President's Message

September 2026

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Dear Colleagues,

As I write my final President’s Message for the FSPMR newsletter, I find myself reflecting with tremendous gratitude on the past two years. Serving as President of the Florida Society of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation has been an incredible honor and one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional career.

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When I began this journey, I hoped that we could continue strengthening our society, increasing engagement, and creating more opportunities for physiatrists across Florida to connect, learn, and advocate together. Looking back, I am proud of how far we have come and I know that our greatest accomplishments have always been the result of people working together toward a shared vision.

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I would like to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to Lorry Davis, who served as the Executive Director of FSPMR for many years. Lorry dedicated an extraordinary amount of time and energy to our society and played an important role in building the foundation upon which we continue to grow today. Although she transitioned out of the Executive Director role last year, her contributions and commitment to FSPMR will always be part of our history. Thank you, Lorry, for everything you have done for our society.

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I also want to recognize Tania Jones, our current Executive Director, whose energy, organization, and dedication have helped transform and advance FSPMR. Tania has brought new ideas, new momentum, and a renewed focus on growing our membership and strengthening our presence. I am incredibly grateful for all of her hard work and for everything she continues to do behind the scenes to move our society forward.

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And finally, I am very excited to welcome our incoming President, Dr. Marc Gerber. I have every confidence that Marc will continue to build upon the progress we have made and bring his own vision and leadership to FSPMR. I look forward to supporting him and watching the society continue to flourish under his leadership.

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A Society That Continues to Grow

Over these past two years, FSPMR has continued to grow—not only in membership, but also in visibility, engagement, and purpose. One of the accomplishments that makes me particularly proud is that we have taken an important step forward by establishing our own independent FSPMR Annual Meeting.

 

This represents an important milestone for our society. Having a stand-alone meeting gives us the opportunity to create an educational program specifically designed around the broad and evolving needs of Florida physiatrists. It also provides us with a place to bring together residents, fellows, early-career physicians, and experienced leaders while strengthening the identity and voice of PM&R in our state.

 

I strongly encourage those who have not yet registered for the upcoming FSPMR Annual Meeting to do so. We have worked hard to create an excellent program, and I am excited to see our members come together. I hope to see many of you there—not only for the outstanding educational content, but also to reconnect with colleagues, meet the next generation of physiatrists, and celebrate what we have accomplished together.

 

Our Strength Is in Our Numbers

 

As I step away from the presidency, there is one message I hope to leave with every physiatrist practicing in Florida.

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Please get involved in FSPMR.

 

If you are not yet a member, I encourage you to join. If you are already a member, I encourage you to become more involved.

 

Our profession is stronger when we are organized and when we speak with a collective voice. Whether the issue involves legislation, reimbursement, scope of practice, education, advocacy, or the future direction of our specialty, our ability to influence these conversations depends on our participation.

 

There are many ways to contribute. Attend our meetings. Join a committee. Mentor a resident. Participate in advocacy. Share your ideas. Encourage your colleagues to join.

 

You do not have to take on a leadership position to make a difference. Every member adds strength to our collective voice.

 

I would love to see the day when every PM&R physician in Florida recognizes FSPMR as their professional home and understands the value of being part of a strong, organized state society.

 

Thank You

 

To our Board of Directors, committee members, volunteers, residents, fellows, and every member who has supported FSPMR—thank you.

 

Thank you for trusting me to serve as your President. Thank you for your ideas, your encouragement, your constructive feedback, and most importantly, your willingness to participate. The progress we have made belongs to all of us.

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I leave the presidency with tremendous optimism about the future of FSPMR. We have built momentum, strengthened our membership, established our independent annual meeting, and created a stronger foundation for the leaders who come next.

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Although this is my final President’s Message, it is certainly not goodbye. I will remain a proud member of FSPMR and look forward to continuing to support our society and our specialty in whatever ways I can.

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Thank you for allowing me the privilege of serving as your President. It has truly been an honor.

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I hope to see all of you at our Annual Meeting. Let’s continue to grow, participate, advocate, and make our voices heard—together.

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Warmest regards,

Diana Hussain, MD
President
Florida Society of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (FSPMR)