The ballots for the current Governors-elect election have been mailed. The voting membership (Masters, Fellows, Members, and Resident/Fellow Members with an elect date of 9/1/2017 or earlier) can vote online or mail-in ballot.
You will need your mailed ballot or election email containing your ACP Member Number and Election Passcode in order to vote. Below are the bios and statements of the candidates that are running in this election. Online voting begins on September 20, 2019 and will end on November 8, 2019 at 11:59 PM Eastern. Please be sure to vote!
For replacement ballots and election customer service, e-mail support@directvote.net or call toll-free 1-866-909-3549, Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Central. For general information, you may email Julie Sinkoff, Coordinator, Board of Governor Relations, or call her at 215-351-2699.
Daniel S. Ely, MD, FACP
Medical School Education: University of Utah
Post-Doctoral Training: University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville
Certification: Internal Medicine
Present Position: Associate Professor, University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine; Private Practice, Faculty Internal Medicine
ACP Chapter and Leadership Activities:
Governor’s Advisory Council Roles: Discussing/determining policy positions on local/national issues of importance to internists, growing membership with recent graduates, determining educational content for regional meeting/associates' activities; Instructor, SEP/MOC in Internal Medicine, ABIM 2016, 2018
ACP National Activities:
Fellowship 2016
Other Appointments/Activities:
Medical Director, Positively Living/Choice Health Network (Primary Care/HIV clinic), Knoxville; Risk Management Committee; State Volunteer, Mutual Insurance Company (Determining patient safety and risk mitigation strategies for practitioners; moderator, risk management seminars); Course Director, Annual Update for Primary Care Practitioners, Knoxville
Areas of Professional Interest and Expertise:
Medical Education of Residents, Medical Students and Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Students; Primary Care of HIV; Continuity Care and Transitions
Candidate Statement:
Since my residency, the ACP has been the embodiment of our profession, providing quality education and stewardship on local and national levels. Tennessee physicians have been instrumental in shaping national policy. I have been both an academic inpatient physician and a full-time outpatient physician for over 30 years. My partners and I have known both the challenges and the rewards of owning and managing our practice for 15 years. Times are changing, and I wouldn't expect many to follow my career path, however, there remains great value in primary care internal medicine, where data supports both cost-effectiveness and excellent clinical outcomes. Internists need meaningful payment reform and relief from documentation burdens to allow us to do what we do best. These are but two of the pressing challenges we face. The perspective and insight gained from my varied experience will help me provide the leadership and excellence we expect.
Catherine R. Womack, MD, FACP
Medical School Education: The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Medicine
Post-Doctoral Training: Internal Medicine Residency, UTHSC
Certification: Internal Medicine
Present Position: Associate Professor of Medicine and Internal Medicine
ACP Chapter and Leadership Activities:
Planning Committee, Annual Meeting 2015-2019; Governor's Council 2015-2019; Delegate, Leadership Day 2015-2019
ACP National Activities:
Fellowship 2010
Other Appointments/Activities:
I have served as a board member for MetroCare and Health Choice board, and I have worked with community physicians in Memphis and the surrounding area to improve the quality of care provided to our patients. In doing so, we have been able to incentivize our community physicians by paying them back monies that have been awarded to our ACO for bending the cost curve. This has been incredibly rewarding.
Areas of Professional Interest and Expertise:
Early in my career I was able to work with a metabolic bone specialist, Dr. Laura Carbone. In working with her, I developed a passion for preventing and treating osteoporosis. I very much enjoy giving Grand Rounds to medical students, residents, community physicians and others, so they can help to prevent fracture and death in our patients. In my outpatient clinic, I teach first and second medical school students, who are enrolled in the Introduction to Clinical Skills. I very much enjoy this, and I feel lucky that we also have the Med-Peds residents in our clinic as well. I work with the residents and teach them how to take care of their complicated Internal Medicine patients, which is a privilege. I feel that it is important to be a mentor to our students and have worked with our Dean of Students, Dr. Susan Brewer, in the MPOWER program that she developed. MPOWER stands for professionalism, wellness, excellence, and research. I will be leading these learning communities at UTHSC in the fall. I have a passion for teaching our young students and feel that recruiting excellent mentors for them is a top priority.
Candidate Statement:
The ACP means many things to me. Collegiality, advocacy, high quality care and mentorship are just a few of the descriptors that come to mind. I am honored to have been nominated for the position of governor for the state of Tennessee. I will continue to promote those qualities that make our Tennessee chapter strong. I think that promoting scholarly activities with our young doctors and students is paramount to keeping our trainees involved and building our membership. I have worked as the co-division chief for my internal medicine group since 2007, and I have held other leadership positions which has helped me to hone my organizational skills. I am generally a people person and care very much about my patients. I love to teach and work with students and residents. Again, I thank you for the opportunity to lead, if elected.