Arkansas Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Association, Inc. (AMDPA) Announces New President in First In-Person Scientific Session in Three Years

Dr. Rhonda Mattox is named the first psychiatrist to take the helm of Arkansas' largest and oldest medical association of Black doctors.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - June 11, 2022 - PRLog -- The Arkansas Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Association, Inc  (AMDPA) announces Dr. Rhonda Mattox, who was previously President-Elect, as the new President on June 11, 2022.

She is the first psychiatrist to lead the organization's 129-year history. The nonprofit association is devoted to conquering the medical challenges and health disparities at their regular scientific sessions which explore ways to help improve the health of underserved communities. Because of COVID-19, the sessions have been virtual until this year.

Dr. Mattox is leading the charge of a new community speakers bureau for AMDPA. "There are so many physical and mental issues our community is facing, especially since COVID-19. We felt it was necessary to have our doctors speak and present on as many platforms as possible to ease anxieties and be more accessible to those who don't get to talk to doctors regularly."

Rhonda Mattox, MD is a board-certified physician with decades of experience in direct patient care. She serves as an integrative behavioral health psychiatrist and mental health consultant to primary care providers across the state of Arkansas. Prior to that, Dr. Mattox was an Associate Professor with dual appointments in the Department of Family Medicine and Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences. There she conducted research and served as an integrative behavioral health psychiatrist consultant where she taught family medicine physicians and medical students how to integrate behavioral health into primary care.

"Following the past two unprecedented years of virtual meetings, this  is our first in-person conference in nearly three years. Our delivery of healthcare has undergone immense change and has entered a new era of medicine," said Dr. Mattox  This year's Scientific Session is themed: The Practice and Policy of Implementing Health Equity and Prevention.

"These scientific sessions are politically relevant, selecting topics around health justice and equity that are making headlines everyday. In addition, we have a session about 'Mass Shootings in America: Why?' led by Dr. Rahn Bailey, a forensic psychiatrist and author of  At Gunpoint: Firearms Violence from a Psychiatrist's Perspective.

"As we fit a three-day conference into one day, we wanted to ensure that we met and addressed challenges of delivering quality health care with an eye on prevention and health equity," said Dr. Mattox.

For more information or to book any of the AMDPA to speak, visit https://www.amdpa.org.

About AMDPA:
Since 1893, The Arkansas Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Association (AMDPA) is the oldest organization of health care professionals in the United States committed to serving historically underrepresented communities in Arkansas. It is the only interprofessional organization of health care providers including physicians, dentists, pharmacists, physical therapists and physician assistants in Arkansas. Founded by a group of Black medical professionals who were barred from joining local white medical societies, this organization continues to produce medical professionals who lead in their local communities and national organizations. While the name of the organization has changed over the years, since its inception, the goals have remained consistent: to ensure underrepresented communities have access to and receive quality healthcare;  to address health disparities;  to increase workforce diversity and to serve the membership in a robust way with scientific sessions and continuing education.

Here's a video of Dr. Rhonda Mattox from 2017 at the AMDPA Scientific Session
https://youtu.be/6awUc8CDl98