Springfield doctor moves up on national board

The American Medical Association voted this week to appoint Mercy Springfield Communities executive Dr. David Barbe as president-elect of its board of trustees.

Barbe, vice president of regional operations for the health network’s Springfield-area region, will become president of the board in June 2017, according to a news release. Barbe will become the first AMA president from the Show-Me State in 80 years. The physician served 2013-14 as board chairman, a lesser role in the board’s hierarchy, according to the AMA’s website.

“I’m eager to continue the strong work of the AMA in shaping health care in the United States,” Barbe said in the release. “I’m very excited to bring my experience as a leader and a hometown doctor at Mercy to the table.”

As president, Barbe will succeed Dr. Andrew Gurman, an orthopedic hand surgeon in Hollidaysburg, Pa.

“With it being an election year, it’s such an important time for health care,” Barbe said in the release. “We’re going to work hard to improve upon the Affordable Care Act and meet the needs of patients and doctors today, tomorrow and in the future.”