AMA House of Delegates

AMA meeting: Cecil B. Wilson, MD, installed as new AMA president

■ Peter Carmel, MD, won a rare runoff to become president-elect.

Posted June 28, 2010

Dr. Carmel

Chicago -- Winter Park, Fla., internist Cecil B. Wilson, MD, was inaugurated as the 165th president of the AMA during the Association's Annual Meeting in June.

Peter W. Carmel, MD, a pediatric neurosurgeon from New York City, was named president-elect after a three-way race for the office against Edward L. Langston, MD, and Joseph M. Heyman, MD. Dr. Carmel won a runoff against Dr. Heyman.

Elected to the AMA Board of Trustees were Albuquerque, N.M., oncologist Barbara L. McAneny, MD; Philadelphia family physician Stephen R. Permut, MD; Pittsburgh critical care physician and internist Carl A. Sirio, MD; and Meredith C. Williams, a medical student at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Lexington, Ky., infectious disease physician Ardis Dee Hoven, MD, became board chair. Greenwood Village, Colo., psychiatrist Jeremy A. Lazarus, MD, was re-elected speaker. Hollidaysburg, Pa., orthopedic surgeon Andrew W. Gurman, MD, was re-elected vice speaker.

Lexington, Ky., emergency physician Steven J. Stack, MD, was named secretary. Robert M. Wah, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist from McLean, Va., is board chair-elect.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Meeting notes: Other actions

Issue: Nearly 1,000 foreign-trained physicians enter the U.S. annually under refugee protection after fleeing their home countries. Because of a lack of resources and guidance, they often abandon years of medical training to take any available job.

Proposed action: Support federal programs that aid refugee physicians wanting to practice in the U.S., especially those willing to work in underserved areas or in specialties with shortages. [Adopted]

Issue: Prescription drug monitoring programs for veterans were discontinued in 2009. The programs were designed to help reduce prescription drug abuse.

Proposed action: Advocate the restoration of the programs, which would give Veterans Health Administration physicians and pharmacists the ability to review the scheduled drugs their patients take. [Adopted]

Issue: Eighty-seven of the 650 emergency medical transport helicopters operated in the U.S. from 1998 through 2004 crashed, according to Federal Aviation Administration reports. There were an additional 11 fatal helicopter accidents between December 2007 and February 2010, killing 41 people.

Proposed action: Educate AMA members about the FAA's safety recommendations and advocate that they contract with or implement a helicopter emergency medical service that is compliant with risk reduction systems/programs established by the FAA. [Adopted]