COM Outlook Winter 2021

48 | DR. KIRAN C. PATEL COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE Osteopathic Leadership In addition to his personal and private practice responsibilities, Scotch is a fervent believer in honoring the osteopathic profession by serving in leadership roles with various local, state, and national organizations. “Leadership in our profession is critical to its survival,” said Scotch, who is the current second vice president of the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association. His serendipitous association with 1990 KPCOM alumnus Jeffrey S. Grove, D.O., FACOFP, which began when Scotch rotated with him when he was a premedical student and continued later when they were FOMA colleagues, piqued his interest in serving the osteopathic community. “Witnessing firsthand Dr. Grove’s great impact on our profession, and the strong osteopathic bonds and network of support, I wanted to do my part,” Scotch explained. Scotch launched his osteopathic engagement locally with the Hillsborough County Osteopathic Medical Society when he traveled with a group of physicians to Jamaica to participate in the organization’s annual medical outreach trip. His activism was quickly noticed, as he rose from a society member to become the organization’s president. This led Scotch to leadership positions in the FOMA, and to his being made a trustee from Florida to the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), where he has served as a delegate from Florida at the AOA’s annual business meeting in Chicago, Illinois, for many years. “My kids have grown up attending these annual meetings with me, so it was exciting when both of my teenagers were able to serve as pages at the last meeting,” he said. “It is important to lend our time, efforts, and talents for the benefit of the patients we serve and the long- term benefit and growth of our profession,” added Scotch, who was appointed by the Florida surgeon general to the Florida Physician Workforce Advisory Council. “The political side of medicine is ever- changing, and without active physician advocacy and representation, we may find things shift in a misguided direction. It is critical that we, as physicians, assure that our voices are heard loud and clear—not only for ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT ALUMNI Spotlight Scotch performs a surgical procedure. “What you pay attention to will grow; what you look for you will find; and never forget where you came from.” —Brett M. Scotch