August 31, 2026
Timothy Holahan, DO, CMD, has been involved with PALTmed for many years. He started as a participant in the Futures Program and worked his way up to chairing several committees, including Government Affairs, and being a regular speaker at meetings and on podcasts.
So, he felt it was a “natural next step” to run for the organization ‘s Board of Directors, especially when a new position—vice chair of the House of Delegates—opened up. As he explains, “PALTmed has given me a lot in terms of professional development, career development, and networking. This position allows me to give back to the organization and the membership.”
He says stepping into this new role is “a little daunting,” but he’s excited to help the chair of the House of Delegates—Christian Bergman, MD, CMD—and learn from him. His ultimate goal “is to come up with some novel and unique ways for the membership to get involved with public policy and make it fun.”
One way for members to get involved right away is to attend the Advocacy Summit being held October 19-20 in Washington, DC. The first day will educate attendees on PALTmed’s key policy priorities, while day two will provide the opportunity to put that education to use during meetings with legislators on Capitol Hill.
“Obviously, the organization has done advocacy work in Washington, DC, at the federal level for a long time. While the original Hill Days [the precursor to the Advocacy Summit] involved mainly board members and some committee chairs, making it open to the entire membership is awesome, and I think it is a real benefit of PALTmed membership,” Dr. Holahan says. “It gives you the platform to be able to meet with legislators or staff members who are really interested in what we do. They want to hear about what we're facing, as well as certain legislative initiatives and bills, and how that will impact things.
He adds, “When you're paying for membership in an organization, you want it to be valuable, and to me, this is one of the most valuable things the organization offers.”
Dr. Holahan says that he also finds PALTmed’s network of PALTC clinician colleagues extremely helpful to his work. “Whether it's policy issues, which is one of my main passions and focus, or clinical issues, like what we were dealing with during the pandemic, having a network of colleagues that is going through something similar, and getting their insights on things, is so valuable,” he explains. “Having the ability to interact with these colleagues, as well as the staff of PALTmed, and the leaders on the board as well, is another benefit of PALTmed membership.”
He’s honored to serve on the board and stresses that he’s always available via email to answer questions or discuss issues or events, such as the Advocacy Summit.
For PALTmed members who are interested in joining the Board, nominations are now being accepted through September 4. Get more information.
In addition, there’s still time to register for next month’s Advocacy Summit. Find out how.