Vidant Health is pleased to announce that Chief Executive Officer Dr. Michael Waldrum has been named as chair-elect of the Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems (COTH) of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). As chair-elect of COTH, Dr. Waldrum will also serve on the AAMC Board of Directors.

More than ever, rural communities in America are in need of a strong advocate to help shape the future of health care delivery by strengthening academic hospitals and health systems. As the leader of a nine-hospital, not-for-profit, rural health system, Dr. Waldrum will work to ensure that the unique challenges and opportunities in rural communities are at the forefront of the association’s work.

“I am honored and humbled to serve as COTH chair-elect and work alongside the great academic health care leaders in our country,” said Dr. Waldrum. “At Vidant, our vision is to become a national model for rural health delivery, and we have accomplished this in close collaboration with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. As a staunch advocate for rural health, I look forward to collaborating on solutions that will help overcome one of the most pressing issues of our time: delivering rural health in underserved communities and strengthening academic institutions throughout the country.”

The COTH membership includes CEOs, presidents and other executives who lead the AAMC’s nearly 400 members. The purpose of COTH is to hone in on issues specific to academic medicine, financing graduate medical educations and partnerships with community providers.

The AAMC serves and leads the academic medicine community to improve the health of people everywhere. Founded in 1876 and based in Washington, D.C., the AAMC is a not-for-profit association dedicated to transforming health through medical education, health care, medical research, and community collaborations.

“Dr. Waldrum has for many years been a valuable and hard-working member of COTH, and I appreciate his willingness to take on a leadership role at this critical time,” said Janis M. Orlowski, MD, AAMC chief health care officer.