The MSV Installs President Alice Coombs, MD, MPA, FCCP at 2023 Annual Meeting

Alice Coombs, MD, MPA, FCCP of Richmond, Virginia was installed as the fourth female and first black president of the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) at the organization’s Annual Meeting on October 14, 2023, at Hilton Norfolk The Main. Dr. Coombs is a Board-certified Critical Care Specialist, Anesthesiologist, and Internist. She has been actively practicing medicine for more than 35 years in both Private and Academic settings.

In her inaugural speech, Dr. Coombs spoke of her experiences as a physician, the importance of the patient-physician relationship, advocating for effective and solution-focused healthcare policy, and her passion for the profession and her fellow physicians and PAs.

“Don’t miss your moment. Each of us is given finite time on this earth, to care for patients, to impact families and to care for our own families and for ourselves.

We are made of a unique fabric some silk, some wool, but the fibers of our lives have been woven into experiences that make us uniquely positioned to leave our mark. Don’t miss your moment!”

Her agenda for her presidency includes a focus on physician and PA mental health and wellness, developing and supporting new programs designed to better the lives of physicians and patients, and to uphold MSV’s overall goal to make Virginia the best place to practice medicine and receive care.

Dr. Coombs completed her medical training at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Internal Medicine and Anesthesiology and completed a MGH Critical Care Medicine fellowship and Tufts University Cardiothoracic fellowship.

Dr. Coombs is a Past President of the Massachusetts Medical Society. She is a Virginia Delegate to the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates and currently serves on the AMA Council on Medical Services. She has served 2 terms as a commissioner on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the body that makes recommendations to Congress annually regarding payment for Medicare beneficiaries.