ER doc Stack named AMA president-elect

Who: Dr. Steven Stack, 42, new president-elect of the American Medical Association.

Previous role: Chairman of the AMA’s board of trustees. “The chair organizes the agenda, is the board’s principle contact with the CEO. They act as a facilitator. I worked with our CEO, Dr. James Madara, on our strategic plan to boldly reform medical education, improve our patients’ outcomes and improve physician satisfaction.”

New focus: “As president-elect and then president, I’ll have the tremendous honor to be the principal spokesperson for the AMA. I’m an emergency physician. I have no agenda but the betterment of healthcare for our patients. I’ll use the stories that are part of my life tapestry to bring that to light.”

IT, the right way: “I am a cheerleader for health IT done well. But we are taking one-fifth of our economy on a forced march, under threat of penalty, to adopt technology that’s not yet mature. Adopting IT takes a flexible approach.”

Team approach: “We’re at a point of history marked by confrontation and polarization and disagreeing with each other. We have to work better at collaborating. The AMA wants to help physicians have an environment that supports their work and ensures that the doctor-patient relationship continues to serve us well as it has for such a long time.”