Travis doctor elected president of national medical society

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TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) --  The chief of the medical staff at the David Grant Medical Center here has been elected president of the American College of Emergency Physicians during the organization's recent meeting in New Orleans.

Col. (Dr.) Linda Lawrence previously served as vice president of ACEP, and is an attending physician in DGMC's emergency department. 

Additionally, she serves as a consultant to the Air Force surgeon general and is an associate professor for the department of military and emergency medicine for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. 

"Emergency care is an essential public service and emergency physicians provide a critical health care safety in every community in America," Colonel Lawrence said. "We must take our issues to the public and ask for their support in solving the problems that affect their access to emergency care and motivating policymakers to support change." 

Colonel Lawrence has provided leadership at the state and national level, serving as president of ACEP's governmental services chapter, representing military emergency physicians across the United States. She also has served on numerous ACEP committees and as editor of ACEP publications. 

"There is a national crisis on access to emergency care and availability of on-call specialists in emergency departments across the country," Colonel Lawrence said. "However, we're very fortunate at Travis to have emergency medicine-trained nurses, physicians and a full spectrum of trained specialists who provide top notch emergency care here at DGMC." 

ACEP is a national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine with more than 25,000 members. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research and public education. 

Headquartered in Dallas, ACEP has 52 chapters representing each state, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies. Colonel Lawrence will assume the presidency during next year's meeting in Seattle. 

(Courtesy of 60th Medical Group Public Affairs)