Donald J. Palmisano, M.D., J.D.
AMA President and Executive Committee Member

AMA 2003-2004 President’s Outgoing Remarks:
DJP speech to HOD on the opening day of meeting
DJP Farewell speech

Donald J. Palmisano, MD, JD, a general and vascular surgeon in private practice from New Orleans, is the 158^th President of the nation's largest and most influential advocate for physicians and their patients. Dr. Palmisano was inaugurated as President of the American Medical Association in June 2003 after a year-long term as President-Elect. First elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 1996, Dr. Palmisano has been a member of the Executive Committee since 1999 and served as AMA Secretary-Treasurer in 2001. Dr. Palmisano holds appointments to the Litigation Center of the AMA and State Medical Societies, the Board of Directors of the National Patient Safety Foundation, and the National Advisory Council of the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences. An authoritative advocate for the medical profession, Dr. Palmisano has vigorously represented the voice of America’s physicians before Congress and the national media. In 2000, the Department of Defense chose him as one of 60 American "opinion leaders" to participate in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference during which he participated in maneuvers with the U.S. armed forces. In August 2001, Dr. Palmisano was featured on the cover of New Orleans Magazine after being selected as one of the "Top Doctors" in New Orleans by an editorial board of physicians.A recipient of multiple membership recruitment awards, Dr. Palmisano is an acknowledged proponent of organized medicine. He served as President of the Louisiana State Medical Society from 1984 to 1985, and was elected to the society’s Hall of Fame in 2000. He played a key role in the passage of the landmark Louisiana Medical Malpractice Act of 1975, helping to plan and implement reforms that capped medical liability damages.Dr. Palmisano received his medical degree in 1963 from Tulane University School of Medicine. After completing a surgical residency at Tulane and Charity Hospital in New Orleans, he entered the U.S. Air Force. While serving as chief of surgery for the 821^st Medical Group, Dr. Palmisano was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for his efforts following the crash of a B-52 strategic bomber. Dr, Palmisano is board certified in surgery and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is also a honorary fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.Driven by his interest in medical liability reform, Dr. Palmisano obtained a juris doctorate from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans in 1982, and was selected for membership in the Blue Key National Honor Society for achievement in extracurricular activities, academic affairs and co-curricular activities. He is licensed to practice law in Louisiana and also serves as President of Intrepid Resources®, a medical risk management company.Dr. Palmisano is a clinical professor of surgery and clinical professor of medical jurisprudence at Tulane University School of Medicine. Dr. Palmisano's published clinical research has included the first documentation that copper is an essential nutrient to adult health.An accomplished photographer specializing in nature and macrophotography, Dr. Palmisano and his wife, Robin Spencer Palmisano, a health care attorney, reside in Metairie, Louisiana. He has three grown children and five grandchildren.

2003-2004