Ronald Szabat, J.D., Heads Up Washington Office

fter a comprehensive interview and selection process, Ronald Szabat, J.D., has been chosen to replace the retiring Michael Scott, J.D., as Director of Governmental and Legal Affairs in the ASA Washington Office. Mr. Scott had served the Society for more than 11 years. Mr. Szabat will officially take over the position on January 1, 2005.

Mr. Szabat comes to ASA with extensive experience in legislative and legal issues pertaining to medicine. Prior to coming to ASA, he served as the American Medical Association (AMA) Director of the Division of Legislative Counsel. He also was Secretary of the AMA’s Council on Legislation, an advisory unit to the AMA Board of Trustees. As AMA’s chief Washington counsel, Mr. Szabat was responsible for advocating AMA’s policy positions on various health and related tax matters before Congress and the Administration. From 1987-91 he served as AMA’s Washington Legislative Attorney, and from 1991-93 he served as an AMA Congressional Lobbyist. In 1993, Mr. Szabat assumed a management role and, before leaving for ASA, supervised six Washington counsels and administrative staff and managed a substantial budget.

ASA Executive Director Ronald A. Bruns is confident that Mr. Szabat will play an important and effective role in the ASA legislative team in Washington. “Ron Szabat is a tested and experienced legislative attorney and advocate who has been in the thick of many of medicine’s recent, important political battles, and by anyone’s standards, his efforts have been successful,” he said. “We’re proud to have him in our Society, and our members can rest assured that a strong voice will be speaking for them in Washington.”

A native of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Mr. Szabat first went to Washington, D.C., in 1982 to serve as a legislative assistant to former U.S. Representative Doug Walgren. In 1985 he was recruited by U.S. Representative William O. Lipinski and former U.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini to serve as the Executive Director of the Council on Ethnic Americans, a grassroots outreach program led by 18 Representatives and Senators with key urban constituencies.

Mr. Szabat has been a licensed attorney since 1981 and is admitted to practice in both Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and he received his Master of Laws in Taxation degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1991.

Among other publishing credits, he has authored “Medicine in the Middle — An Analysis of AMA’s Effectiveness in the Passage of Landmark AIDS Legislation in the 100th Congress” and co-authored “Grassroots at Its Best — The Defeat of RAP DRGs in the 100th Congress: Road Map for Organized Medicine,” which appeared in Medical Executive magazine.

His new position at ASA will bring many challenges, but Mr. Szabat believes that his skills and experience will help to strengthen ASA, the specialty and medicine overall.

“I see my new role as a wonderful opportunity to get closer to the actual practice of medicine and to help advance it.  AMA does a superlative job of representing the House of Medicine as a whole, but the specialty of anesthesiology has a set of specific issues that need to be addressed in Washington and the states,” he said.  “I look forward to bringing my skills to bear in that regard, and I’m honored to be working with ASA’s governmental affairs staff.  They have a great track record, and Mike Scott has left a tremendous legacy of accomplishment that I will work hard to sustain.”

Executive Staff Changes in Park Ridge

ina Steiner joined ASA as Director of Communications in March 2004. She came to ASA from the American Academy of Pediatrics where she spent six years managing media relations and public relations activities. Prior to that, she served as a consultant to several national health and medical organizations in the Chicago area as well as writing a regular column and features for the Pioneer Press chain of newspapers. From 1984-94, Ms. Steiner held various public affairs, editorial and policy analysis positions at the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs in Washington, D.C., ultimately serving as the Acting Director of Public Affairs. Ms. Steiner holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism from the Pennsylvania State University and has done graduate work in public administration.

Rick Barwacz became ASA’s Director of Finance in September 2004. He first joined ASA in September 1987 as an Accounting Manager. Before coming to ASA, Mr. Barwacz spent seven years at Midwest Dental, a division of the former American Hospital Supply corporation. There his responsibilities included financial planning and accounting supervision, and he also worked as a credit manager. He received his undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University and his graduate degree from Roosevelt University in Schaumburg, Illinois.