February 20, 2019
Louis J. Goodman, PhD, CAE, the executive vice president and CEO of the Texas Medical Association (TMA) for 22 years, has announced he is retiring. The association has begun a nationwide search for a new leader, and Dr. Goodman will step down when the new CEO is in place.
“This is the physicians’ organization,” said Dr. Goodman, who has directed the nation’s largest state medical society since 1997. “They have the vision. It’s our job to bring it to life.”
Founded in 1853, TMA today represents nearly 53,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 110 component county medical societies around the state. The highly professional and long-tenured staff currently numbers 150.
After growing up in New Jersey and earning his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and a doctorate in public affairs and medical economics at New York University, Dr. Goodman took positions with the American Medical Association (AMA) and then with the former Michael Reese Medical Center in Chicago. He has published more than 100 professional articles and papers. He joined the TMA staff in 1987 as director of the Division of Medical Economics and became executive vice president and CEO 10 years later.
Under Dr. Goodman’s leadership, TMA has enjoyed strong and consistent growth in membership, up more than 50 percent since 1997. The organization has expanded its services to meet Texas physicians’ changing needs in a dynamic marketplace, while retaining its hallmark position as a health care policy leader in Congress and the Texas Legislature.
“Dr. Goodman made sure TMA had the organization, leadership, and political strength to win critical medical liability reforms in 2003,” said Diana Fite, MD, a Houston emergency medicine physician and chair of the TMA Board of Trustees. “Nothing in a generation has had more positive impact on Texas physicians and the patients we care for.”
Dr. Goodman says the association’s “joined at the hip” relationship with county medical societies and the ongoing development of grassroots leaders are the keys to his longevity and to TMA’s continued success. TMA President Douglas W. Curran, MD, a family physician from Athens, agrees.
“We are all one – TMA, the counties, our political action committee, our foundation,” Dr. Curran said. “Lou constantly reminds us all that we are a bottom-up organization, and we’re so much better for it.”
Dr. Goodman has served as president of the American Association of Medical Society Executives and chair of the Texas Society of Association Executives. He holds the appointment of adjunct professor of public health at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He is a board member and former president of The Physicians Foundation and is the treasurer of the Physician Advocacy Institute. Dr. Goodman has been recognized for his outstanding leadership with AMA’s Medical Executive Lifetime Achievement Award and the Texas Society of Association Executives’ Distinguished Executive Award.
TMA has retained the services of Tuft & Associates, a national firm specializing in medical and health care association search. For information on how to apply, visit:
http://www.tuftassoc.com/jobs/executive-vice-president-chief-executive-officer-3/
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