ORLANDO -- Michael Munger, MD, is the new president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the group announced at its Congress of Delegates meeting Wednesday morning.
Following the announcement of election results, John Meigs Jr., MD, was sworn in as the AAFP's 69th president, assuming presidential duties later Wednesday.
who practices with Saint Luke's Medical Group in Overland Park, Kansas, has been an AAFP member and he previously served on the AAFP Board of Directors and its Commission on Education.
"We have a bright future," he told the crowd of a few hundred that had gathered inside a basement-level hotel ballroom, when his election was announced. "But we have a heavy lift to go."
Munger defeated Robert A. Lee, MD, and Jack Chou, MD, who had addressed the delegates along with Munger during a Q-and-A Tuesday afternoon. Munger promised to "fight the culture of single-specialty superiority" prevalent in medical schools and residences, and to push for more primary care and family medicine instructors, to sustain and grow the practice of family medicine.
Meigs practices at Bibb Medical Associates in Centreville, Alabama. Noting the discussion of burnout prevention during the Q-and-A, he cited "the three F's -- faith, family, and friends" as his pillars of prevention. Meigs also encouraged family physicians to mentor younger physicians.
"I'm going to be your squeaker," he told the crowd, referring to the adage that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. "I'm going to squeak. We need the grease."
Meigs succeeds Wanda D. Filer, MD, who received the AAFP's Past Presidents Medal during the COD closing ceremonies.
AAFP also elected several new members to its board, including:
- Robert F. Raspa, MD, of Jacksonville, Fla.
- Leonard D. Reeves, MD, of Rome, Ga.
- Ada D. Stewart, MD, of Columbia, S.C.
- Matthew Burke, of Washington, D.C.
- Stewart Decker, MD, new resident member
- Lauren Abdul-Majeed, student member
The AAFP's 2017 Congress of Delegates will meet in San Antonio.