NAVAPD in a Nutshell

NAVAPD is the official organization of VA physicians and dentists who proudly serve our nations veterans.

We believe the doctor-patient relationship is a sacred, enduring trust.

We believe that the delivery of quality heath care within the VA system depends on preserving and strengthening that sacred relationship.

We believe it is critical to reform the VA health care system to further improve quality and access in the 21st century.

Brief History

Founded in January 1975, NAVAPD was formed by a small group of physicians at the Washington, DC, VA hospital. Initially the organization was known as NAVAP, The National Association of Veterans Affairs Physicians. The first officers were: Kenneth L. Becker, M.D., President; George A. Higgins, M.D., Vice President; Lawrence Widerlite, M.D., Secretary-Treasurer; and Brian O'Connell, M.D., Field Liaison Officer.

NAVAPD was only a loosely knit group with no bylaws or formal structure. As the officers met with Congressional leaders and representatives of Veterans Service Organizations, it became increasingly apparent that VA physicians needed a formal structure through which to identify and deal with issues on the national and local levels. Accordingly, a reorganized National Association of VA Physicians was established.

The goal was twofold:

1. To improve and maintain the quality of patient care within the Veterans Administration, and

2. To improve and maintain an optimum professional environment for the VA physician in order to provide first-class medical care.

Each participating hospital was encouraged to organize a local NAVAP Chapter. The first national meeting was held in Atlantic City, NJ in May 1976.

In 1989, NAVAP welcomed VA dentists into the organization and NAVAP became NAVAPD. Full- and part-time dentists added their voices to those of physician colleagues in making concerns known to decision makers in the Congress and the Administration.

Today the mission of NAVAPD remains essentially the same as it was in 1975. NAVAPD exists to provide a voice for VA physicians and dentists across the country. NAVAPD remains dedicated to improving the quality of patient care in the VA health care system and to ensure the doctor-patient relationship is maintained and strengthened.

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Who's Who

President

• Samuel V. Spagnolo, M.D.
• • Professor of Medicine, George Washington University School of Medicine and Attending Physician, George Washington University Medical Center; Senior Attending in Pulmonary Diseases, and Medical Director of Respiratory Care Services, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington, D.C.

Board of Directors

• Stephen P. Rosenthal, M.D.
• • Immediate Past President of NAVAPD 2003-2006
  • Staff Physician, Nuclear Medicine, Miami VAMC
  • Clinical Assistant Professor of Nuclear Medicine, University of Miami
• Robert Conroy, M.D.
• • Former President of NAVAPD 1998-2003
  • Staff Physician, Radiology, Long Beach VAMC
  • Associate Adjunct Professor, University of California, Irvine
• Cynthia L. Gibert, M.D.
• • Principal Investigator for the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS)
  • Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases and Medicine, Washington, D.C. VAMC
  • Associate Professor of Medicine, George Washington University
• Pamela Ellen Karasik, M.D.
• • Assistant Chief of Cardiology and Director of Clinical Electrophysiology, Washington, D.C. VAMC
  • Co-director of the EP fellowship program
  • Served as Governor for the American College of Cardiology
• Carlos Palant, M.D.
• • NAVAPD Secretary of the Board
  • Diplomate of the American Boards of Internal Medicine and Nephrology
  • Chief, Renal Section, Washington, D.C. VAMC
• Deborah J. Whitman, D.M.D.
• • NAVAPD Director of Dental Affairs
  • Staff Prosthodontist, Boston VAMC
  • Clinical Assistant Professor, Boston University, Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston MA