Algotar named ACPM Fellow, joins disability advisory group

Amit Algotar, MD, PhD, an associate clinical professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, was elected as a 2024 Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine and was invited to join the American Medical Association’s Disability Advisory Group. His term on the advisory group begins this year and ends in 2026.

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“It gives me a lot of satisfaction and pride to be named a fellow of the ACPM since it is a recognition from my peers for my contributions and expertise to the field,” Algotar said.

Algotar, who is a faculty member in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the UArizona Cancer Center, has been a member of the ACPM since 2015 and serves on various conference planning and abstract review committees. He has served as a session moderator and a distinguished speaker presenting his work at the ACPM annual conference. 

Algotar noted that the advisory group is a new initiative by the AMA.

“It is profoundly meaningful for me to join this group since it gives me the opportunity to be a voice for the disability community at the AMA,” he said. “Through this opportunity, I hope to make significant contributions to not only highlight concerns and barriers faced by medical students and physicians with disabilities, but also hope that understanding these barriers and concerns will lead to policy changes that enhance diversity among members at the AMA and the larger health care provider community.”

Algotar is a physician-scientist who divides his time between clinical practice and research. His research focuses on the role of weight loss and lifestyle modification in reducing the burden of multiple chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea as well as late effects of cancer and its treatment. His recent work focuses on developing novel interventions to reduce bias against patients with obesity among health-care providers.

“We are so proud of Dr. Algotar for his recent election as a Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine,” said Kristen Rundell, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. “In addition, we are excited about his appointment to the American Medical Association’s Disability Advisory Group. There is no better voice to advocate for his patients, cancer survivors, students and fellow physicians than Dr. Algotar.”

With more than 2,000 members, the ACPM’s mission is to “represent and support preventative medicine specialists in their role as public health and health systems leaders to promote the importance of preventive medicine.”

Founded in 1847, the AMA’s mission is to “promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.”