Biographies of the 2017 Laureate Award Honorees

In 2017, the Texas Chapter presented its highest award to three distinguished members -

John Cox, DO, MBA, FACP, FASCO

Clark Gregg, MD, MACP

Richard McCallum, MD, FACP, FRACP (AUST)

The Laureate Award honors Fellows and Masters of the ACP who have demonstrated by their example and conduct an abiding commitment to excellence in medical care, education, or research, and in service to their community, the Chapter, and the ACP.

John V. Cox, DO, MBA, FACP, FASCO

John V. Cox, DO, MBA, FACP, FASCO is a practicing oncologist in Dallas, Texas. In 2015 he joined UT Southwestern / Parkland as Medical Director of Oncology Services @ Parkland Health System, where he leads the institutions’ efforts participating in CMS Oncology Care Model. He completed fellowship in medical oncology and hematology at the UTSW and after a stint on the faculty at Southwestern, he entered private practice in Dallas – practicing for over 25 years, most of that interval with Texas Oncology, P.A.. His interests focus on GI oncology and the delivery of care. He did return to school, and completed an MBA, with a certificate in medical management from University of Texas Dallas in 2008. He was an active leader in his hospital medical staff at Methodist Hospitals of Dallas and his group practice. He remains active in the Texas Society of Medical Oncology (past President, current board member), and is the state of Texas oncology representative to the Texas Carrier Advisory Committee of Novitas. He served as a member of CMS’ Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee from 2006 to 2010.

Dr. Cox is an active volunteer in the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He was the Education Chair for ASCO’s 2015 annual meeting. He served as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Oncology 27 (JCO); and is current editor of the Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP) – he will complete ten years of service as Editor in 2019. He is a liaison member of the Ethics Committee and the Clinical Practice Committee, (Chair 2005-2006). He served on ASCO’s HIT Workgroup from its formation in 2005 through 2013, and is a past-Chair. He currently chairs the Leadership Development Program. He was a member of ASCO’s payment reform workgroup, and remains active in ASCO’s efforts to evaluate / codify new practice models. He has served on multiple panels, workgroups, and taskforces for ASCO focusing on questions of care delivery.

His involvement with the American College of Physicians stemmed around his work in care delivery reform, helping vision the application of the principles of primary care patient centered medical home to transform oncology practice. He served as a liaison for ASCO to the ACPs’ Council of Sub-Specialty Societies (CSS) and was active on the CSS workgroup on the patient centered medical home / Neighbor. He has served on ACP’s Medical Practice and Quality Committee and is a current member of the Medical Informatics Committee. He serves on the advisory committees to the NCQA, aiding in the development of the Patient Centered Specialty Practice and Oncology Medical Home Recognition programs.

Clark R . Gregg, MD, FIDSA, MACP 
Dr. Clark R. Gregg was born in Houston, Texas, and graduated magna cum laude from Rice University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his medical degree from University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1972 and served an internship in Internal Medicine at Vanderbilt University Hospitals. Following two years as a medical officer in the U. S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, he returned to Vanderbilt to complete his Internal Medicine residency and an NIH-supported research and clinical fellowship in Infectious Diseases. He then married his wife now of forty years, Susan, who was then a Vandy medical student. He joined the Vanderbilt faculty and was President of the Nashville Academy of Internal Medicine and served on the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Health.

Dr. Gregg entered private practice of Infectious Diseases in Fort Worth in 1988 and was the Director of Emergency Medical Services for the 8th and 9th Van Cliburn International Piano Competitions. He returned to academic medicine in 1993 at UT Southwestern and VA North Texas Health Care System. At VA North Texas, he was Chief of Infectious Diseases (1994-2001), Chief of Medical Service (2001-2006), and Chief of Staff (2006- 2015). He was promoted to Professor of Medicine at UT Southwestern in 2001 and was named the Outstanding Teacher by the Internal Medicine House Staff in 2004.

He has held several national positions in VA as Chief of Staff. His scientific interests include infection prevention and control, mycotic infections, drug interactions, and systems redesign. He has over 100 peer reviewed publications, scientific abstracts, and invited speakerships.

He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Texas Chapter of the American College of Physicians and was elected ACP Governor for the Texas Northern District for 2009-2013, where he was consistently active on the Chapters Subcommittee. He was selected as a Master of ACP in 2014. Dr. Gregg is a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and Past President of the Texas Infectious Diseases Society. He is also a member of the Texas Club of Internists since 1992 and will be its President in 2019. For over twenty years he has awarded grants to the Texas Chapter of ACP from the Dr. Clark R. Gregg Fund to support travel for Medicine Residents from programs throughout Texas to present their research at the TXACP Annual Meeting.

Dr. Gregg is devoted to his wife, Susan, whose love and care have been unwavering in support for his life and career. He is most proud of his four children and four grandchildren. In his retirement, which began in October, 2017, he plans to become more integral in their lives.

 

Richard McCallum, MD, FACP, FRACP (AUST), ACGF

Born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, Dr. Richard McCallum earned a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from The University of Queensland. He completed his Residency at Washington University’s Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri and his Fellowship in Gastroenterology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He served on the Gastroenterology faculty at Yale University School of Medicine before being recruited as chief of Gastroenterology by the University of Virginia and then the University of Kansas Medical Center prior to his appointment in 2009 as Professor and Founding Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Director of the Center for Neurogastroenterology and GI Motility Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso.

Dr. McCallum has made major advances in pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal motility disorders and functional bowel problems. His main focus has been on gastroparesis and the interactions between the brain and the gut as well as understanding the mechanisms of nausea and vomiting. Dr. McCallum is the inventor of a gastric pacemaker to help patients with gastroparesis. He has more than 450 peer-reviewed scientific articles and 120 textbook chapters and edited 14 scientific textbooks. As the principal investigator for one of six centers of excellence for gastroparesis in the nation, Dr. McCallum’s most recent award was a five-year $2.5 million grant from the NIH. He has mentored many future academic leaders including the 2005 Nobel Prize Laureate, Dr. Barry Marshall awarded for his discovery of H. pylori causing peptic ulcer.

He has received the Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Research Award for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, the Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Academic Medicine by the Texas Medical Association, the Resident Alumni Award from Washington University Mentor of the year by Southern Society for Clinical Investigation and recently was appointed an Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland.

His contributions to the ACP in Texas include preparing his Residents to present at ACP Associates Day, judging Students and Resident Posters and speaker at Annual meetings as well as being a preceptor for the General Internal Medicine Statewide Program. He also directs the Texas Tech RotoCare Free Clinic supervising students seeing underserved, uninsured patients on a weekly volunteering basis. He and Mary Beth, his wife of 43 years who is a competitive ballroom dancer, particularly enjoy their family of 3 children and 3 grandchildren.