Alberta Medical Association Inducts New President and Welcomes Newly Installed Canadian Medical Association President

EDMONTON, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Sept. 24, 2015) - The Alberta Medical Association (AMA) will install its president for 2015-16 on Saturday, September 26, during its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Representative Forum (RF) at the Sutton Place Hotel in Edmonton. The AMA president serves a one-year term, in addition to one year each as president-elect and immediate past president.

Dr. Carl W. Nohr will officially assume the role of AMA president at the end of the RF meeting on Saturday afternoon. Dr. Nohr is a general surgeon in Medicine Hat with front-line hospital-based duties and also operates an independent practice. He was an associate professor with tenure and taught for 10 years at McGill University. He received the Residents' Award for Excellence in Teaching from McGill's Department of Surgery. Dr. Nohr has also served on many hospital, regional, provincial and national committees and has numerous publications, abstracts, chapters and proceedings to his name.

Dr. Nohr has been actively involved on many AMA committees over the years and served two terms as Speaker at RF. He was also vice-president and acting president of the South Zone Medical Staff Association and a member of Council of the College of Physician & Surgeons of Alberta. In his capacity as AMA president he will continue as a member of the Board of Directors and serve on various internal AMA committees.

During the AGM, current AMA President Dr. Richard G.R. Johnston will reflect on some of the highlights of his year as president and comment on the events and issues that have defined his term.

Dr. Johnston will also officially welcome the Canadian Medical Association's (CMA's) 148th President, Dr. Cindy Forbes, to Alberta. Dr. Forbes became CMA president in August at the CMA's Annual General Meeting, held this year in Halifax.

At the Lunch with the CMA President on Saturday, Dr. Forbes will officially install Dr. Nohr as the AMA president, address RF delegates and present the CMA Honorary Membership awards to Alberta physicians.

Dr. Forbes, originally from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, has been practicing family medicine for over 28 years. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Education at Dalhousie University in 1980 and obtained her MD from that university's school of medicine in 1985. She went on to practice family medicine in Bedford, Nova Scotia, became engaged in the work of Doctors Nova Scotia where she ultimately became president from 1996-97. She currently practices in Fall River, Nova Scotia.

Dr. Forbes is a dedicated clinician and advocate for healthy living and improving the quality of the health care system. She is a former spokesperson for Sport Nova Scotia for the Sports Makes a Difference Campaign and served as chief medical officer for the Bluenose Marathon. She was also host of CTV-CMA Medical Minutes health promotion features for CTV News Channel. More recently, Dr. Forbes has been actively engaged with the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Nova Scotia, Doctors Nova Scotia, the Dalhousie Medical Alumni Association and the CMA. For the past eight years she has been a medical consultant on the medication advisory panel of Medavie Blue Cross.

The Representative Forum is the governing body of the AMA. It includes representatives of all sectors of the profession - specialty sections, zones, students, residents, past presidents and deans of medicine. The RF meets at least twice a year to establish policy and set direction.