Charlottesville doctor elected president of Medical Society of Va.

A Charlottesville ophthalmologist has been elected president of the Medical Society of Virginia, the organization announced Wednesday.

Dr. Mohit Nanda, a board-certified ophthalmologist affiliated with Virginia Retina Consultants, has more than 20 years of experience. He will lead the group, which represents more than 30,000 physicians, physicians-in-training, physicians’ assistants and medical students.

Nanda was elected at the society’s annual meeting on Oct. 23.

In his inaugural speech at the meeting, Nanda spoke about the importance of mental health and wellness for physicians, PAs and all health care workers.

“As we have learned over the last 18 months, dealing with unprecedented challenges has taken on a new meaning. So, how can we promote the mission of our society and keep Virginia the best place to practice medicine? Let us come together to deal directly with adversity on a personal and professional level. We know that physicians, PAs, medical students and other health care workers deal with an extraordinary level of stress. Let us as a society develop ways to help each other stay well so that we may help others get well. Let us reach out to our colleagues as friends to create a stronger bond that can help us when things get tougher. Whether we are involved in direct patient care, administration, research or education, we can only help others when we ourselves are strong. I believe the Medical Society of Virginia can be and will be our partner in this journey,” he said in a statement.

Nanda graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. He received his opthamology training at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and subspecialty training in the management of retinal diseases at Rush Presbyterian Hospital. He practiced in California for 13 years and then moved his family to Virginia, where he has lived for more than 15 years.

He is a member of the Albemarle County Medical Society and the American Medical Association and was a 1978 Presidential Scholar.