Doug Fridsma, MD, leaves top leadership position at AMIA

After more than five years at the helm of the American Medical Informatics Association, Doug Fridsma, MD, is no longer president and CEO of the organization.


After more than five years at the helm of the American Medical Informatics Association, Doug Fridsma, MD, is no longer president and CEO of the organization.

AMIA made an announcement on Friday that Fridsma’s departure is effective January 1 and that Karen Greenwood, executive vice president and COO, will serve as interim CEO while its board of directors begins the search for a replacement.

In a written statement, Fridsma said he is thankful for the support the AMIA board and staff have shown him during the past five years and respects the board’s decision to “go in a different direction as they begin their strategic planning process.”


A joint statement by outgoing AMIA Board Chair Peter Embi, MD, and incoming AMIA Board Chair Patricia Dykes credited Fridsma for having “significant positive impacts” on the organization in the past five years.

“As we begin our strategic planning process that will anchor AMIA’s critical role advancing informatics over the next decade, we will build upon the strong foundation that has been expanded under Doug’s leadership,” said Dykes and Embi. “In particular, we look forward to continuing important work across AMIA’s educational offerings, impacts on policy, advancements in applied informatics, and focus on AMIA’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.”

In their statement, Dykes and Embi wished Fridsma well in his future endeavors. At the same time, the group said that Fridsma “has not decided on what is next after AMIA.”

In response to a query about his departure, Fridsma commented that the AMIA board “decided to take the organization in a different direction, so we parted ways”—although he would not elaborate. Going forward, he is “not sure what's next” but added that he’s “open to just about anything—just looking for the next opportunity to make a difference in informatics and healthcare.”

An informatics expert, Fridsma took the helm of AMIA in late 2014 after serving as chief science officer at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. At ONC, he had been responsible for the scientific and technical strategy for the agency’s portfolio of technical resources to support the Meaningful Use program and health IT interoperability.

More for you

Loading data for hdm_tax_topic #better-outcomes...