Dr. Leah S. McCormack Elected President of NY State Medical Society

TARRYTOWN, NY (04/17/2010)(readMedia)-- Leah S. McCormack, MD, a board-certified dermatologist who practices in Forest Hills, Queens, became the second female President of the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) when she was unanimously elected by her physician colleagues at MSSNY's 204th annual House of Delegates (HOD) meeting in Tarrytown, NY, on April 17. As president, Dr. McCormack will oversee all of the public health and legislative activities of New York's principal professional organization for physicians.

Dr. McCormack graduated magna cum laude with high honors in biological sciences from Smith College and was elected into the scientific honor society Sigma Xi. She earned her MD degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. After an internship in internal medicine at the Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, she obtained her residency training in dermatology at the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC.

The same year she completed her residency, Dr. McCormack earned certification from the American Board of Dermatology and became a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. She opened her solo private practice the following year in Forest Hills, where she has been treating patients ever since.

Dr. McCormack has been involved in organized medicine since first being encouraged to join the Medical Society of the County of Queens. Ten years later she elected president and has been a trustee since 2000. She has been a MSSNY Officer for the past five years but moved up quickly after serving on MSSNY's policy-setting council for six years. She has also diligently served on numerous committees including those for budget and finance, membership benefits and healthcare delivery/Medicaid, as well as on the board of MSSNY's Empire State Medical, Scientific and Educational Foundation. She has worked for New York physicians' and patients' interests nationally by being part of the NY delegation to the AMA since 2005.

When not treating patients or volunteering on behalf of her profession, Dr. McCormack is an active participant in McCormack Farms, a commercial small-fruit and vegetable farm in Middletown, New Jersey.

More than 300 delegates attended the House of Delegates, April 16-18, to set policy, elect new leaders and recognize the achievements of their colleagues. The not-for-profit Medical Society of the State of New York is the state's principal professional organization for physicians and, in carrying out its mission, represents the interests of patients and physicians to assure quality healthcare services for all.