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Kristy Gould serves as the corporate planning and development officers at Hattiesburg Clinic. In this role, she oversees the marketing, public relations, communications, provider relations and patient satisfaction for Hattiesburg Clinic, which is the largest privately owned multispecialty outpatient clinic in Mississippi. She holds a master's degree in public relations from Southern Miss, and is also a cum laude graduate of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in interpersonal communications.

Gould has nearly 20 years of experience in marketing, public relations, sales and customer service, and also volunteered on various community boards and organizations. She has also been a group fitness instructor for more than 20 years.

MINUTES: September 13, 2022

Mallory Donald presided over the meeting. Lucy Sanguinetti provided the opening prayer. Matt Rumph led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mallory led the club in the Four Way Test. The meeting was held at the Mugshots Bar and Grill in Hattiesburg.

Stew Deen then conducted the 50/50 raffle. There was no winner today so the pot will carry over next week. Thanks to all of the members who are participating in the raffle. Proceeds from it will be donated to a local charity.

Stew noted that our meeting location has moved to Mugshots. They will provide us more food options and the location is more centralized for our members.

Mark Killingsworth then introduced today’s guest speaker, Dr. Jim Weir. Dr. Weir is Associate Dean for Student Affairs, and Professor of Pathology, Histology, and Oral Health at William Carey University in the College of Osteopathic Medicine. He has been in this position for the past thirteen years.

Dr. Meir noted that A.T. Still founded the first Osteopathic Medicine school just after the Civil War. Patients undergoing surgery at the time were about as likely to die from the surgery as they were the disease that was being treated. His goal was to start a school that taught doctors how to treat the whole person. The training also teaches preventative medicine.

The College of Osteopathic Medicine at William Carey University was first accredited in 2009. The first year the College was operational, there were 1,064 applicants. Of those 100 were admitted to the first class. Today there are more than 6,000 applicants and 200 students in the program. The William Carey program is the largest medical school in the state.

The first two years of the College’s program focuses on classroom instruction. After that the students must complete 3 to 4 years of rotation. After that the students serve in residencies for 3 to 8 years. About 25% of the students go into family medicine. Another 25% work in primary care areas. Graduates must commit that they will work in underserved areas such as rural areas.

Dr. Weir says the College has a large economic impact on the Hattiesburg area community. Just tuition payments total $40 million annually. Each doctor adds another $1 million in economic impact.

There being no further business to come before the club, Mallory thanked Dr. Weir for his remarks and then adjourned the meeting with our motto: “Service Above Self.”

September 27, 2022: Karen Sims - Hope Clinic

Karen Sims is the Executive Director of Hope Clinic, and she holds a Master of Marriage and Family Counseling degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. Karen has been involved with helping those in unplanned pregnancies for over 20 years. She has had experience serving as an Executive Director for 11 years here in Hattiesburg as well as in Meridian, MS. She has been married to Allen Sims, Music Minister at FBC, Purvis, for over 25 years. They have two beautiful adult children, Katie and Cody experiencing their own life journey.

September 13, 2022: Dr. Jim Weir - William Carey Medical School

Dr. Jim C. Weir is a native of Meridian, Mississippi. He graduated from Millsaps College in 1971 with a B.S. in biology. He received his D.D.S. degree from the University Of Tennessee College Of Dentistry in 1974. He completed residency training in Oral Pathology at Emory University School of dentistry in 1976. He also earned a J.D. degree from Loyola University School of Law in 1985.

From 1976 to 1980 he served on the faculty at the University of Mississippi Medical Center as Assistant Professor of Pathology and Oral Pathology. In 1981 he accepted the position of Head of the Department of Oral Pathology at the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry. Upon retirement from LSU, he was Professor and Head of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and Assistant Dean for Admissions. He is currently Associate Dean for Student Affairs, and Professor of Pathology, Histology, and Oral Health at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Weir is a Fellow of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. He is a member of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, and the Eastern Society of Teachers of Oral Pathology. In addition to his teaching and administrative duties, he has been actively involved in the practice of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, serving as Director of the Oral Pathology Biopsy Service at the LSU School of Dentistry from 1981-2009.

During his career, Dr. Weir has authored 31 scientific articles and abstracts in National or International journals. He has presented over 500 continuing education lectures on a local, state, and national level. He has also been the recipient of fifteen “Teacher of the Year” awards from his students. He and his wife, Nancy, currently reside in Hattiesburg, MS. They have four children: Christie, Marcie, Abby and Katie. Dr. Weir joined WCUCOM in 2010.

MINUTES: August 30, 2022

Mallory Donald presided over the meeting. Bill McLeod provided the opening prayer. Ryan Kelly led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mallory led the club in the Four Way Test. The meeting was held at the Holiday Inn in Hattiesburg.

Several guests were introduced.

A.D.Hunt then introduced today’s guest speaker, Senator Roger Wicker. Senator Wicker has represented Mississippi in the U.S. Senate since 2007. He is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Senator Wicker noted that the U.S. economy was going well in January 2020, and then Covid-19 appeared. In January that year our inflation rate was 2.5%. The unemployment rate was 3.5% and the average mortgage rate was 3.62%. You could buy a gallon of gas that month for $2.50.

The Cares Act was passed by the Congress in March 2020. The economy began a slow recovery after the act was passed. Later that year the Quantum Leap legislation was passed, mandating that the government develop a Covid vaccine. The vaccines became available, free of charge, to Americans in November and December of that year. People took the vaccines and slowly began returning to work.

The Cares Act extended unemployment benefits, which Senator Wicker says was a mistake. Many Americans were making more money staying at home rather than returning to work. Another legislation passed in early 2021 added $1.9 trillion dollars in relief. The result of this legislation was dumping money on an expanding economy, setting the stage for what we are now seeing in the economy. Another mistake made in the early days of the Biden administration was the war on the oil and gas industry, increasing the cost to all Americans.

The highlight of the Trump administration, according to the Senator was the tax relief package that was passed in 2017.

Things that need to happen to fix today’s economic problems include a repeal of the recent tax increase, reopen the Keystone Pipeline and return to the “Remain in Mexico” policy for immigrants. Senator Wicker also says we need to build more ships, preventing a war with China.

There being no further business to come before the club, Ryan thanked Toni for her remarks and then adjourned the meeting with our motto: “Service Above Self.”