Dr. Alma Littles, dean of the Florida State University College of Medicine, holds a new prestigious title: President of the Florida Medical Association, the first FSU medical school leader to serve in the role.
The appointment also makes Littles the 150th FMA president; she was formally installed Aug. 1 at the association’s annual meeting in Orlando.
“While assuming this role is one of the greatest honors of my professional career, I am humbled by the opportunity and mindful of the responsibility,” Littles, who has been a member of FMA since she was a medical student, said in a statement. “I see this role as an opportunity to serve – not only physicians, but also the patients and communities who depend on us.”
FMA, which was founded in 1874 and has over 20,000 members, is a professional association dedicated to the service and assistance of doctors of medicine across the state. It advocates for physicians and their patients with the goal of promoting public health as well as the quality and availability of health care.
“Dr. Littles is a remarkable person and a consistently remarkable physician leader,” FMA Chief Executive Officer Chris Clark said in the association’s Aug. 6 release. “The FMA has always valued having close relationships with Florida’s medical schools. So, the fact that Dr. Littles is the first medical school dean to serve as FMA President in our organization’s history is especially meaningful.”
Littles – a Quincy, Florida native and a board-certified family medicine physician – went from being a graduate of the University of Florida’s College of Medicine in 1986 to practicing family medicine in Quincy and completing her family medicine residency at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, where she later served as the director of the program.
She has been serving as the FSU College of Medicine’s full-time dean since 2024, which came after she was named the college’s interim dean in February 2023. She also served as a senior associate dean for Medical Education and Academic Affairs at the university for nearly 20 years.
Littles’ other former roles within the College of Medicine include serving as the acting and then founding chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health and as a president of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians.
As dean, Littles’ work has included leading the College of Medicine through the university’s FSU Health initiative – which consists of the acquisition of TMH after the university and the hospital agreed to a transfer of TMH’s campus from the city of Tallahassee to FSU earlier this year.
“Few people embody the values of service, leadership and excellence as completely as Dr. Alma Littles,” FSU President Richard McCullough said in a statement emailed to the Tallahassee Democrat. “Her election as president of the Florida Medical Association is not only a well-deserved recognition of her distinguished career, but also an important moment for Florida State University and physicians across Florida.”
“As we advance the bold vision of FSU Health,” he added, “Dr. Littles continues to set an extraordinary example as a tireless advocate for patients, students and the medical profession.”
Through the one-year term of being FMA president, Littles is responsible for serving as chair of the FMA Board of Governors – which initiates policy for the organization – as well as the primary ambassador for the association and its members.
Tarah Jean can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Dr. Alma Littles is named new president of Florida Medical Association
Reporting by Tarah Jean, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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By Tarah Jean, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
