Collier County Medical Society (CCMS), the local professional association for physicians, is pleased to announce the installation of its 2023-2024 board president and directors. Dr. Gary Swain began his one-year term as the 66th CCMS board president at the Medical Society’s 2023 Annual Meeting, June 10th at Arthrex One Conference Center. Dr. Joshua Lenchus, Florida Medical Association president, administered the oath of office and Dr. Rebecca Smith, outgoing CCMS board president presented the ceremonial president’s gavel.
Dr. Swain is a concierge primary care physician with NCH Healthcare System. He attended the University of Nevada School of Medicine and completed his residency in Family Medicine at David Grant USAF Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, California, and a Fellowship in Academic Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Following his training, he was stationed in southern Italy, where he was the Chief of Clinical Services at the San Vito Air Station. Dr. Swain also spent time in Zagreb, Croatia, working in a MASH unit during the war between the Bosnians and Croatians. He later returned to a faculty position at the Travis AFB residency program and an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine before retiring as a Lt Colonel. He then practiced in Decatur, TX, for 12 years before moving to Naples.
“I believe that our responsibilities as the board of directors lie in the mission and vision of CCMS, ‘to serve the needs of our physician members so they can better serve the needs of the community’ and to ‘help physicians practice high-quality medicine in our community’,” said Dr. Swain during his installation address. “I believe that these sentiments are directing us to protect the patient-physician relationship, and we will endeavor to protect this relationship while avoiding undue political influence.”
The new 2023-2024 CCMS board of directors joining Dr. Swain are: Dr. Zubin Pachori, Vice President; Dr. George Brinnig, Treasurer; Dr. Jose Baez, Secretary; Dr. Glenn Groat, Officer/Director at Large; and Drs. Alexandra Grace and Erik Hiester, Directors at Large. Dr. Rebecca Smith remains on the board as Immediate Past President. Ex-officio board members are April Donahue, CCMS Executive Director and Dr. Michael Schoeller, Resident Physician Representative. Also elected were alternates for the CCMS delegation to the Florida Medical Association Drs. Rafael Haciski and Rebecca Witherell.
The installation event was attended by more than 200 local physicians and community leaders. Presenting sponsors were GenesisCare, GenesisCare Network Physicians, and Magnolia Breast Center.