Nancy Dickey facts for kids

Nancy Dickey, born on September 10, 1950, is an American doctor. She made history as the first woman to become president of the American Medical Association (AMA). This is a very important group for doctors in the United States. She also led the Texas A&M Health Science Center as its first female president.

Nancy Dickey's Early Life and Education

Nancy Dickey was born on a family farm in Clark, South Dakota. Her parents were Ed and Mary Wilson. When she was nine years old, her family moved to Sacramento, California. Five years later, they moved again to Katy, Texas, which is close to Houston.

She went to Stephen F. Austin State University. There, she earned two bachelor's degrees. She studied both psychology and sociology. A high school counselor once told her that it was impossible to be a doctor and also have a family. But her husband, Frank, told her to "go for it" and encouraged her to attend medical school.

Becoming a Doctor

Nancy Dickey earned her medical degree (M.D.) from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. She also completed her special training, called a residency, there. She is certified in Family Medicine. This means she is trained to care for people of all ages. She has estimated that she delivered more than 4,000 babies during her time as a private doctor. She also helped start a training program for family doctors called the Family Practice Residency of the Brazos Valley.

Focus on Health Policy and Leadership

In recent years, Dr. Dickey has focused on important topics. These include health policy, finding ways to deliver healthcare, and medical ethics. Medical ethics are the rules about what is right and wrong in medicine. She helped create the AMA's Patient Bill of Rights. This document outlines the rights that patients have when they receive medical care.

Dr. Dickey often speaks to groups of professionals and citizens. She also gives talks to Congress about medical care in America.

Leading the Texas A&M Health Science Center

In 1999, Dr. Dickey became a professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center. In 2002, she was named president of the center. She was also the vice-chancellor for health affairs. She held these important positions until 2012.

During her time as president, the Health Science Center grew a lot.

• It added three new campuses.
• It grew from four colleges to six, adding a College of Pharmacy and a College of Nursing.
• The number of students more than doubled, from 880 to over 2,000.

She left her role in October 2012. This was because the Texas A&M University System decided to transfer control of the Health Science Center to Texas A&M University. After that, in 2013-2014, she worked as a Senior Scholar for the Association of Academic Health Centers.

Awards and Family Life

In 2010, Nancy Dickey was honored. She was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame. This award recognizes women who have made important contributions to Texas.

She is married and has three children.

See also

• Lillian H. South (first woman vice-president of American Medical Association)