Nancy Dickey
Nancy W. Dickey, MD
Dr. Dickey is a trailblazing physician and health leader, best known as the first woman-and youngest person in the 20th century-elected president of the American Medical Association (AMA) in 1988. During her tenure, she championed physician well-being, health care reform, and the Patient Bill of Rights, shaping national policy.
She later served as president and vice-chancellor for Health Affairs at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, where she led its expansion to five colleges across three campuses and doubled student enrollment. She was also the executive director of the Texas A&M Rural and Community Health Institute and interim head of the Department of Humanities in Medicine at the College of Medicine.
She later served as president and vice-chancellor for Health Affairs at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, where she led its expansion to five colleges across three campuses and doubled student enrollment. She was also the executive director of the Texas A&M Rural and Community Health Institute and interim head of the Department of Humanities in Medicine at the College of Medicine.
A recipient of six honorary doctorates, Dr. Dickey was elected to the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) in 2007 and inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 2010. She has served on the Houston-Galveston Medical Board of Advisors, the Board of Trustees for the Foundation for the History of Women in Medicine, and editorial advisory boards for Medical World News, Medical Ethics Advisor, Patient Care, Hippocrates, and the Archives of Family Medicine.
Dickey earned her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, completed her Family Medicine residency at Houston Memorial Hospital, and began her career in rural private practice before joining Texas A&M in 1996 as the founding director of the Texas A&M Family Medicine Residency.
Throughout her career, Dickey has been a steadfast advocate for telehealth and expanding access to care-a passion that has directly contributed to the success of the Telehealth Institute. As medical director of the Health For All Clinic, she saw firsthand the connection between mental and physical health needs in underserved communities. When the Telehealth Counseling Clinic (TCC) first launched, it was funded through the Texas Medicaid 1115 Waiver, a performance based funding opportunity that required expanding access to care. Recognizing the potential impact, she championed the integration of telehealth services into the Health For All Clinic, connecting Dr. Carly McCord's work with her own to better serve the community.
Beyond her direct contributions, Dr. Dickey has been a mentor and advocate for Dr. McCord and telehealth growth, supporting the initiative at key decision making tables where early-career professionals often lack a voice. Her leadership, belief in innovation, and commitment to expanding care models have helped lay the foundation for the Telehealth lnstitute's continued success.
Dickey earned her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, completed her Family Medicine residency at Houston Memorial Hospital, and began her career in rural private practice before joining Texas A&M in 1996 as the founding director of the Texas A&M Family Medicine Residency.
Throughout her career, Dickey has been a steadfast advocate for telehealth and expanding access to care-a passion that has directly contributed to the success of the Telehealth Institute. As medical director of the Health For All Clinic, she saw firsthand the connection between mental and physical health needs in underserved communities. When the Telehealth Counseling Clinic (TCC) first launched, it was funded through the Texas Medicaid 1115 Waiver, a performance based funding opportunity that required expanding access to care. Recognizing the potential impact, she championed the integration of telehealth services into the Health For All Clinic, connecting Dr. Carly McCord's work with her own to better serve the community.
Beyond her direct contributions, Dr. Dickey has been a mentor and advocate for Dr. McCord and telehealth growth, supporting the initiative at key decision making tables where early-career professionals often lack a voice. Her leadership, belief in innovation, and commitment to expanding care models have helped lay the foundation for the Telehealth lnstitute's continued success.