News

Dr. Paula Simms-Mackey, ’94, has been appointed Chair of the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Board of Directors, becoming the first Black woman in the ABP’s 91-year history to hold this position.

In an announcement from the ABP, Dr. Simms-Mackey emphasized her priorities as Chair, stating, “My top priorities as Chair of the ABP are to support the vision of our relatively new CEO, Dr. Barone, but also, I would like to pursue ways to enhance our assessment of pediatricians beyond just medical knowledge.”

Dr. Simms-Mackey also highlighted the importance of communication skills in improving health outcomes, noting that “many of the disparities in health care outcomes we see can be attributed to ineffective communication between patients and physicians, so focusing on this will help improve child health.”

Reflecting on the significance of her appointment, Dr. Simms-Mackey shared, “I’ve worked hard in my career, and this acknowledges that work that I’ve put into the field of pediatrics.” She hopes her leadership will inspire young women, adding, “The significance of this personally is to show young women of color, who are in various stages of their careers, that women can lead and be effective leaders at the highest levels. These spaces have traditionally been dominated by men, especially white men.”

Dr. Simms-Mackey is a graduate of the CDU/UCLA Medical Education Program Class of 1994. She currently serves as Chair of Pediatrics and DIO/Chief of Graduate Medical Education at Alameda Health System and is a volunteer Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. Read the full story on the ABP Blog.