Dr. Kridel named Chair-Elect for AMA Council on Science and Public Health

I am currently attending the AMA (American Medical Association) Annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois, and just got elected as Chair-Elect of the AMA Council on Science and Public Health (CSAPH). The Council on Science and Public Health develops scientific reports for the AMA and how they impact the public health of our patients. In the last 6 years since I first joined the Council, we have developed over 75 reports on subjects as varied as; radiation exposure from X-rays, marijuana use for medical purposes, elder abuse, health care disparities, safety of bottled water, noise exposure from in-the-ear music devices, use of growth hormones in anti-aging, environmental dangers of landfills and unsafe mercury levels in the fish we eat. At this current meeting, we will be discussing a possible tax on sweetened soft drinks, vital medicine drug shortages, screening mammography guidelines and bio-engineered food safety. I have been active in the AMA since my residency, because I feel it is really important to give back to the profession, to the patient community, and to try and improve the health care system so that it is a better health care system for all.

-- Dr. Russell Kridel