By Lee M. Reichel, MD

I would like to thank the membership for this opportunity. Being a part of a local, national, and international community of hand surgeons has been a refreshing source of personal satisfaction. Regularly interacting with our monthly Zoom community hand conference, the Journal of Hand Surgery, and the ASSH LISTSERV have kept me feeling connected during this prolonged time of social distancing. I have greatly enjoyed seeing the progress in our specialty, particularly the evolution in mental and social health research in the last several years. Incorporating and honing new communication strategies, decision aids, and identifying and honoring what matters most to patients by being with them as they make decisions consistent with those priorities unclouded by misconceptions, has been a challenging but rewarding evolution. I have had the joy of seeing many patients choose to treat acute and chronic conditions non-surgically, and walking with them through that process has left me in awe of the resilience our patients have. I have learned that many times patient outcomes have extraordinarily little to do with me and very much to my patients resolve, which is positively humbling.