Waqar Saleem, MD, CMD
Candidate - State Presidents Council Representative
Candidate Bio
Waqar Saleem MD, CMD, FAAFP graduated from King Edward Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan in 1995. He completed residency in Family Medicine at the University of Louisville in 2000. He is board certified in Family Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Care and Addiction Medicine. He serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor at University of Louisville and Clinical Faculty, AHEC program at University of Kentucky. In addition to clinical practice and teaching, he also serves as Vice President of The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure, member nominating committee of Federation of State Medical Boards and served as member of Differential Item Functioning Panel at American Board of Family Physician. During the pandemic, he served on AMDA State Task Force and Kentucky State Task Force for COVID-19. He is current vice president of Muslim Americans for Compassion promoting better interfaith understanding, Doctors for Healthy Communities with emphasis on health equity and a volunteer physician at Family Community Clinic providing indigent care.
Dr. Saleem is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is a Certified Medical Director with AMDA - The Society of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, currently serving as President of membership committee and Member, AMDA State-Based Policy and Advocacy Subcommittee. He served as President of KMDA – Kentucky Society of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine and formally incorporated the chapter. He currently serves as Medical Director in several long-term care facilities
Candidate Statement
It is an honor to have my name on the slate of candidates for the position of State President’s Council Representative.
I graduated from King Edward Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan in 1995 and completed residency in Family Medicine at the University of Louisville in 2000. I am board certified in Family Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Care and Addiction Medicine.
I have been a practicing physician in long-term care field for over two decades serving as a medical director of various facilities and have been involved with AMDA for over a decade. I am a Certified Medical Director with AMDA - The Society of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, currently serving as President of membership committee, member of AMDA State-Based Policy and Advocacy Subcommittee and served on AMDA & Kentucky State Task Force for COVID-19. Over the years, most of my education in LTC field has been through educational activities by AMDA. I truly admire the work by so many talented colleagues and staff to develop future skilled clinicians providing the highest quality care to our residents.
I served as President of KMDA – Kentucky Society of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine and formally incorporated the chapter. I also serve as an Assistant Clinical Professor at University of Louisville and Clinical Faculty, AHEC program at University of Kentucky helping to grow feature professionals in LTC field. I also have a keen interest in the field of regulatory medicine, currently serving as Vice President of The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure and member nominating committee of Federation of State Medical Boards. I also enjoy my work with nonprofits, Muslim Americans for Compassion promoting better interfaith understanding, Doctors for Healthy Communities with emphasis on health equity and a volunteer physician at Family Community Clinic providing indigent care.
I am aware of State President Counsel Representative responsibilities including helping with individual state chapter development issues and helping President-elect during quarterly state President’s Open Mic calls. Our individual state chapters provide vital resources and membership for AMDA. Having served 2 years term as a state President, I am aware of various challenges faced by individual chapters. These include but not limited to membership, financing, growing future leadership positions, hiring administrative staff, accounting, networking with other organizations throughout the state, educational activities, website management, formerly incorporating the chapter as 501(c)(3) organization with bylaws and most importantly, keeping the members engaged. If elected, I will do my best to serve with integrity and further the mission of AMDA.
In the end, I want to thank all the AMDA staff, elected officials, members and colleagues who are an everyday inspiration to me for their work in long-term care. Special thanks to Monica Ott from Indiana, for letting me share the slate to run for the position of State Presidents Council Representative for the 2024. I have the highest regards for Dr. Ott as a colleague and fellow LTC clinician.