Newswise — ATLANTA, Ga. – Jonathan Drezner, MD is being installed as the 19th President of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 during the Society’s Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga.

Dr. Drezner is an Associate Professor and residency faculty member in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington, and Associate Director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship. Additionally he serves as team physician for the University of Washington and for the Seattle Seahawks professional football team.

“This is a tremendous honor to serve the organization and its members,” said Drezner. “I look forward to supporting several initiatives to advance the health and safety of athletes of all ages.”

Dr. Drezner has been an AMSSM member since 1999 and has served the organization in several capacities. He was the Chair of the Research Committee and spearheaded the expansion of support for research within the organization including development of the AMSSM Foundation Research Grant Awards. He also has represented the organization as Chair of the Summit on ECG Interpretation in Athletes, a member of the NATA Task Force on Prevention of Sudden Death in Athletes, and as a keynote speaker at the IOC World Conference on the Prevention of Injury & Illness in Sports.

He received a degree in Biomedical Ethics from Brown University, then a medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Tacoma Family Medicine and then completed a fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine and Faculty Development at the University of Washington.

Jonathan and his wife, Dr. Heidi Gray, live in Seattle, Wash. with their three children.

The AMSSM is a multi-disciplinary organization of sports medicine physicians whose members are dedicated to education, research, advocacy, and the care of athletes of all ages. Founded in 1991, the AMSSM is now comprised of more than 2,000 sports medicine physicians whose goal is to provide a link between the rapidly expanding core of knowledge related to sports medicine and its application to patients in a clinical setting.