In recognition of her commitment to public health, Carrie Atcheson, M.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine, has been elected to the Board of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama and the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners as censor-at-large.
The Medical Association of the State of Alabama is the professional association for some 7,000 physicians of all specialties throughout Alabama. The ALBME is a 16-member body of actively licensed physicians who ensure that physicians across Alabama are qualified, accountable and delivering safe care to their communities.
“I care deeply about the people of this state, their health, access to care and our communities,” Atcheson said. “Public health has always been part of who I am. Now, being able to bring that to the state level, to support the people of Alabama, feels like exactly where I am supposed to be. This work is rooted in community care, and I am proud to serve alongside other physicians.”
Passion for public health has been a common theme throughout Atcheson’s medical career. Early on, she focused her service work on surgical missions in Cuba, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. Later, she moved back to her Southern roots to serve her home community.
“Public health is a passion that has been apparent to her colleagues for years,” said Dan E. Berkowitz, M.B. B.Ch., Alfred Habeeb Professor and chair in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine. “Dr. Atcheson has been advocating for our profession at the state level for the past several years. This appointment reflects that dedication, and I have no doubt she will do great things for the people of Alabama.”
For the past two years, Atcheson has served as president of the American Medical Association’s Women Physicians Section, working to grow initiatives, plan events and collaborate with minority and young physician sections. She also mentored the Medical Student Section as they developed a Naloxone Training Project, cooperating with the Jefferson County Health Department and the Jefferson County Medical Society.
In her new role, Atcheson will ensure that applicants meet licensure requirements, investigate complaints, initiate formal actions, regulate physician and anesthesiologist assistants, oversee advanced practice nursing beside the Board of Nursing, and work on collaborative practice agreements between physicians and pharmacists.