Kim Warner, MD, delivered her inaugural address at the 2024 Colorado Medical Society (CMS) Annual Meeting, reflecting on her personal journey in medicine and the significance of the profession. Dr. Warner began by sharing a memorable experience from her early career—her first cesarean section during her intern year—which she described as both humorous and challenging.
She provided insights into her personality, noting her inclination for action and competitiveness. Dr. Warner also spoke about the influence of her mentor, Lynette Vialet, who was a respected physician and flight surgeon in the Air Force.
Dr. Warner discussed the concepts of karma and magic, acknowledging skepticism about their scientific basis but describing moments in her life that felt magical. She recounted climbing Mount Kilimanjaro shortly before September 11, 2001, calling it one of the most glorious experiences of her life. Another significant moment was scuba diving in Palau and encountering a whale shark, which she described as providing a sense of connection and purpose.
She emphasized that practicing medicine brings its own kind of daily magic: “Then I realize what physicians get to do daily for our jobs is one of the most magical things anybody can imagine. Not a single moment or experience on a summit or in the ocean, but every day… What we get to do as physicians is unlike any other profession. In times of need people trust us with their lives. That is magical.”
Dr. Warner referenced tennis player Roger Federer’s commencement speech at Dartmouth College to illustrate resilience in the face of challenges: “He said in the 1,526 singles matches he played in his career, he won almost 80 percent of them…but he only won 54 percent of the points… But what is poignant about this is that in medicine we can’t lose 50 percent of the points. We must be 99.9 percent perfect.”
Highlighting CMS achievements over the past year, Dr. Warner praised efforts such as negotiating changes to liability caps while preserving professional review processes and avoiding costly ballot measures—a development impacting all Colorado physicians. She noted progress on prior authorization reform, privacy protections for biological data, and postponement of naturopathic doctor formularies to maintain patient safety.
She remarked on CMS history being made with women holding both president and president-elect positions: “I want to make note that this is the first year in CMS history that there are women in both the president and president-elect roles! As Elenor Roosevelt said, ‘well behaved women rarely make history,’ right, Brigitta [Robinson]?”
Looking ahead, Dr. Warner outlined goals for increasing membership and improving perceptions of CMS among Colorado physicians through strategic planning focused on advocacy, belonging, education and engagement.
Dr. Warner concluded by expressing gratitude to colleagues, friends and family members who have supported her journey: “I am grateful to all CMS members for trusting me this year…”
