May 5, 2026

Dear Members of the Minnesota Academy of Medicine:

In October of this year, the Academy will begin its 139th year. Few institutions in our state are older than this

one that began in 1887, continuing without interruption since then. With members from both Twin City metro

areas and from more far-reaching Greater Minnesota, we are a proudly unique gathering of physicians, some

retired and some still practicing, whose goal is to advance collegiality and medical knowledge over monthly

gatherings.

I am beginning the duties of President of the organization for the upcoming year, though will lean heavily on

the experience and ongoing involvement of past presidents, who continue to serve on the executive committee

for several years after their presidential tenure draws to a close. While Mike Tedford will technically no longer

be president, he has already outlined expanded roles in membership and treasury leadership and his guidance

to me has been invaluable. I am in awe of the commitment of him and past presidents to the ongoing well-

being of the Academy. Dr. Dorothy Horns has accepted an invitation from the Executive Committee to become

Vice-President for the coming year. She is a retired ophthalmologist and a strong supporter of the arts in the

Twin Cities and has been a member of the Academy since 1984, when her father, Dr. Richard Horns, recruited

her.

Our financial status is good, due in large part to the very hard working and thoughtful stewardship of our

treasurer and former president, Dr. Zain Kendarian. We would like to further bolster that in the coming year by

continuing to expand our membership; our replacement goal is 12-15 new members in the upcoming year and

I think that is very doable. The combination of good fellowship over dinner and thoughtful, knowledgeable

speakers informing and provoking us once a month is a very unique experience in medicine these days and is

something we should be proud of sustaining and should work to make available to colleagues we have not yet

invited.

Annual dues remain at $430 for in-person dining and $150 for a Zoom membership, though Zoom members

are very welcome to attend any meetings, with a per-meal charge. The arrangement of a designated bar for

the evening events has been a nice addition to our gatherings and the addition of our permanent AV/tech guru,

Brent Saxton, has made for very smooth tech support for our meetings.

So, as we move ahead towards our next year of gatherings, know that I am very cognizant of the responsibility

we all have to carry on the legacy of the Academy of Medicine, by recruiting and welcoming new members and

attending our monthly gatherings. A personal goal of mine is to update the Academy website and keep it

current.

So, enjoy summer, learn something new and we’ll meet again in October. Please contact me if you have a

suggestion regarding program topics, membership engagement opportunities or the banquet services anddinners. Wendy Figueroa is always a contact as our administrative support person

(info@mnacademyofmedicine.com) and can get you information or put you in touch with any executive

committee member.

The speakers for the upcoming 2026-2027 year have been approached and we have a tentative schedule that

looks interesting and unique, in that it crosses specialties and advocacies that you just couldn’t find in any

other current medical organization.

Virginia R. Lupo MD