BOSTON – Mary Dale Peterson, M.D., MSHCA, FACHE, today was named first vice president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). Dr. Peterson was elected at the
ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2017 annual meeting and will serve for one year.
In addition to her vice president position at Driscoll Children’s Health System in Corpus Christi, Texas, Dr. Peterson is emeritus staff at Driscoll Children’s Hospital and president and CEO of Driscoll Children’s Health Plan, a nonprofit, community-based health insurance plan. She is also a clinical assistant professor at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
“I am honored to serve ASA members in these challenging times. Physician anesthesiologists have made great strides in improving patient safety, but our work is not done,” said Dr. Peterson. “We need to continue to support research for brain health, pain medicine and treatments for addiction. We need to push back on intrusive and unnecessary regulations that don’t improve care. It is also essential for us to be a part of the solution in balancing the cost of health care with equitable access and quality. I am eager to work on these issues to help further propel the specialty and patient care.”
As first vice president, Dr. Peterson will serve as a member of the ASA Executive Committee, which consists of the president, president-elect, first vice president and immediate past president. The Executive Committee expedites, executes and administers the policies adopted by the ASA House of Delegates and ASA Board of Directors.
Dr. Peterson has served ASA in numerous roles, most recently as ASA treasurer. She has been a member of many ASA committees, including the Finance Committee of the Board of Directors and the Ad Hoc Committees on Strategic Plan Review and Data Governance. Dr. Peterson is currently chair of the ASA Section on Fiscal Affairs and has been on the ASA Board of Directors since 2006. She is also a member of the ASA Charitable Foundation’s Board of Directors.
In addition to her duties at the ASA, Dr. Peterson works extensively with the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research, where she serves as treasurer. She serves on the Executive Committees of the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists and Nueces County Medical Society. She has been an active member of the American Medical Association since 2004 and the Texas Medical Association for 19 years.
Dr. Peterson received her Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University. She completed her Doctorate of Medicine and anesthesiology residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, where she was elected chief resident. Dr. Peterson also completed a Master of Science in Health Care Administration at Trinity University in San Antonio. She is board-certified in anesthesiology and critical care medicine.
Dr. Peterson resides in Corpus Christi, Texas with her husband, Rafael Coutin, M.D. They are the proud parents of three sons, Christopher, Mark and Steven. In their free time they enjoy traveling, reading and ballroom dancing.
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 52,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves.
For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/WhenSecondsCount. Join the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2017 social conversation today. Like ASA on Facebook, follow ASALifeline on Twitter and use the hashtag #ANES17.
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