April 6, 2026
President’s Message: Responsive, Resilient, and Ready: Launching a Year of Impact and Connection
By Leslie Eber, MD, CMD
It was wonderful to connect with many of you at last month’s PALTC26 Annual Conference. Our post-acute and long-term care community is truly special, and I look forward to this event every year. This year’s conference was especially meaningful for me, and I am honored to begin my term as president of PALTmed.
As we begin the upcoming year, I have three overarching priorities that will help guide our work together. These priorities are rooted in a shared commitment to supporting our members, strengthening our community, and advancing the important work we do every day.
1. Listening Closely and Responding to Member Needs
One of my main priorities this year is to ensure that PALTmed remains closely attuned to the needs, concerns, and priorities of you, our members. The post-acute and long-term care continuum is constantly evolving, and the years since the pandemic have only accelerated that change. We are navigating a new landscape shaped by workforce challenges, shifting regulatory expectations, governmental uncertainty, and developing payment and practice models. As our space evolves, our needs will change with it. That is why I believe one of the most important things we can do as an organization is to consistently ask thoughtful, practical questions to best serve our community. I want to understand: What are our members’ priorities? What do you need from us to help you provide the best possible care? Where are the gaps in the support, education, and resources we offer? As we establish and maintain ongoing lines of communication, PALTmed will be better positioned to understand our members' needs and how we can best serve them amid an ever-changing environment.
2. Strengthening Connection Across Our Community
We are strongest when we move forward together. My second priority for this year is to deepen connections across PALTmed by strengthening relationships among our members, state chapters, and national leadership. Working in post-acute and long-term care is incredibly rewarding, but it can also be demanding and, at times, isolating. This is one of many reasons why professional community matters so much. PALTmed has the ability to bring people together around shared purpose, expertise, and commitment to this specialty. At the same time, we have a meaningful opportunity to strengthen collaboration across PALTmed and beyond. By learning from one another, sharing ideas, and building on the innovation and insight that already exist within our chapters and national association, we can make the most of the incredible diversity and expertise that exists throughout PALTmed. Sharing expertise while supporting one another not only elevates the quality of our care but also serves as the cornerstone of our PALTmed community. We are a broad and welcoming community that is strengthened by an array of perspectives, and we will continue to build a culture where all members feel connected, valued, seen, heard, and part of something larger than themselves.
3. Elevating Our Impact through Proactive Leadership
As the architects of PALTC's future, PALTmed has an opportunity to help shape what comes next as our field continues to transform. My third priority this year is to elevate our impact by ensuring that PALTmed remains engaged, forward-facing, and proactive in the conversations that affect post-acute and long-term care medicine. Whether the issue is policy, practice, workforce, or the broader future of care delivery, it is essential that our perspective be clearly delineated and heard. We are the experts in this space, and that expertise gives us both a voice and a responsibility. I want PALTmed to continue building strategic partnerships, seek out opportunities to amplify the voice of PALTC, and advocate for our residents at the highest levels.
These priorities reflect my commitment to ensuring that PALTmed remains a dynamic, responsive professional home for our members and a leading voice for post-acute and long-term care medicine. They also reflect a broader idea that motivates my passion for PALTmed and the work we do every day: There is immense value in being valued, both within the PALTC continuum and throughout our greater society.
Being valued is more than simply being recognized. It is being respected for the expertise, compassion, and dedication we bring to our residents, families, and care teams every day. It is being acknowledged for the complexity of this work and the difference we make medically, economically, and especially personally in the post-acute and long-term care continuum. At a time when health-care professionals are being asked to increasingly do more in this demanding environment, it is more important than ever that our members are respected, supported, and appreciated. PALTmed has an important role to play in reinforcing this value by continuing to advocate for our providers and residents and investing in their success. PALTmed is also dedicated to ensuring we have the tools and support we need to thrive.
One of the greatest strengths of PALTmed, as our professional home, is its ability to bring us valuable resources that elevate our ability to provide the highest standards of care for our residents. That value takes many forms: education that strengthens clinical practice, resources that support both new and experienced providers, and opportunities for professional growth. Some of my favorite resources include the updated Choosing Wisely recommendations, our updated Falls and Fall Prevention CPG, guidance on urine PCR testing, and new Drive to Deprescribe (D2D) course modules that have increased my success rate in addressing polypharmacy in my residents.
It is also essential that PALTmed leads the way in advocacy for our members and residents. Becoming a Post-Acute and Long Term Care Fellow (FPALTC) is a meaningful way to demonstrate our expertise and value to the outside world. We will also have our second Advocacy Summit on October 19-20, 2026, to provide us with “boots on the ground” opportunities to give a legislative voice to the work we do and the residents we serve. Finally, the State Advocacy Committee provides us with the tools and know-how to effectively advocate at the state level.
As we move through the year ahead, I encourage you to stay engaged and help shape the future of our organization. Get involved in your chapter, participate in PALTmed programs and initiatives, share your ideas, and let us know where you see opportunities to better support our members and our specialty. If you have an idea and want to share it with our community, the PALTmed Forum—PALTconnect—is a great place for members to pose questions and receive responses from a variety of perspectives and locations. I have found this to be an incredibly useful resource. When I read a question and several different answers on PALTconnect, I always benefit from the various perspectives, and I'm a better clinician because I have access to a variety of insights, articles, and tools. I believe you’ll feel the same way.
PALTMed will continue to create meaningful ways for members to grow, connect, and lead. My hope is that we will build on that foundation so that every member sees this organization not only as a source of education and support, but as a place that truly understands and strengthens the work they do.
I hope you will feel comfortable reaching out to me directly at LeslieEbermd@gmail.com. You are welcome to get in touch at any time with questions, ideas, or concerns. I am always interested in hearing your perspective.
I am confident that together, we can continue building a PALTmed that is responsive, resilient, and ready to meet the moment. I am honored to serve our PALTmed community at this moment filled with so many promising opportunities and potential.
Leslie Eber is PALTmed’s current president.