April 21, 2026
Statewide Officers Elected, Reelected at Annual Conference
The Texas Medical Association (TMA) has elected members from Austin, Houston, North Texas, and San Antonio to serve on its Board of Trustees. These governing body members will decide and implement TMA policies and deliberate various health care issues that impact the health and lives of Texans. Physicians from across the state conducted the elections April 18 during TexMed 2026, TMA’s annual conference, in Corpus Christi.
The physicians and the student elected/reelected to the TMA Board of Trustees (listed alphabetically by city and member name):
Austin:
Austin Internist Tony R. Aventa, MD: TMA reelected Dr. Aventa to the TMA Board of Trustees. Prior to completing one three-year term on the board and serving as its secretary, Dr. Aventa was a member of TMA’s Council on Socioeconomics and co-chaired TMA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Independent Physician Practice. He also is a member of TEXPAC, TMA’s political action committee. He was president of the Travis County Medical Society, chaired the Medical Legislation Committee, and was a member of the Mediation Committee. He also served as president of the Austin Society of Internal Medicine, central district chair of the Texas Club of Internists, and member of the We Are Blood Board of Trustees.
Dallas:
Dallas palliative care physician Mark A. Casanova, MD: TMA reelected Dr. Casanova vice speaker of the TMA House of Delegates policymaking body, a board position. A TMA member for 30 years, Dr. Casanova has served on TMA’s Council on Legislation and chaired TMA’s councils on Health Service Organizations and Constitution and Bylaws. Dr. Casanova was also a member of the TMA COVID-19 Task Force during the height of the pandemic, and he graduated from the TMA Leadership College in 2012. He is an alternate delegate to the American Medical Association (AMA) Texas Delegation, and a former president of the Dallas County Medical Society.
Fort Worth:
Fort Worth medical student Natalie Barnett: Ms. Barnett was elected to a one-year term as the TMA Medical Student Section representative on the board. She is entering her fourth year as a medical student at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University. In addition to being a TMA member, she also is an AMA member.
Houston:
Houston obstetrician-gynecologist Zishan Hirani, MD: Dr. Hirani, who practices in Stafford, was elected to a two-year term as the TMA Young Physician Section (YPS) representative on the board. The 10-year TMA member chaired the YPS and represents it on the TMA Foundation Board of Trustees. He is a graduate of the TMA Leadership College and a member of the Harris County Medical Society.
Houston internal medicine physician Christopher K. Wong, MD: Dr. Wong was elected to a one-year term as the TMA Resident and Fellow Section representative on the board. He has represented the section on the TMA Council on Science and Public Health and Committee on Child and Adolescent Health, and represented medical students in the LGBTQ Health Section. He is a member of the Harris County Medical Society. Residents and fellows are physicians in their final specialty training before practicing medicine independently.
Keller:
Keller family physician Gregory M. Fuller, MD: Dr. Fuller was reelected to a second three-year term as TMA secretary/treasurer. He previously chaired the association’s Council on Socioeconomics, another of several leadership roles he has held throughout his 35 years of TMA membership. He also served as chair of the Council on Health Care Quality and as a member of the Subcommittee on Quality Programs and Clinical Measures, Task Force on Health Care Coverage, Value-Based Initiatives Workgroup, and a delegate on the Texas Delegation to the AMA House of Delegates. He also is a former president of the Tarrant County Medical Society and chaired its Board of Trustees.
Little Elm:
Little Elm internal medicine specialist John G. Flores, MD: The TMA House of Delegates reelected Dr. Flores as speaker of the TMA House of Delegates, a board position. Prior to serving the past year as speaker he was vice speaker for four years. He also chaired TMA’s Council on Socioeconomics and Council on Health Service Organizations. He serves on the Texas Delegation to AMA, which elected him vice chair in 2024. He also is vice chair of the AMA Organized Medical Staff Section’s Governing Council, and he chaired the AMA Election Committee. Dr. Flores is a former president of the Denton County Medical Society and co-chair of the Lone Star Caucus.
San Antonio:
San Antonio diagnostic and interventional radiologist Ezequiel “Zeke” Silva III, MD: TMA elected Dr. Silva to his first three-year term on the board. Dr. Silva has immersed himself in organized medicine for 33 years – in TMA, AMA, and Bexar County Medical Society leadership. He is the immediate past-chair of the TMA Council on Legislation and served on the Council on Socioeconomics. He also is a former district chair of TEXPAC, TMA’s political action committee. He is a delegate on the Texas Delegation to AMA and chairs the AMA RVS Update Committee (RUC) – medicine’s voice in shaping Medicare relative values – and is a member of the AMA Council on Medical Service. He also served as president of the Bexar County Medical Society.
TMA Board of Trustees Officers
Following the association-wide elections, the board elected these officers:
- Chair: John. T. Carlo, MD (Dallas)
- Vice Chair: Joseph S. Valenti, MD (Denton)
- Secretary (Board of Trustees): Tony R. Aventa, MD (Austin)
TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing more than 60,000 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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TMA Contacts: Brent Annear (512) 370-1381; cell: (512) 656-7320; email: brent.annear@texmed.org
Swathi Narayanan (512) 370-1382; cell: (408) 987-1318; email: swathi.narayanan@texmed.org
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