Bismarck, ND - The North Dakota Medical Association (NDMA) is pleased to announce that Joshua Ranum, MD, a physician with West River Health Services in Hettinger, officially took the reins to lead the association as its new president.

Elected by the membership, the change of leadership took place after NDMA’s October 12th annual meeting.

Prior to serving as president, Dr. Ranum held NDMA leadership terms as Vice President and Council Chair; Secretary Treasurer, and Speaker of the House. As president, he will provide strategic vision and leadership for NDMA and its Council. Responsibilities include leading the general meetings, appointing members of commissions, task forces and committees and serving as an ex-officio member of all commissions.

In this position, Dr. Ranum will help lead the association towards its goals and mission. The mission of NDMA is to advocate for North Dakota’s physicians, to advance the health and promote the well-being of the people of North Dakota.

He is a proven leader for health and has many accolades. Throughout the pandemic, Dr. Ranum has been an important pillar for North Dakota as he advocates fiercely for taking personal responsibility to prevent the spread. Daily, he is in the trenches treating COVID-19 patients and helped spearhead an awareness campaign using monoclonal antibody treatments to help infected patients recover quicker and keeping them from being hospitalized.

“NDMA shoulders a great deal of heavy lifting for health care, and I am pleased to be a part of it,” said Dr. Ranum. “In our state, when you have questions on health care policy and its impact on patient care, you come to NDMA for answers.”

Dr. Ranum received his MD degree at the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Grand Forks and specializes in internal medicine.

Other officers elected to the Council are Vice President Stephanie K. Dahl, Horace; Policy Chair Parag Kumar, MD, Bismarck; Secretary-Treasurer Erica C. Hofland, MD, Dickinson; AMA Delegate Fadel E. Nammour, MD, Fargo; AMA Alternate Delegate David F. Schmitz, MD, Grand Forks.