Sacramento – At the annual American Medical Association's (AMA) House of Delegates meeting in Chicago today, four representatives from the California Medical Association were successful in seeking elected office within the national organization.
 
Jack Resneck Jr., M.D., a San Francisco-based dermatologist, was elected to the AMA Board of Trustees. Dr. Resneck had previously chaired AMA’s Council on Legislation and also serves on the Board of Directors for the America Academy of Dermatology.
 
The AMA Board of Trustees is responsible for ensuring that the AMA remains focused on its essential reason for being: to promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.
 
Additionally, three CMA member physicians were elected to positions on AMA’s issue-based councils.
 
Patricia Austin, M.D., an Oakland-based ophthalmologist with more than 30 years of small group practice experience, was elected to the AMA’s Council on Constitution and Bylaws, while Adam Dougherty, M.D., MPH, and Robert Gilchick, M.D., MPH, were both elected to the Council on Science and Public Health. Dr. Dougherty is a recent graduate from the University of California, Davis School of Medicine and was elected to the council’s resident/fellow seat.  Dr. Gilchick currently serves as the medical director for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Department of Child and Adolescent Health, and was seeking re-election to the council.
 
The elected or appointed members of the seven AMA Councils concentrate their efforts on developing an expert understanding of specific issues related to such matters as ethics, science and medical education, so that they can make recommendations on policy to the AMA’s House of Delegates.
 
“I am extremely proud of my fellow California physicians who have been elected to their respective AMA positions,” said CMA President Richard Thorp, M.D., FACP. “These physicians have been an incredible asset to the California Medical Association, and I’m confident that they will bring the same insight, knowledge and leadership to their roles within the AMA.”
 
The AMA is the largest association of physicians and medical students in the United States.