Rahn Kennedy Bailey, MD. FAPA, was installed as the 113th president of the National Medical Association (NMA) during the NMA 2012 Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly in New Orleans, LA. The official ceremony held in the Grand Ballroom at the Hilton Riverside Hotel.
The new NMA president introduced his agenda for the upcoming year which included addressing mental health issues in the African- American community.
Dr. Bailey is also the chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN. Dr. Bailey earned his MD from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston (1990) and his B.S. Degree in Biology from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and graduated Cum Laude with Departmental Honors. He has been a longstanding member of the NMA, serving in many roles including speaker of the NMA House of Delegates, the governing body of the association.
Dr. Bailey completed his residency in psychiatry at the University of Texas at Houston and Texas Medical Center Affiliated Hospital and where he served as Chief Resident (1993-1994).
Additionally, he was the chairman for the Katrina Response Effort of the NMA. In this capacity, he led teams of physicians in treating the mental health needs of those displaced by the hurricane. Dr. Bailey is a national forensic expert, who has testified in civil, racial discrimination, and criminal cases.
“Healthcare policy is changing rapidly and, for more than 100 years, the National Medical Association has been at the forefront of the effort to provide quality healthcare for medically underserved populations,” says Bailey. “I look forward sharing the policies and positions of the NMA and we will continue to make a difference in meeting the health care needs of all Americans.”
Dr. Bailey’s legacy of service within the NMA includes his tenure as Speaker of the House of Delegates of the NMA. He is a recipient of the Isaac Slaughter Memorial Leadership Award.
In 2006 Dr. Bailey was named Region V Physician of the Year by the NMA for his exemplary efforts in coordinating medical care for victims of Hurricane Katrina. He received the NMA Postgraduate Physician Award (1998). He is active in the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and is the deputy representative to the APA Assembly from the Black Caucus of the APA. He is currently president of the Tennessee Psychiatric Association (May 2012-May 2014).