NMA's 112th President Installed

Online, September 2, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The National Medical Association (NMA), the nation's oldest and largest association of African American physicians, recently installed its new national president.

Cedric M. Bright, M.D., FACP was installed as the 112th President of the NMA in July 2011 after successfully completing his term as President Elect of the association. "Serving as the President of this great organization is one of the great highlights of my professional career, a merit us honor coupled with a tremendous responsibility," said Dr. Bright.

Dr. Bright is the Assistant Dean of Admissions, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, and Director of Special Programs in the Department of Medical Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. He most recently worked as an Associate Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine and Community and Family Medicine at Duke University and a staff physician at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Durham, NC. Dr. Bright has held many leadership positions in the NMA and other organizations, including Speaker of the House of Delegates and President of Old North State Medical Society of North Carolina.

The term of the presidency for the NMA is one year; however, the organization fosters continuity in this prestigious role by instituting a mandatory "President Elect" year, the year of Presidency and an "Immediate Past President" year. "The role of the President of NMA is one of great challenge and opportunity. I've diligently prepared for the opportunity to articulate the policies of the NMA. Our organization is committed to our physicians and our patients and we believe that with a united voice we can make a difference in individual outcomes as well as the state of health for our nation. We can accomplish this through education, effective health policy, and advocacy," said Dr. Bright.

"This year will be one marked by a continuation of our exceptional programs which directly impact patients and physicians. These programs include our clinical trials recruitment program, the NMA diabetes program, our health policy colloquium, and our continuing medical education programs. In addition, we will focus on obesity, hepatitis cardiovascular disease and other disease states that disproportionately affect communities of color. Further, we must strengthen the pipeline for diverse health professionals. The NMA will aggressively move forward on our recommendations for protecting the nation's children with our Respiratory Syncytial Virus awareness and health policy "Call to Action." These programs and others will assist us in achieving health equity," said the organization's President.

Throughout his career, Dr. Bright has championed the elimination of healthcare disparities. He has been involved in health disparities research and has presented papers and abstracts at multiple national and local venues. Given the focus of the nation on the adoption and implementation of the Affordable Care Act, over the last year he has focused his efforts on access, reform and has participated in numerous advocacy efforts. Dr. Bright plans to continue his focus on ensuring that all Americans have access to basic healthcare. "The NMA is committed to strengthening our connection to patients in the medical office with clinical issues, but also increasing the "muscle" of health advocacy and outreach by educating our patients on health policy issues which directly impact their lives, "said Dr. Bright. "We recently launched an aggressive campaign, "We Stand with You," in which NMA unites the healthcare professional with civic/social organizations, concerned corporations and patients together on all levels related to health. We are excited to really push this agenda forward."

Dr. Bright is married to Maria Bright and they have a son, Andrew "Drew" Weldon.

To learn more about Dr. Cedric Bright, read his inauguration speech and view his bio, visit www.nmanet.org.
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Founded in 1895, the National Medical Association is the nation's oldest and largest medical association representing the interests of more than 50,000 African American physicians and the patients that they serve. The NMA repeatedly advocates for policies that would assure equitable and quality health care for all people. To learn more about "We Stand with You: NMA Physicians and Their Patients United for Improved Health for All", visit www.westandwithyou.com.