New Leaders Installed

Houston neurologist Dr. William H. Fleming III was installed as the 100th president of the Harris County Medical Society, at the Harris County Medical Society/Houston Academy of Medicine installation of officers, Feb. 1. Dr. Fleming is the first African-American to serve as HCMS president, the largest county medical society in the nation with a membership of more than 9,000 physicians and medical students.

Also, Houston family physician Dr. Robert C. Vanzant was installed as president of the Houston Academy of Medicine, the educational and charitable organization of HCMS. As HAM president, Dr. Vanzant will serve on the HCMS executive board. Both Drs. Fleming and Vanzant’s presidential terms will extend through December.

Dr. Fleming is a partner in Memorial Neurological Association and is a clinical assistant professor in the department of neurology at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He has a history of distinguished service to the medical community, including serving as the current vice speaker of Texas Medical Association and as an alternate delegate to the American Medical Association. He also has served as president of the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners and the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, and currently is completing his year as president of the Texas Neurological Society.

Dr. Vanzant, a board-certified family physician, is an assistant clinical professor at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and at Baylor College of Medicine, and is a member of the medical staff at Memorial Hermann-Memorial City Hospital. He has been an active member of the medical community, serving as president of the Harris County Chapter of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, treasurer of the 9th District of the Texas Medical Association, and a member of the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System graduate education physician advisory board.

Other 2002 HCMS/HAM executive board members installed were: Dr. Kenneth L. Mattox, president elect; Dr. Mary Geda, vice president; Dr. Bruce C. Kennedy, secretary/treasurer; Dr. Philip G. Sutton, third-year member at large; Dr. Diana L. Fite, second-year member at large; Dr. A. Tomas Garcia III, first-year member at large; Dr. Bruce D. Edison, board of ethics chair; Dr. Alan W. Skolnick, board of medical legislation chair; Dr. Keith A. Bourgeois, board on socioeconomics chair; Dr. Guru T. Reddy, council hospital chiefs of staff chair; Dr. Alberto O. Barroso, council of specialty societies chair; Dr. Benjamin Interiano, council of international medical societies chair; Dr. William S. Gilmer, Central City Branch president; Dr. Fred A. Quenzer Jr., East Branch president; Dr. Helen M. Schilling, North Branch president; Dr. Luis E. Zepeda, Southeast Branch president; Dr. Elizabeth Torres, Southwest Branch president; Dr. Kimberly K. Brady, Western Branch president; Dr. Bobby R. Alford, executive vice president and dean of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine; and Dr. L. Maximilian Buja, dean of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

Also during the evening’s program, the HCMS/HAM honored Dr. Robert L. DuPont, a Chevy Chase, Md. psychiatrist, with the John P. McGovern Compleat Physician Award for exemplifying the Oslerian ideals of medical excellence, humane and ethical care, commitment to medical humanities and writing, research, and harmony between the academician and medical practitioner. The award, established in 1993, is presented annually by the Houston Academy of Medicine to recognize multiaccomplished physicians who have enriched the field of medicine by being compassionate clinicians and devoted teachers, who have a strong familiarity with research, and have demonstrated a commitment to and love of the profession of medicine.

The award is named after its first recipient Dr. John P. McGovern, who founded the American Osler Society.

Dr. DuPont, a leader in the fields of substance abuse and anxiety disorders, is senior vice president and medical director of Bensigner, DuPont & Associates, a board-certified practicing psychiatrist and clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical School. He is the founding chairman of the Center for Behavioral Medicine, and was the founding president and remains a board member of the national nonprofit Phobia Society of America. Dr. DuPont also has served as the administrator of the Narcotics Treatment Administration of Columbia department of human resources. In 1973, he was appointed to direct the White House Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention, and was director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse from its creation in 1973 until 1978. From 1980 to 1984, Dr. DuPont was president of the American Council for Drug Education.

Dr. DuPont has published more than 130 professional articles and five books. Throughout his career, he has received numerous honors and awards, including being listed in "Who’s Who in the World," and having received the Superior Service Award by the U.S. Surgeon General.

Past recipients of the John P. McGovern Compleat Physician Award are Dr. Raymond Scalettar (1994), Dr. Ernest W. Johnson (1995), Dr. Donald W. Chapman (1996), Dr. Theodore E. Woodward (1997), Dr. Charles D. Sherman (1998), Dr. Michael E. DeBakey (1999), Dr. Victor McKusick (2000), and Dr W. Walter Menninger (2001).

Established in 1903, the Harris County Medical Society is the professional organization for physicians in Harris County. Its mission is to promote the highest standards of ethical medical practice for the benefit of the community and to serve as an advocate for member physicians and their patients in achieving this end. In 1915, HCMS incorporated Houston Academy of Medicine to be the scientific and charitable nonprofit organization. The HCMS executive board also serves as the board of trustees of the Academy.

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/03_01_02/page_17.html