As with many great institutions, the National Medical Association (NMA) was born of necessity. In an era when the American Medical Association (AMA) practiced a policy of formal exclusion regarding women and minorities, the NMA was founded to provide physicians of color with mentorship and guidance. “The NMA consists of an association of physicians across the nation … minorities who represent the patients of African American descent,” says Dr. Cedric Bright, vice speaker of the NMA House of Delegates. “Our purpose is to help those physicians and the patients those physicians serve.”
The NMA is motivated by a strong sense of service to the public. The organization, which is the brainchild of those who felt the sting of discrimination, advocates humanitarianism. “We do research, community service projects and educational seminars to help express the issues of health as it relates to African American populations and African American physicians,” he says. “We intend to be mentors to younger physicians and to help our community become stronger [through] education and outreach.”
For Dr. Bright, a clinical physician with Duke University School of Medicine, joining the NMA was a no-brainer. “I became a member of the NMA because I strongly believe in that aspect of giving back to the community. John F. Kennedy said, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country,’” shares Dr. Bright. “I believe in that sentiment very strongly and for that reason I am a member of the NMA.” He continues, “I recognize that I stand on the shoulders of those who worked before me, and I realize that it’s up to me to prepare my shoulders so that someday my children and my children’s children will have [me] to stand upon.” –todd williams
For more information about the National Medical Association, log onto www.nmanet.org.
