Jack Resneck Jr., MD, a dermatologist in the San Francisco Bay area, is the new president-elect of the American Medical Association and will take over as president in June 2022
Known for his advocacy efforts — promoting telemedicine and digital health and fighting rising prescription drug prices, among other issues — he has testified in Congressional hearings on all those topics and other issues crucial for a functioning U.S. health care system.
Colleagues describe him as well informed, intelligent, and an excellent listener who is skilled at understanding all sides of difficult issues.
“I am committed to relentlessly advocating for physicians and patients on issues that matter most to us, and look forward to the continued meaningful advancements our AMA will make as we strive to improve the health of the nation,” Resneck said in a statement issued by the AMA. “Now more than ever, I am proud to be part of an AMA that is dedicated to driving the future of medicine, removing obstacles to patient care, and leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises — all while prioritizing our goal of eliminating longstanding health inequities.”
Resneck called this a “pivotal time of learning from the COVID-19 pandemic experience as we plan for the future of medicine and public health.”
“Jack is one of the most well-informed people I know,” Barbara L. McAneny, MD, president of the AMA from 2018 to 2019 and CEO of the New Mexico Cancer Center, Albuquerque, said in an interview. “Now that the pandemic is slowly decreasing, the underlying problems in our health care system will resurface. Jack understands how the insurance industry uses prior authorization and other techniques to harm physicians and patients. He is very well positioned to be a voice of reason that is sorely needed in today’s healthcare industry.”
David O. Barbe, MD, MHA, president of the World Medical Association and president of the AMA from 2017 to 2018, calls Resneck “extremely smart, very analytical. I think one of his great strengths is, he is an excellent listener and can capture the essence of all sides of the issues. He does a remarkable job at achieving consensus.” Barbe is a family physician in Mountain Grove, Mo.
Resneck has a long history of serving the AMA, the California Medical Association, and dermatology organizations such as the American Academy of Dermatology.
“Resneck’s exemplary leadership on a number of AAD/A committees and councils and as a member of the boards of directors has made a lasting impact on the academy, and he is poised to do the same as president-elect of the American Medical Association,” AAD president Ken Tomecki, MD, said in a statement provided by the AAD. “We congratulate Resneck on his achievement, and we’re proud to have a dermatologist serving as a leading voice in the house of medicine.”
First elected to the AMA board of trustees in 2014, Resneck held the office of board chair from 2018 to 2019. He was also chair of the AMA Council on Legislation and was a delegate to the AMA House of Delegates. He has had leadership roles in the California Society of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery, the American Academy of Dermatology and the California Medical Association. He is vice chair and professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco, with a joint appointment at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies.
As a researcher, his citation list includes numerous published studies about patient access to care, telemedicine, quality metrics, prior authorization, and public health. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology and the board of directors of the National Quality Forum. His undergraduate degree in public policy is from Brown University, Providence, R.I. He earned his medical degree from UCSF, where he also completed an internal medicine internship, a residency training in dermatology and a health policy fellowship.
Gerald Harmon, MD, a family practice physician in coastal South Carolina, will be inaugurated as the AMA president for 2021-2022 on June 15.
This article originally appeared on MDedge.com, part of the Medscape Professional Network.
Source: Read Full Article