About Us

At the time of the formation of the Lehigh County Medical Society, Allentown had 3,700 residents, among them a total of five doctors. One of these physicians was

Dr. Charles H. Martin, who practiced from his office on Hamilton and Hall Streets. One day in 1852, Dr. Martin gathered together his brother and four other doctors from neighboring towns for the formation of the Lehigh County Medical Society.

The Lehigh County Medical Society had a somewhat rocky start. After being formally organized in 1853, the group disbanded within a year or so, perhaps due to personal or professional rivalries. In 1858, the society reformed, and has been flourishing ever since.

Shortly after the society’s second formation, it began sending delegates to the annual House of Delegates meeting at the Pennsylvania Medical Society, which was founded just a few years earlier (1849), joining the other newly-created medical societies of neighboring counties (Montgomery County MS – 1847, Berks County MS – 1824, and others).

Within the Lehigh County Medical Society, leadership has been organized along the same lines throughout the society’s history: the Board of Trustees consists of a president, president-elect, treasurer, secretary, immediate past president, trustees, and censors. Nominations and elections are held yearly for vacant positions. To see the current officers, click here.

An important administrative position in the LCMS is that of the Executive Director. The county’s first Executive Director (at the time called Executive Secretary), beginning his term as a part-time worker in 1958 and ending in 1993, was Robert Parsons. By March 1963, the society’s activity had grown to require a three-room office on 8th Street in Allentown, and a full-time position for Parsons. In 1967, the county began to employ Jeanine Wasco as secretary and bookkeeper; she worked at LCMS until she passed away in November 2004. With the death of Parsons, Lou Eister, then a part-time Associative Executive Director, became the society’s Executive Director, a position he holds to this day.

The location of the Lehigh County Medical Society has also changed through the years. The society’s first headquarters were based in Robert Parson’s home in Allentown and then moved to a three-room office on 8th Street in downtown Allentown. The current building, the Robert Parsons Building (so named at the suggestion of the Board of Trustees after Parsons’s passing) was bought from the Visiting Nurses organization in 1980; after renovation, the society relocated in 1981.

For more on the Robert Parsons Building, which also serves as a meeting place for the Lehigh County Medical Auxiliary’s Scholarship and Educational Fund (LeCoMASE), and the Lehigh County Medical Society Alliance (both compromised of LCMS physicians’ spouses) click here. For more on LCMSA and LeCoMASE, click here.

Throughout its over 150 years of existence, the Lehigh County Medical Society has played in active role in providing for its members’ professional and social needs. At general membership meetings, physicians are invited to discuss health policy and learn about a wide range of medical topics. Past topics have included current issues on healthcare enforcement, the future of cardio-thoracic surgery, and medical volunteering in Haiti. LCMS also holds yearly joint meetings with the Bar Association on medical legal issues as well as joint meetings with the Northampton County Medical Society.

Social activities, allowing doctors to network and relax, have also been a component of the LCMS’s work over the years. These include golf outings, Ironpig baseball games and more. Each year the LCMS hosts a formal banquet honoring the 25 and 50-year member award recipients, introducing that year’s president, and providing dinner and dancing for all attendees.

With healthcare policy continually changing, the Lehigh County Medical Society has always been there to advocate for physicians. And now, as we stand at another formative point in the history of medicine, the Lehigh County Medical Society is there to continue its mission to “unite physicians to speak with one voice… to influence health policy, thereby achieving the highest standard of healthcare for our community.”

Historical information in this summary was based on the LCMS 100th anniversary Morning Call article, the notes of former LCMS secretary Jeanine Wasco, and the recollections of Executive Director Lou Eister.

Founding members of the LeCoMASE Fund with the board secretary and head of financial services. The LeCoMASE Fund gives scholarships to Pennsylvanian medical students.

Mission Statement: The purpose of this society shall be to unite physicians to speak with one voice at the local, state and national level to influence health policy, thereby achieving the highest standard of healthcare for our community.