Abilene otolaryngologist Austin King, MD, was installed as Texas Medical Association's 149th president on May 3 at TexMed 2014 in Fort Worth.
Promoting public perception of Texas physicians and TMA and increasing physician involvement in the local community are Dr. King's top priorities during his presidency.
Dr. King served as president of the Taylor-Jones-Haskell County Medical Society, now Big Country County Medical Society, from 1999-2000. Dr. King was a member of the TMA Board of Trustees from 2007-12 and a member of the TMA Foundation Board of Trustees from 2004-08. He also served as chair of the TMA Council on Legislation, TEXPAC executive board member, board liaison to the Texas Medical Liability Trust, and numerous other committees. He started the Voice Institute of West Texas, one of the first 10 voice research labs in the country.
A dedicated community leader, Dr. King has practiced medicine for 35 years in his hometown. He is a Paul Harris Rotary Fellow, a former elder in the Presbyterian Church, a member of the Abilene Chamber Military Affairs Committee, and an Honorary Hospital Commander for Dyess Air Force Base. He is an Eagle Scout, former scoutmaster, active local Boy Scouts of America board member, and recipient of the distinguished Silver Beaver Award.
Dr. King and his wife, Susan, have three children -- Helen Stockstill, Lewis King, and Martha King -- and three grandchildren. Ms. King is an active surgical nurse, former president of Abilene Independent School District, and currently serves as a Texas state representative and member of the House Appropriations and Public Health committees.
A 1973 graduate of Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. King completed residency there in otolaryngology and in general surgery. He also participated in an externship at London's Royal Institute of Laryngology and Otology. He's a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. He's a member of the Texas Society of Otolaryngology and Collegium Medicorum Theatri (CoMeT), an international group of laryngologist members who conduct research and treat professional singers.
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Last Updated On
May 17, 2017
Originally Published On
May 03, 2014