us to continue to be a voice for the TEXAS SOCIETY OF ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS and an advocate for allied health education.
Donna D. (DeDe) Gardner, MSHP
2007-2008 TSAHP President
