St. Louis, July 25, 1997 -- Nathaniel H. Murdock, M.D., has been elected president of the National Medical Association (NMA), the largest group of minority physicians in the United States. He will be installed in Hawaii on Aug. 6.
Murdock is a clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "We're proud that Dr. Murdock has been chosen for this most important national leadership position," says William A. Peck, M.D., executive vice chancellor for medical affairs at the University and dean of the School of Medicine. "His commitment to highest-quality health care will be a major asset."
Murdock will spend much of his one-year term in Washington, D.C., testifying before Congress and working with the 22,000 physicians the NMA serves.
His top priority is prevention of teen pregnancy. "I think education is the key," he says.
He takes time out from his busy practice to visit local junior-high and high schools, where he talks about birth control, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. "As NMA President, I hope to inspire other physicians to adopt a school," Murdock says, "because teen pregnancy can be prevented."
Helping doctors cope with the changing health-care system is another major goal. "I hope to educate physicians about how they can survive under managed care," he says.
Born in Texas, Murdock obtained a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1958 from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and a medical degree in 1963 from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn. After further training at Homer G. Phillips Hospital in St. Louis and two years as an Air Force captain, he joined the Washington University faculty in 1969.
Murdock has been active with several local professional organizations, including the Central Eastern Missouri Professional Review Organization Committee, the Missouri State Medical Association, Mound City Medical Forum, the St. Louis Gynecological Society and the St. Louis Metropolitan Medical Society.
In the community, he has been involved with All Saints Episcopal Church, Chi Delta Mu Fraternity, the Haitian Relief Fund, Planned Parenthood, the St. Louis Metropolitan Golf Club, the Triple "A" Golf and Tennis Association and the YMCA.
He lives in Town and Country, Mo., with his wife, Sandra Lee Murdock. The Murdocks have two adult offspring.