CHICAGO — The American Medical Association (AMA) presented Travis Gayles, M.D., former health officer and chief of public health services for Montgomery County, Md., with the AMA Award for Outstanding Government Service for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As the top public health official in Montgomery County during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Gayles was tasked with leading some of the most challenging on-the-ground efforts of our time,” said AMA Board Chair Bobby Mukkamala, M.D. “With information and data scant and with a clear need for leadership and consistent messaging, local officials like Dr. Gayles were absolutely critical during the earliest days of the pandemic. Dr. Gayles is a steadfast advocate for science- and data-driven solutions, and officials at the Maryland State Medical Society (MedChi) and the Montgomery County Medical Society credit him and his leadership with saving lives and lessening the local impact of the virus.”
After leaving his position with Montgomery County in 2021, Dr. Gayles was named chief health officer for San Francisco-based Hazel Health. He previously served as chief medical officer of the District of Columbia Department of Health for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis. Dr. Gayles is also a published researcher on topics including the impact of exposure to bullying and interpersonal violence on adolescent risk-taking behavior.
He received his medical degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and held previous faculty appointments at NYU, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Maryland.
Dr. Gayles’s acceptance speech can be viewed at this link.
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The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
