Donald W. Fisher, Ph.D., CAE

President and Chief Executive Officer

Donald W. Fisher, Ph.D., CAE, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of AMGA, a trade association that represents medical groups and other organized systems of care, including some of the nation’s largest, most influential integrated health care delivery systems. Dr. Fisher has been CEO of the organization (formerly the American Group Practice Association, Inc.) since October 1980.  Under his leadership, AMGA has become the premier voice for medical groups in the U.S., with its membership currently responsible for delivering health care to one out of every three Americans.

Dr. Fisher also serves as Secretary of the AMGA Foundation, AMGA’s nonprofit arm whose mission is to enable medical groups and other organized systems of care to consistently improve health and health care. Dr. Fisher serves as Chair of the Board of AMGA’s subsidiary AMGA Analytics, a health informatics company engaged in the development and utilization of a national data warehouse comprised of comprehensive, longitudinal patient healthcare information. Dr. Fisher also serves in various capacities on all of AMGA’s subsidiary organizations. In 2014, the AMGA Consulting was established with Dr. Fisher serving as Chair of the Board. Prior to becoming the CEO of AMGA, Dr. Fisher served as the first Executive Director (1973-1980) of the American Academy of Physician Assistants in Alexandria, Virginia.

Dr. Fisher is very active in other organizations, in particular those dealing with health care.  He is a member of the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, and former Chair of the American International Health Alliance; a member of the American Association of Medical Society Executives; a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives; a member of the American Society of Association Executives; and serves on the IAMMM Center for Health as Social Equity Senior Fellows Advisory Council.  In 2009 he was elected to the Board of Directors of Alliance Bank, appointed Chair of the Board in February 2011, and when Alliance merged with WashingtonFirst Bank the end of 2012, he was appointed a Director of the new Board.  Dr. Fisher also serves on the Board of Advisors for Maestro Strategies (since 2012) and Inventurus Knowledge Solutions, Inc. (IKS) (2014). In addition, Dr. Fisher has been appointed as Senior Fellow, Martin Luther King, Jr. Center Society of Fellows (2009-present); appointed to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Health Equity Program Section Head for Advanced Health Information Technology and appointed as Member, Editorial Board - Health Equity and Disparities Policy Blog (2010-present). Dr. Fisher has received numerous honors for his work on behalf of the health care professions. Dr. Fisher earned a BS in Biology/Chemistry from Millsaps College in 1968, a MS in Anatomy from the University of Mississippi, School of Medicine in 1971 and a PhD in Anatomy from the University of Mississippi in 1973.  He is a Certified Association Executive as designated by the American Society of Association Executives, 1980 and has maintained that certification.  Dr. Fisher also received a Certificate from the Wharton School of Business in 1989 and 1990 for successfully completing two Group Practice Executive Managers Institutes.  He is also licensed (one hundred ton) by the United States Coast Guard.