The Medical Association of Atlanta (MAA) installed its new officers on June 26 at its annual meeting held at The Biltmore Ballroom in Atlanta.
Rob Schreiner, MD, FACP, FCCP, was elected president of the MAA for a one-year term. He has served as executive medical director for The Southeast Permanente Medical Group, Inc. (TSPMG) in Atlanta since 2008. In this role, he leads one of Atlanta’s largest multi-specialty medical groups, with overall executive responsibility for the cost and quality of healthcare provided to over 240,000 Kaiser Permanente members in 28 medical facilities and four hospitals in a 28-county metropolitan service area, and over 740 TSPMG physicians, associate practitioners and professional staff.
“I am honored to participate in the leadership of this important organization at a time when there is so much interest in the delivery of health care,” said Dr. Schreiner. “Effective physician leadership is particularly necessary during this time of rapid change in our field. The interests and needs of patients must be the center of civil debate that includes the experienced, balanced, altruistic voice of the physician.”
Dr. Schreiner also serves on the board of directors of Trees Atlanta, a non-profit organization that has enhanced and preserved Atlanta’s urban forest since 1985. He is a member of the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) Board of Advisors, and also serves on the Environmental Policy and Sustainability Committee. Dr. Schreiner is a Director of the Buckhead Coalition, a longstanding non-profit organization dedicated to improving life in the Buckhead Community of Atlanta. For over 10 years, Dr. Schreiner served in several physician-leadership roles on the Medical Executive Committee (MEC) of Northside Hospital Atlanta. He is also a long-time volunteer at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home (OLPHH), an Atlanta area hospice that provides no-cost care for patients with terminal cancer.
Other officers include:
Chairman of the Board – Dr. Michael Hilton. Dr. Michael Hilton has been in the private practice of General and Forensic Psychiatry for 22 years. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Medical Association of Georgia and is the outgoing President of the Medical Association of Atlanta.
President-elect – Dr. Lisa Perry-Gilkes. Dr. Perry-Gilkes has been a member of the MAA board for more than five years. She is also a member of the board of governors for the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery. She is president of the Georgia Physicians Association. Dr. Perry-Gilkes has been in solo private practice for more than five years and currently practices in Atlanta in the Camp Creek Market Place near the airport.
Treasurer – Dr. W. Hayes Wilson. Dr. Wilson is the president of Piedmont Rheumatology Consultants. He serves as secretary/treasurer for the Georgia Society of Rheumatology, is chairperson of the Medical and Scientific Committee of the Arthritis Foundation, chairperson of the Division of Rheumatology at Piedmont Hospital, and serves on the medical advisory board for the Lupus Foundation of America, Georgia Chapter. Dr. Wilson is also a member of the American College of Rheumatology, and serves as secretary and a member of the board of directors for the BreakThru House Ministry.
Secretary – Dr. Quentin Pirkle. Quentin R. Pirkle, Jr., MD, serves as vice president and chief medical officer of Piedmont Medical Care Corporation and is chairman of the board of directors of Piedmont Clinic. Dr. Pirkle is a member of the American College of Physician Executives, the Leader’s Board for Group Practice Executives, and the Medical Association of Georgia. He also serves on the board of directors of the Emory University School of Medicine Alumni Board and Developmental Disabilities Ministry, Inc.
“Atlanta is fortunate to have these physician leaders serve and continue the tradition of organized medicine that began in 1854,” said Waldrep.
The MAA is a non-profit association dedicated to the advancement of organized medicine in the Atlanta area. “Representing over 1,400 physician members, the medical association promotes the health and safety of our community through physician leadership and serves its members with integrity by proactive leadership to influence the profession of medicine,” said David Waldrep, executive director/CEO, for the Medical Association of Atlanta. “The Medical Association of Atlanta is the largest component society of the Medical Association of Georgia and represents Atlanta physicians establishing the policies of the Medical Association of Georgia.”
According to Waldrep, MAA members have united their individual voices and efforts into one cohesive body of progress, representing the new face of organized medicine in areas of legislation, community service, and individual patient care. In an era when outside influences are disrupting and dividing the practice of medicine more than ever before, MAA members stand as a united front, working to affect needed changes in today’s healthcare systems, while remaining steadfast in support of the historic image of the skilled, caring, hands-on physician.
For more information on the Medical Association of Atlanta, please visit www.maa-assn.org or call 404.881.1020.
