ETSU alum heading Tennessee Medical Association
ETSU Quillen College of Medicine alumni Dr. Landon Combs was installed
as the 170th president of the Tennessee Medicine Association this year.
When Dr. Landon Combs was installed as president of the Tennessee Medical Association this year, he was well-prepared to hit the ground running.
As a decades-long member of the organization, Combs was already familiar with its work. Add in a multi-year term on its board of trustees, in addition to other leadership roles, and he had all the tools needed for success.
“I had kept up with all the current issues, and I already had some things in place
and had attended a lot of committee meetings, so it was a lot easier of a transition
versus trying to drink from a fire hose,” said Combs, who will serve as president
until May 2025.
Combs is originally from Northeast Tennessee and graduated from ETSU with a history degree prior to enrolling in medical school at the ETSU Quillen College of Medicine. Drawn in by Quillen’s commitment to training primary care physicians, Combs found a home at ETSU not too far from where he grew up – or where he currently resides in Gray.
“It was great,” Combs said of his time at ETSU. “I couldn’t imagine not going that route.”
Inspired by his childhood pediatrician’s ability to connect with him, Combs strives to be the type of pediatrician that brings his patients comfort in what can sometimes be a stressful environment for children.
“He always made me feel comfortable, and that’s something I always try to do with the children and parents I see,” Combs said of his pediatrician. “I would like to think they know I am there for them and that I am going to help them.”
As a pediatrician, Combs has seen the health care landscape shift drastically over his career of more than two-decades – particularly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which brought large-scale changes to the health care industry.
Combs felt compelled to run for president, a position voted on by TMA members, because he felt his experiences coming out of the pandemic could be valuable to other physicians.
“I felt I had some experience to offer coming out of the pandemic with all the changes to help alleviate some angst for physicians,” said Combs.
One of his priorities has been helping providers navigate changes relating to how they document patient information or bill for services, something he hopes will alleviate some stress for providers.
“If I can help one physician, that’s one more than before I started, so that’s an accomplishment,” said Combs. “Whether it’s billing, coding – any difference you can make on the life of a patient or the stress level of a physician is a win.
“Anything we can do to make their practice life better will make their life better, which will help patient care overall,” Combs added.
East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.
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