New NMA president seeks to ‘restore hope and health across African diaspora’

Leon McDougle, MD, MPH, recently named president of the National Medical Association, said he wants to “improve the racism-related unequal health and health care outcomes that have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The family physician from Ohio stated that he will also take steps to restore hope and health across African diaspora, increase the number of Black men entering higher education and becoming physicians and decrease police-involved violence to further reduce what he called disparate outcomes among the Black community.

“I didn't just wake up one morning and decide that I wanted to be National Medical Association president and ran for the position,” McDougle told Healio Primary Care.

“I have had multiple, different experiences, all of which have prepared me to help manifest my objectives as president, including my service in the U.S. Navy and deployment to Somalia, Africa as a family physician member of a fleet surgical team,” he said.

In an interview, McDougle expanded on his agenda, discussed his educational, organizational and professional experiences and more.

Q: What are your primary objectives as National Medical Association president?

A: I want to restore hope and health across the African diaspora as it pertains to the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies show how we are more at risk for COVID-19 diagnosis and death. I want to change that.

I also want to increase the number of Black men entering medical school. From 1978 through 2014, the number of these men matriculating to medical school declined, which is very disturbing. I also hope to increase the amount of cross-sector — public and private — investment made to historically Black colleges, universities and medical schools.

Criminal justice reform is another priority. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and the most recent shooting of Jacob Blake represent another manifestation of racism as a social determinant of health.

Q: How will you achieve these objectives?

I intend to educate the community on ways to help prevent transmission of the COVID-19 infection among African Americans and people of color. Before becoming president, I wrote opinion pieces, discussed prevention methods on nationally syndicated radio shows, initiated a letter-writing campaign and advocated for more personal protective equipment and COVID-19 tests. The National Medical Association’s Council on Medical Legislation developed a frequently asked questions handout regarding the CARES Act that was distributed across the National Medical Association’s membership. It provided information to our members on available telehealth financing options and strategies to keep one's practice open during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these efforts will continue during my tenure as president.

The National Medical Association collaborated with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition to develop and publish a 12-point COVID-19 Public Health Manifesto earlier this year that advocates for increased access to COVID-19 testing sites such as multilingual, culturally sensitive marketing and providing walk-up testing at all drive-up testing sites, During my presidency, we will work to remove the barriers that could prevent African American and communities of color from receiving the vaccine, should one become available.

Also, our organization will continue to partner with the Association of American Medical Colleges Action Collaborative to increase the number of Black men entering medical schools. This will likely entail providing medical school faculty with training on participating in, maintaining involvement in and broadening the scope of conversations about race and racism within academic health centers.

I am also collaborating with the president of the National Bar Association, to encourage the U.S. Senate to approve the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020. This act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on June 25.

Q: What in your educational and professional background uniquely qualifies you to be president of the National Medical Association?

A: I graduated from the University of Toledo and Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed my family medicine residency at the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, California. I have a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health within the department of health management and policy.

I am also a past chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ group on diversity and inclusion and serve as a faculty consultant for several diversity-related seminars. I am a diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine, fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and belong to the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States. For the past 10 years, I have served on several National Medical Association House of Delegates committees: nominating, administrative and financial affairs and have been the organization’s treasurer.

In addition, I am a family physician and the first-ever chief diversity officer at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. This institution has been very supportive of my National Medical Association presidency. I thank them for that support. Here at Ohio State, I also direct several workforce diversity programs.

These varied experiences have prepared me to be the National Medical Association’s president, especially during these times of global pandemic.