The AMA House of Delegates has elected Jack Resneck Jr., MD, a dermatologist from the San Francisco Bay Area, as the Association’s president-elect. Following a year-long term as president-elect, Dr. Resneck will assume the office of AMA president in June 2022.
Dr. Resneck is a member of the AMA Board of Trustees and frequent spokesman on issues related to public health, having testified in in congressional hearings on the topics of telemedicine, digital health, rising prescription drug prices, prior authorization, and other challenges facing the U.S. health care system.
“It is truly an honor to be elected by my peers to lead the AMA, especially during this pivotal time of learning from the COVID-19 pandemic experience as we plan for the future of medicine and public health,” Dr. Resneck said.
“Now more than ever, I am proud to be part of an AMA that is dedicated to driving the future of medicine, removing obstacles to patient care, and leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises—all while prioritizing our goal of eliminating longstanding health inequities,” he added.
“I am committed to relentlessly advocating for physicians and patients on issues that matter most to us, and look forward to the continued meaningful advancements our AMA will make as we strive to improve the health of the nation.”
First elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 2014, Dr. Resneck held the office of board chair from 2018 to 2019. Prior to serving on the board, Dr. Resneck chaired the AMA Council on Legislation and as a delegate in the AMA House of Delegates. Additionally, he has held several leadership positions in organized medicine, including president of the California Society for Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery, board member at the American Academy of Dermatology, and active member of the California Medical Association.
In addition to caring for patients with a wide range of skin diseases in Northern California, Dr. Resneck has devoted his efforts to training the next generation of physicians. He is the vice chair and professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, where he directed the dermatology residency program for several years, with a joint appointment at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. UCSF is a member school of the AMA Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium.
New board members elected
Delegates also elected two new members to the AMA Board of Trustees.
Pratistha Koirala, MD, PhD, a Nepal-born Connecticut and Bronx-trained ob-gyn with a doctorate in molecular pharmacology, was elected to the Board of Trustees’ resident-and-fellow seat.
Dr. Koirala joined the AMA as a medical student in the Bronx and has held multiple leadership roles at the state and national levels, including the Executive Council of the Medical Society of the State of New York. She is also the resident-and-fellow member of the AMPAC Board of Directors.
“I am honored to be chosen by my colleagues to represent them on the Board of Trustees,” said Dr. Koirala. “Over the past year, viewing medicine through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted areas of health care where changes are needed. As a physician-scientist, I understand the power that our AMA has as the trusted voice in medicine and public health.
“As we strive to recover from the pandemic and the impact it had on both physicians and trainees, we must also strive for equity in medicine—how to fairly distribute vaccines, address social determinants of health, and increase access to affordable health care,” she added. “By rising to meet these challenges, physicians continue to earn patient trust, which ultimately stems from our commitment to science and data.”
Madelyn E. Butler, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist from Tampa, Florida, also was elected to the Board of Trustees.
Born in Cuba and raised in Georgia and Florida, Dr. Butler is president of The Woman’s Group, a four-location, multilingual practice of 24 doctors, nurses and support staff that serves the Tampa Bay area. Dr. Butler began her work in organized medicine as president of the Florida Medical Association (FMA) Medical Student Section. Since then, she has served as FMA speaker, vice speaker, and FMA PAC president. She now chairs the AMA Council on Constitution and Bylaws and is vice-chair of the AMA Florida Delegation.
“I am honored to be chosen by my colleagues to represent them on the AMA Board of Trustees,” said Dr. Butler. “I am a fierce advocate both for the viability of the medical professions in all its forms and for the ability of young physicians to choose the specialties they love and still thrive in their career. The AMA has important strategies underway to remove obstacles that interfere with patient care, drive the future of medicine, and improve the health of the nation and I’m eager to add my voice on behalf of the medical profession.”
A third spot on the AMA Board of Trustees was won by Bobby Mukkamala, MD. For the previous four years, Dr. Mukkamala—an otolaryngologist from Michigan—has served on the board and is now finishing a year as chair-elect.
A number of other races were decided by delegates’ acclamation. They include:
- Bruce A. Scott, MD, an otolaryngologist from Kentucky who was reelected as speaker of the AMA House of Delegates.
- Lisa Bohman Egbert, MD, an ob-gyn from Ohio, reelected as vice speaker of the AMA House of Delegates.
- Karen Dionesotes, MD, MPH, a psychiatry resident in Baltimore, was elected to the resident-and-fellow seat on the AMA Council on Science and Public Health.
- Christopher Libby, MD, MPH, a clinical informatics fellow from California who was elected to the resident-and-fellow seat on the AMA Council on Constitution and Bylaws.
These physicians were elected to the AMA Council on Medical Education:
- Sherri Baker, MD, a pediatric cardiologist in Oklahoma.
- Lou Edje, MD, MHPE, a family physician in Cincinnati.
- Robert B. Goldberg, DO, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician in New York.
- Krystal L. Tomei, MD, MPH, a pediatric neurosurgeon in Ohio.
These two doctors were elected to the AMA Council on Constitution and Bylaws:
- Mary Ann Contogiannis, MD, a plastic surgeon in North Carolina.
- Jerry Abraham, MD, MPH, a family physician in Texas.
The physicians re-elected to the AMA Council on Science and Public Health are:
- John T. Carlo, MD, a general practitioner from Texas was re-elected to the Council.
- Mary LaPlante, MD, FACOG, an obstetrician and gynecologist from Ohio.
The lone seat up for election on the AMA Council on Medical Service was won by Alain A. Chaoui, MD, a family medicine specialist from Massachusetts.
Read about the other highlights from the June 2021 AMA Special Meeting.
