CHICAGO — Steven J. Stack, M.D., an emergency physician practicing in Lexington, Ky., has been sworn in as the 170th president of the American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s largest physician organization. Stack, who is the organization’s youngest president in the past 160 years, will focus his tenure on advancing the AMA’s three strategic areas: improving health outcomes for the 86 million Americans living with pre-diabetes and the 70 million with hypertension; accelerating change in medical education to ensure physicians are prepared to meet the needs of a 21st Century health care system; and enhancing physician satisfaction and practice sustainability.

"I am honored and privileged to be named president of an organization that is dedicated to the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health and a profession that is working to improve the health of our nation," said Dr. Stack. "I look forward to serving on behalf of America’s physicians to not only create a brighter future for the medical profession but a healthier America one patient at time, one family at a time and one community at a time.”

Dr. Stack is nationally recognized for his expertise in health information technology—serving as chair of the AMA's Health Information Technology Advisory Group from 2007 to 2013. He has also served on multiple federal advisory groups for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and as Secretary for eHealth Initiative, a non-profit multi-stakeholder organization committed to advancing health care through health information technology. In his home state of Kentucky, Dr. Stack has served as medical director of the emergency departments at Saint Joseph East in Lexington, Ky. and Saint Joseph Mount Sterling in central Kentucky, both part of KentuckyOne Health. He was also previous medical director of the emergency department at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

“It is a special privilege to serve as the AMA’s first emergency physician president,” said. Dr. Stack. “I’m inspired by the great things we as physicians can achieve together. The AMA’s membership is as diverse as the patients we serve and together we can build on our unique perspectives, expertise and experiences to usher in new innovation and improved care for the patients and communities we are privileged to serve.”

Elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 2006, Dr. Stack was the first board-certified emergency physician to serve as an AMA board member. During the last eight years, he has served in many leadership positions, including AMA board chair and AMA secretary. Prior to his service on the AMA board, Dr. Stack held a distinguished record as an elected leader within numerous state, national and specialty medical associations.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Dr. Stack graduated magna cum laude from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. He returned to Ohio and completed his medical school education and emergency medicine training at the Ohio State University before moving to Memphis to begin his clinical practice. In 2006, he and his family relocated to Lexington.

Dr. Stack is married and the proud father of a 10-year-old daughter. His wife, Tracie, is an MD, PhD, practicing board-certified allergist/immunologist and fellow AMA member.