June 27, 2019
Hello,
I had little involvement in organized medicine until I became a department chair. In fact, I believed that large medical organizations, such as the American Medical Association (AMA) or even my specialty society, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), did not represent physicians in academic medicine. My only contact with the AMA was by reading JAMA. Although I was a card-carrying Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics for years, I knew little about the AAP until I was named to the Board of the Atlanta Chapter of the AAP, ex-officio as pediatrics department chair. I quickly learned that the AAP was an important voice for children and families and for ALL pediatricians. I came to respect our local chapter, particularly its role in education and advocacy, and became more engaged with the national organization. When I moved to Houston, I was welcomed by leadership of the Texas Medical Association (TMA), the largest state medical society in the country, and was introduced to physician colleagues who are very active in both the TMA and the AMA — some in important leadership roles.
Dr. Russ Kridel, Houston facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon and adjunct professor of surgery in the Division of Facial and Plastic Surgery, has been active in the AMA for over 20 years and recently was named chair-elect of the AMA Board of Trustees. Dr. Hilary Fairbrother, associate professor of Emergency Medicine, is chair of the AMA Young Physicians Section. Dr. Kridel was very gracious in helping to organize a special dean’s lecture by Dr. Patrice Harris, president of AMA. Dr. Fairbrother introduced Dr. Harris — one of her heroes and role models — who spoke on “Physician Leadership and the Urgency of the Moment in Medicine.”
Dr. Harris’ talk was inspirational and a breath of fresh air. She reminded us that the AMA is a powerful ally in patient care, representing physicians with a unified voice, removing obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to confront public health crises, and driving the future of medicine. She underscored the importance of social factors to health and disease — with social and environmental influences and individual behaviors accounting for more than half of the risk factors for premature death. Dr. Harris described new AMA initiatives to increase women and diversity in medicine, including pipeline programs and scholarships.
A psychiatrist and public health physician from Atlanta, Dr. Harris was inaugurated as the 174th president of the AMA at the organization’s national meeting earlier this month (See her inauguration speech here). Dr. Harris’ presidency marks an important milestone for the AMA – she is the first African-American woman in the top leadership role, and this is the first time in AMA history that women have held all three presidential leadership positions — past-president (Barbara L. McAneny, MD), president, and president-elect (Susan R. Bailey, MD). Of note, the first woman elected president of the AMA is a graduate of our medical school, Nancy Dickey, MD, class of 1976.
A graduate of West Virginia University Medical School, Dr. Harris completed residencies in psychiatry and child psychiatry at Emory, where she also did a forensic fellowship. I was delighted to learn about our connection through Emory Medical School and also through the Barton Child Law and Child Policy Center at Emory University School of Law, where she served as a senior policy fellow, and I served on the Advisory Committee.
Dr. Harris has been a career-long advocate for patients and families and physicians, with a focus on mental health issues. She is a great example of how the AMA has changed over the years — certainly not my father’s AMA of the 1950s and 60’s. She is a great woman leader —making a difference in medicine, breaking barriers, and serving as a national role model.
Please join me in thanking Drs. Kridel and Fairbrother for making this special day happen — and of course, Dr. Harris for working on behalf of all of us.
Warm regards,
Barbara
P.S. I am very proud that my friend and colleague Sally Goza was elected to be the next president of the AAP (2020). Dr. Goza is a wonderful pediatrician from Georgia, who has been a career-long advocate for children and families. She will be great.
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