Abilene Physician Named TMA President-Elect

May 18, 2013

The Texas Medical Association (TMA) has elected Austin I. King, MD, of Abilene, as its president-elect. TMA’s House of Delegates, the association’s policymaking body, elected Dr. King today during TMA’s annual conference in San Antonio. Dr. King will serve as president-elect for one year, before becoming the association’s 149th president.

“I am honored by the confidence of my peers and ready to take on the challenge of TMA leadership,” said Dr. King, who is board-certified in otolaryngology and has practiced medicine for 34 years. 

In a time of continued changes for the practice of medicine, Dr. King plans to focus his efforts on preserving the autonomy of physicians and the integrity of the patient-physician relationship. As a physician in private practice, he understands the challenges his colleagues face.

“We often cannot control change,” he said, “but we can control how we respond. I believe patients and physicians must come together to reclaim health care. Only together can we face the challenge of improving health care for future generations.”

Dr. King has dedicated more than 30 years to improving the health of Texans. He is a past president of the Taylor-Jones-Haskell-Callahan County Medical Society (CMS) and has represented it as a delegate to TMA’s House of Delegates.

On the state level, Dr. King is a member of the TMA Board of Trustees and has served as its secretary. He has chaired TMA’s Council on Legislation; served on the Executive Committee of the TMA Political Action Committee; and served as a trustee of the TMA Foundation (TMAF), the association’s philanthropic arm. Currently, Dr. King is a member of TMAF’s Leadership Society, having donated his time and resources to charitable endeavors the foundation funds.

In his community, Dr. King has served as vice president and long-time board member of the Presbyterian Medical Care Mission, an organization that provides health and wellness services to thousands of people lacking access to basic care. Dr. King also is a Paul Harris Rotary Fellow, an Eagle Scout, a past member of the Abilene Chamber Military Affairs Committee, and was named Honorary Hospital Commander for Dyess Air Force Base.

Dr. King operates a clinical voice research lab in Abilene, and helped to build one of the first ambulatory surgical centers in Texas. Dr. King graduated from Baylor College of Medicine, where he also completed residencies in general surgery and otolaryngology. He is married to Rep. Susan King (R-Abilene), a surgical nurse. They have been married for 36 years, and have three children and three grandchildren.

TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing more than 47,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 112 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: Pam Udall (512) 370-1382; cell: (512) 413-6807; email: pam.udall[at]texmed[dot]org
Brent Annear (512) 370-1381; cell: (512) 656-7320; email: brent.annear[at]texmed[dot]org 

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Last Updated On

June 17, 2015

Originally Published On

May 17, 2013