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Fred C. Williams, M.D., was sworn in as the Oregon Medical Association’s 144th president and the association’s first African American president at their annual conference on September 29, 2018. Over 200 people attended the conference on “Medicine Now: Healthcare’s Role in Activating Social Change.”
Dr. Williams devoted much of his presidential acceptance remarks to a call for leaders in Oregon’s healthcare industry to work toward increased recognition of diversity in the state and to promote a more equitable and just Oregon for all its communities.
Prior to joining Tuality Healthcare in 2014, Dr. Williams held appointments at Hillsboro Neurosurgical Associates and the Neurosurgical Associates Medical Group of Fresno. At the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Section of Neurosurgery, for five years. At the Tucson Veterans Administration Medical Center, Dr. Williams served as Chief of Neurosurgery.
The Oregon Medical Association (OMA) is the state’s largest advocacy association for physicians and physician assistants. Over 200 people attended the annual conference on “Medicine Now: Healthcare’s Role in Activating Social Change.”
The event included keynote addresses by Esther Choo, M.D. from the OHSU School of Medicine, who spoke on the topic of acknowledging sexual harassment and gender bias in medicine; and journalist Sam Quinones, author of Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic, who discussed the history and root causes of the nation’s opiate epidemic.
“Healthcare professionals are uniquely positioned to serve as leaders in their communities, but their schedules often do not allow for a great deal of extracurricular effort,” said Boehringer.
“It’s the job of the Oregon Medical Association to connect members with resources and opportunities to make a difference,” Boehringer continued, “and I think the conference’s speakers and guests—including elected officials—is a promising method of engagement.”
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About OHSU Tuality Healthcare
OHSU Tuality Healthcare is a leading health care provider in Washington County serving over 350,000 people in the community. Tuality is a nonprofit, community-based organization with a hospital in Hillsboro and numerous physician and outpatient clinics. Tuality has a medical staff of over 400 doctors and other health care professionals and one of the region’s largest employers with a staff of over 1,200.