Pamela Simms-Mackey, an HBCU alumna and leader in the field of pediatric medical education, has been named the first Black woman president of the board of directors of the American Board of Pediatrics.
Dr. Simms-Mackey has worked with the American Board of Pediatrics since 2009. She spent 10 years as a member of the board’s general pediatrics exam committee and six years as a member of the maintenance of certification committee.
Currently, Dr. Simms-Mackey serves as chair of pediatrics, as well as the designated institutional official and chief of graduate medical education at Alameda Health System in California. In addition to her medical practice, she also teaches as a volunteer clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco.
“I’ve worked hard in my career, and this acknowledges that work that I’ve put into the field of pediatrics,” said Dr. Simms-Mackey. “The significance of this personally is to show young women of color, who are in various stages of their careers, that women can lead and be effective leaders at the highest levels.”
Dr. Simms-Mackey received her bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford University. She earned her medical degree from a joint program at the University of California, Los Angeles and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, one of four historically Black medical schools in the United States.
