Michel McDonald, M.D., MBA, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Dermatology, officially took office as chair of the board of trustees of the Tennessee Medical Association (TMA) at the group’s annual convention, held last month at the Opryland Resort and Convention Center and attended by about 300 physicians and others in health care.
McDonald, who has been on the Vanderbilt faculty since 1997, is the first woman elected to serve in this capacity, according to the TMA.
“I am excited about the opportunity I have to use this position to influence the issues affecting our profession that the TMA has been so working so hard to address, including the issues of access to care and prescription drug abuse in the state of Tennessee,” she said.
The board of trustees is the body that directs and oversees the day-to-day work of the TMA and implements policies enacted by the TMA house of delegates, which meets annually to debate and set policies. The board chair presides over the quarterly meetings of the TMA board of trustees, and also serves on the executive committee. The board chair also helps represent TMA at industry meetings, in the media and for advocacy purposes.