Knoxville surgeon Matthew L. Mancini, MD, has been named president of the Tennessee Medical Association, the state's largest professional organization for doctors. As president, Mancini will serve as the public spokesperson and official representative for TMA's more than 9,000 members and will also hold a seat on the TMA Board of Trustees.

"It is an honor and privilege for me to represent my fellow Tennessee physicians in this prestigious role. Healthcare is changing so much and so fast. Physicians must step up to lead and I've found, after many years of active participation in various professional organizations, that the best way to influence what happens in our profession is to get involved in effective organizations like TMA. I appreciate my colleagues giving me the opportunity to serve our profession and patients in this leadership position," said Mancini.

Born in Boulder, Colo., and raised in Kansas City, Mo., Mancini earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame, completed medical school at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., and completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he still practices today with University Surgeons Associates. He is board certified in general surgery and has held several academic and hospital appointments in the Knoxville area during the past decade, including serving as chief of the Division of General Surgery at the UT Graduate School of Medicine since 2014.

Mancini was chair of the TMA Board of Trustees from 2011-2012 and has served on several TMA committees. He was also president of the Knoxville Academy of Medicine - TMA's local medical society - in 2012-2013. He is the 164th president of the TMA, succeeding Nita W. Shumaker, MD, a pediatrician in Chattanooga. Mancini's one-year term began Saturday, May 5 during the TMA annual meeting in Nashville.