John A. Mitas II, MD, FACP, from Fairfax Station, Va., has been appointed deputy executive vice president and chief operating officer of the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine (ACP-ASIM). He will join the College staff on July 1, 2002.

ACP-ASIM is the nation's largest medical specialty society. Its membership comprises more than 115,000 internal medicine physicians and medical students. Internists are specialists in the prevention, detection and treatment of illnesses that primarily affect adults.

Mitas brings a solid knowledge of clinical practice and medical education and extensive leadership and business administration experience to his new position. As DEVP and COO he will be responsible for the organization's staff and fiscal administration.

Until recently, Mitas has served as the medical director of the DynPort Vaccine Company in Frederick, Md., a biotechnology company that develops vaccines for the prevention of illness from potential biological weapons or bioterrorism. A Fellow of the organization, Mitas has been an active member and leader of ACP-ASIM. He served on the ACP Ethics Committee and as ACP Governor for the U.S. Navy region from 1991 to 1995, during which he increased the number of ACP-ASIM Fellows from 19 to 101, established an annual meeting for the region, and initiated the Navy Governor's Award for clinical and academic excellence. He received an ACP Laureate award for his leadership of the ACP Navy region.

Mitas has served in a variety of leadership positions and has had a distinguished career within the U.S. Navy. From 1998 to 2000 he served as the commanding officer of the USNS COMFORT, one of the Navy's two 1,000-bed surgically intensive hospital ships. He also served as the commanding officer and CEO of the U.S. Naval Hospital in Keflavik, Iceland. Additionally, Mitas served two terms as the Specialty Advisor for Internal Medicine to the Surgeon General of the Navy, and was on the board of directors of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., an academic medical center with 3,000 employees, where he was responsible for the training and readiness of 2,000 military personnel and the development of a disaster preparedness plan, including treatment of victims of terrorist acts.

A board-certified internist, nephrologist, and geriatrician, Mitas is a member of the American College of Physician Executives, the American Medical Association, the American Society of Nephrology and the International Society of Nephrology, the Society of Medical Consultants to the Armed Forces, and the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society. Mitas received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, completed an internship at Naval Hospital in San Diego, and was a resident in internal medicine at Naval Regional Medical Center in San Diego. He completed a fellowship in nephrology at the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine and Naval Regional Medical Center. Mitas is pursuing his MBA in medical services management at Johns Hopkins University. He and his wife, Rosalind T. Roux, have three children.

The American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine (ACP-ASIM) is dedicated to the advancement of internal medicine so that its members can provide the best quality care for their patients. A nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia, it is the second-largest physician group in the United States. Its mission is to enhance the quality and effectiveness of health care by fostering excellence and professionalism in the practice of medicine.