Inside Duke Medicine

Cedric Bright, M.D., becomes NMA president-elect

Cedric Bright, M.D., associate professor of medicine in the Departments of Medicine and Community and Family Medicine at Duke University Medical Center, has been voted president-elect of the National Medical Association.

Bright’s election at the Aug. 4 meeting of the NMA House of Delegates puts him in line to become the organization’s 112th president in August 2011.

“I’m truly honored to become president-elect of the NMA, and I look forward with great anticipation to the challenge of becoming president next year and carrying on the NMA’s long and proud tradition of helping our most vulnerable citizens,” Bright says.

NMA was founded in 1895. Its mission is to advance the art and science of medicine for people of African-American descent through education, advocacy and health policy to promote health and wellness, eliminate health disparities and sustain physician viability.

“The NMA has long been one of the most important medical associations in the country and I am very proud of the fact that Dr. Bright will become the second Duke medical professor – along with Charles Johnson, M.D. – to be elected to this highly influential position,” said Nancy Andrews, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the Duke University School of Medicine. “His leadership skills and commitment to eliminating healthcare disparities will make him an excellent president.”

Bright, also a staff physician at the Durham VA Medical Center, is president of the Old North State Medical Society and of the Durham Academy of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy. He has been a member of the American Medical Association, The Society of General Internal Medicine and the North Carolina Medical Society. He also has served on several state task forces and sits on a review panel for the state Medicare formulary. In each capacity, Bright has championed parity in access and best practices to meet the needs of the most vulnerable citizens.
He also is a member of the board of the Student National Medical Association and mentors under-represented minority and majority students as they pursue health careers.

In Durham, Bright is a past chairman of the Lincoln Community Health Center Board of directors, served on the Durham County Hospital Corporation Board and is a member of the Durham Coalition-Healthy People 2010 steering committee. With members of the Durham Academy of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy, he provides community care through the Morreene Road Community and Morning Glory Senior Villages Health Empowerment Programs.

“Dr. Bright is a respected leader in advancing equitable health care for all people and remains a formidable influence in advancing policy, systems and environments focused on eradicating disparities in health care and health outcomes for all North Carolina citizens,” says Thea Monet, executive director of ONSMS.

“We are honored to have the leadership of Cedric Bright, both as our state president and National Medical Association president in 2011 – 2012. He truly deserves to share his wealth of wisdom, sincerity and capacity to improve health conditions in America,” says Johnson, Duke professor of medicine emeritus, 89th past- president of the NMA, and a past president of Old North State Medical Society.

Bright, a native of Winston-Salem, is the son of William A. and Bessie J. Bright, and grandson of Harry O. and Vivian K. Bright of Winston-Salem.