COM’s Dr. Rohack named AMA president-elect

(CHICAGO) – J. James Rohack, M.D., a cardiologist from Bryan, Texas, in the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, was named president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s largest and most influential physician organization.

Following a yearlong term as president-elect, Dr. Rohack will assume the AMA presidency in June 2009. His annual term as president will be followed by an additional annual term as immediate past president ending in June 2010.

“As AMA president-elect, I look forward to being a voice for American physicians as we work with others to solve America’s challenges in providing the best medical care in the world to all, while preserving our sacred patient-physician relationship,” said Dr. Rohack.

Taking a leadership role with the AMA in 2001 when he was first elected to the AMA Board of Trustees, Dr. Rohack served a one-year term as chair of the AMA Board of Trustees in 2004-2005. He was reelected to a final four-year term in 2005.

Dr. Rohack is committed to advancing medical educational standards and previously chaired the AMA Council on Medical Education. Dr. Rohack also represented the AMA on the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education. He currently chairs the AMA commissioners on the Joint Commission and represents the AMA as a principal of the Hospital Quality Alliance. Dr. Rohack also chairs the National Advisory Council to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

In addition to his work with the AMA, Dr. Rohack held many leadership positions in his home state of Texas. Dr. Rohack was first elected to represent Texas physicians in the AMA House of Delegates more than 20 years ago. He served as president of the Texas Medical Association (TMA), chair of the TMA Council on Medical Education, and member of the TMA Board of Trustees. Dr. Rohack also served as president of the American Heart Association’s Texas affiliate.

Currently, Dr. Rohack is a professor in both the Department of Medicine and the Department of Medical Humanities in Medicine at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, and director of the Center for Healthcare Policy at Scott & White and medical director for system improvement in Temple, Texas, where he continues his clinical practice at Scott & White Clinic.

Dr. Rohack completed his undergraduate education with highest honors at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and earned his medical degree with honors from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston in 1980. In 2000, he was named the Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus by the UTMB and received the Distinguished Alumnus Golden Nugget Award from UTEP in 2002.