April 30, 2016
As he steps up to
receive the highest honor bestowed by America’s largest state medical society,
anesthesiologist Joseph P. Annis, MD, of Austin, says his accomplishments in
medicine can be traced back to the loving support and encouragement of his
closest family and friends. He says their influence gave him the maturity and
wisdom to travel the pathway to success.
Today, that
pathway leads Dr. Annis to the 2016 Texas Medical Association (TMA) Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Annis was presented the award at a
meeting of TMA’s
House of Delegates, the association’s policymaking body, during TexMed, its annual conference, in Dallas. TMA’s Board of Councilors selected him for the award.
“Medicine is not
just what I do, it is who I am,” said Dr. Annis. “I know, clearly, I am but a
small part of what this award signifies … because I had so much help along the
way.”
Dr. Annis has been a member of TMA and its local
counterpart, the Travis County Medical Society (TCMS), for 37 years and has
been involved in almost every facet of TMA’s mission to help physicians deliver
the best medical care to all Texans. He has been a strong advocate for Texas
physicians in Washington, D.C. And he walked the halls of the Texas Capitol,
participating in TMA’s First Tuesdays at the Capitol program, TMA’s physician-led
outreach to legislators to advocate its positions. He has been a major donor to
the TMA Foundation. Dr. Annis has also been a member of TEXPAC, TMA’s political
action committee, and other TMA committees.
Dr. Annis has deep roots in Austin, having practiced for
26 years as a partner with the Austin Anesthesiology Group. As a dedicated
member of TCMS, he has served as a delegate to the TMA House of Delegates and as
a member of the TCMS Journal
Editorial Board, the Medical Legislation Committee, and the Ad Hoc Committee on
HIV-Infected Physicians. He also chaired the TCMS Committee on Hospital Medical
Staffs. And in 1995, Dr. Annis was recognized as the county medical society’s
Physician of the Year.
Dr. Annis was also a member of the Texas Delegation to
the American Medical Association House of Delegates for 13 years. He was
elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in June 2006 and served through June 2014.
His history of service with AMA includes chairing the Organization &
Operations Committee of the AMA board, the Council on Medical Service, the Finance
Committee, and the Audit Committee.
Dr. Annis has served on the board of the Preferred
Physicians Medical Risk Retention Group, Inc. since 1990. He served as
president of the medical staff at St. David’s Hospital in Austin and as
president of the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists. Dr. Annis also served as
vice chair of the board of St. David’s Medical Center and is currently a member
of the St. David’s Healthcare Partnership Board of Governors in Austin.
Former TMA President C. Bruce Malone, MD, introduced his
longtime colleague to receive the award before a ballroom packed with
physicians. “I consider Joe a hero. Heroes make the world safe and secure for
those around them,” said the Austin orthopedic surgeon. “Joe – Dr. Annis – did
that for my patients having major joint reconstruction or trauma surgery. He
also made my world safer and more secure because I knew my patients were
getting the best and safest anesthesia, and I could concentrate on my craft.”
Accepting the award, Dr. Annis told the TMA House ofDelegates his appreciation lies in the guiding “spirit” of his late wife, Peggy,and the encouragement of his loving mother and father, a longtime physician,who held a “deep reverence” for the profession of medicine and organizations like TMA.
“We have help from our strong organizations,” Dr. Annis
said. “Using our talents – through these organizations – in the service of
medicine is a thoroughly satisfying experience. Our TMA is so effective because
we share this strong sense of purpose.”
After graduating from the Marquette School of Medicine in
Milwaukee in 1969, Dr, Annis completed a general internship.
The physician also served two years as a general medical
officer in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps – one year in Vietnam and a second
year in New York – before switching from general practice to anesthesiology at
Stanford University Medical Center.
In later years, Dr. Annis would continue his cross-country
travels to share his knowledge of anesthesiology with a new generation of
medical students. He taught anesthesia for 12 years part-time at
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.. He served there until July
2015.
“I am proud to be a physician. I am proud to be a member
of the TMA,” Dr. Annis said. “I am proud to be associated with all of you … working
in the service of our magnificent profession.
TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation,
representing more than 49,000 physician and medical student members. It is
located in Austin and has 110 component county medical societies around the
state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.
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Contact: Brent Annear (512) 370-1381;
cell: (512) 656-7320; email: brent.annear[at]texmed[dot]org
Marcus
Cooper (512) 370-1382; cell: (512) 650-5336; email: marcus.cooper[at]texmed[dot]org
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