May 18, 2019
Houston emergency physician Arlo F. Weltge, MD, was elected speaker of the Texas Medical Association (TMA) House of Delegates, the association’s policymaking body. Delegates elected him today during TexMed, TMA’s annual conference, in Dallas.
“It is an honor to be elected speaker, the presiding officer, of the Texas Medical Association’s House of Delegates,” said Dr. Weltge. He credits TMA for its embrace of collaborative governance. “The House of Delegates represents practicing physicians from all over the state of Texas who commit to two days of debate and deliberation on behalf of our physician members and the patients we serve.” He said the House of Delegates “sets the direction for many health policies in the state and is one of the key reasons the TMA is one of the most effective state medical associations in the country.” He has been an active member of the TMA House of Delegates for 20 years.
Dr. Weltge is an experienced parliamentarian, having served four years as vice speaker of the House alongside former TMA Speaker Susan Strate, MD. He also wielded the gavel before: He previously served as speaker and vice speaker for the American College of Emergency Physicians, from 2007 to 2011.
Dr. Weltge is a board certified emergency physician and has practiced for 38 years. He has been an active member of TMA and the American Medical Association for 40 years. He previously chaired the TMA Council on Constitution and Bylaws, and the Harris County Medical Society (HCMS) delegation to TMA. (He also has been an HCMS member for years.) He also chaired the Candidate Evaluation Committee of TEXPAC, TMA’s political action committee. Dr. Weltge served as a consultant to the TMA Council on Legislation for more than 10 years, and is a frequent participant in First Tuesdays at the Capitol, TMA’s grassroots lobbying days held during the Texas Legislative session.
Because of his extensive leadership experience in state and national health care issues, Dr. Weltge received the John A. Rupke Legacy Award in 2014 for his lifelong commitment to the American College of Emergency Physicians. He has served on the American Heart Association’s Emergency Cardiac Care subcommittees for program administration and advanced cardiovascular life support, and was president of the Texas College of Emergency Physicians in 1994. Dr. Weltge also served on the board of directors of the Texas Alliance for Patient Access as the organization pressed to pass the state’s landmark medical liability reform in 2003.
Dr. Weltge has a wide variety of clinical experience in primary and specialty care. Throughout his years of full-time clinical practice, he has seen patients in Nacogdoches, Wharton, and Houston, gaining a perspective of health care challenges in rural, suburban, and urban hospitals. He currently practices emergency medicine at Houston’s Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, a Level I trauma center, and the Lyndon Baines Johnson General Hospital, also in Houston.
TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing nearly 53,000 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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