Nelson Adams
Encyclopedia
Nelson L. Adams III is an American physician. He is president of the National Medical Association
and founder and president of Access Health Solutions, LLC.
where he attended Miami Jackson Senior High School and received a Silver Knight Award nomination. After graduating in 1970, he earned a B.A. in zoology
from Howard University
in 1974, and his M.D. from Meharry Medical College
in 1978. While at Meharry, he was named Student of the Year in his freshman class and served as President of the Meharry Chapter of the Student National Medical Association.
Adams then went on to Emory University
in Atlanta, where he completed his internship in 1979 and his residency in obstetrics and gynecology in 1982. He opened his first private practice in Mobile, Alabama in September, 1982.
Adams founded Access Health Solutions in February 2004 and currently serves as its president and chairman. He was sworn in as the 108th president of the 112-year-old National Medical Association during their annual convention and scientific assembly in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 7, 2007.
In 2008 Adams launched "Walk a Mile with a Child", an annual event designed to increase awareness and emphasize community health education. The inaugural walk was held in the Overtown section of Miami on April 19, 2008. The first official walk will be held in Atlanta, Georgia on July 31, 2008, during the NMA's annual convention.
On June 24, 2008, Adams testified before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health in support of the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2007, which sought to reduce ethnic disparities in health care, improve "cultural competency" among medical providers, and improve medical workplace diversity. Adams also served as a panelist during a National Hispanic Medical Association Congressional Lunch Briefing for members of Congress and staff to discuss strategies to lower health care costs by addressing health disparities and to spotlight reform coalitions et al. which include health disparities in their agenda.
On July 2, 2008, Adams was a panelist during a conference of the 37th Annual Conference of Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago, called “Closing the Health Gap: The Civil Right to Health Care”, which examined the role of discrimination and other factors in explaining the health gap.
On July 9, 2008, the American Medical Association
issued a formal apology for more than a century of discriminatory policies and practices that excluded blacks from participating in the organization, which is considered the leading voice of U.S. doctors.
He was listed in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities while attending Howard University, and is a member of the Omega Psi Phi
fraternity, and a Life Scout of the Boy Scouts of America.
Adams is a member of the Board of Trustees of Meharry Medical College, Barry University, the Miami Art Museum, and St. John Community Development Organization. He sits on the board of directors of the Overtown Youth Center in Miami and other organizations.
.
National Medical Association
The National Medical Association is the largest and oldest national organization representing African American physicians and their patients in the United States...
and founder and president of Access Health Solutions, LLC.
Early years
Adams was born in Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
where he attended Miami Jackson Senior High School and received a Silver Knight Award nomination. After graduating in 1970, he earned a B.A. in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
from Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
in 1974, and his M.D. from Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College, located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, is a graduate and professional institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church whose mission is to educate healthcare professionals and scientists. Founded in 1876 as the Medical Department of Central Tennessee...
in 1978. While at Meharry, he was named Student of the Year in his freshman class and served as President of the Meharry Chapter of the Student National Medical Association.
Adams then went on to Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
in Atlanta, where he completed his internship in 1979 and his residency in obstetrics and gynecology in 1982. He opened his first private practice in Mobile, Alabama in September, 1982.
Career
Adams moved his OB-GYN practice to Miami Shores, Florida in 1986. He became vice president of network development for Sheridan Healthcorp in March 1995. From December 1999 to January 2004 he served as medical director for Greater Miami OB-GYN Associates at Sheridan Healthcorp.Adams founded Access Health Solutions in February 2004 and currently serves as its president and chairman. He was sworn in as the 108th president of the 112-year-old National Medical Association during their annual convention and scientific assembly in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 7, 2007.
In 2008 Adams launched "Walk a Mile with a Child", an annual event designed to increase awareness and emphasize community health education. The inaugural walk was held in the Overtown section of Miami on April 19, 2008. The first official walk will be held in Atlanta, Georgia on July 31, 2008, during the NMA's annual convention.
On June 24, 2008, Adams testified before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health in support of the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2007, which sought to reduce ethnic disparities in health care, improve "cultural competency" among medical providers, and improve medical workplace diversity. Adams also served as a panelist during a National Hispanic Medical Association Congressional Lunch Briefing for members of Congress and staff to discuss strategies to lower health care costs by addressing health disparities and to spotlight reform coalitions et al. which include health disparities in their agenda.
On July 2, 2008, Adams was a panelist during a conference of the 37th Annual Conference of Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago, called “Closing the Health Gap: The Civil Right to Health Care”, which examined the role of discrimination and other factors in explaining the health gap.
On July 9, 2008, the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
issued a formal apology for more than a century of discriminatory policies and practices that excluded blacks from participating in the organization, which is considered the leading voice of U.S. doctors.
He was listed in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities while attending Howard University, and is a member of the Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
fraternity, and a Life Scout of the Boy Scouts of America.
Adams is a member of the Board of Trustees of Meharry Medical College, Barry University, the Miami Art Museum, and St. John Community Development Organization. He sits on the board of directors of the Overtown Youth Center in Miami and other organizations.
Personal life
Adams is married to Effie Jones with whom he has two children, Victoria and Nelson IV. He is the grandson of Nelson Leon Adams (1877–1971), for whom the Adams Middle School established 1967 in Saraland, AlabamaSaraland, Alabama
Saraland is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, in the United States, and a suburb of Mobile, Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 13,405. It is a part of the Mobile metropolitan area. Saraland is the third largest city in Mobile County....
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Articles
- "Fight Aids Here at Home" By Dr. Nelson L. Adams and Dr. Mohammad N. Akhter, Appeal Democrat, March 2008