A Kenyan-born doctor has become the 158^th president of Minnesota Medical Association (MMA), the first person of color to lead the organization since its founding in 1853.

Dr. Edwin Bogonko is a physician with Allina Health in Shakopee and has been a very active member of the MMA since 2010, when he joined the nonprofit professional group that represents physicians, residents, and medical students in the state, said Dan Hauser, the association’s director of communication and education.

“He has been so active for so long, so it made sense that he would be our president at some point,” Hauser said.

From October 2020 to September 2023, Dr. Bogonko served as the chair of the MMA’s Board of Trustees. Prior to that, he served in several positions, including the Executive Committee, Policy Council, Nominating Committee, Awards Committee, and the Finance and Audit Committee, which made him the perfect candidate for president, Hauser said.

“He’s a very engaging and friendly person,” he said. “You can tell that he really wants us to do well and to make the practice of medicine better.”

Every year, MMA asks its members to nominate physicians they think should be the next president. If more than one doctor is nominated, the candidates face off in an electronic vote held in July. This year, though, there was no election because no one opposed Dr. Bogonko’s nomination, according to Hauser.

“He was an obvious choice,” Hauser said.

Among the many duties of the president are serving as the principal spokesperson of the MMA, and testifying at the State Capitol whenever a physician’s voice is needed. During his inauguration at a ceremony held in Minneapolis on Sept. 27 at the association’s Empowering Physicians Conference, Dr. Laurel Ries, MMA’s outgoing president, said it was an honor to pass the presidential medallion on to Dr. Bogonko.

“I keep thinking of what a phenomenal job he is going to do in this role, and I am really excited for all of [his] adventures in this coming year as all of us work together to continue that work,” Dr. Ries said.

During his inaugural speech, Dr. Bogonko said he looked forward to working with the organization for the next year as it continued to make Minnesota “the happiest state and the best place to practice medicine.” He said he was “both excited and humbled” to take the responsibility as president and had no plan of doing anything different from the great things the association had done for more than 170 years.

“So, you can be assured that over the next 12 months, I will give my all as the MMA works on serious issues that face medicine in this land of 10,000 lakes,” he said.

Dr. Bogonko said he would work to limit the abuse of prior authorization, the practice of health insurers reserving the right to determine whether a treatment, prescription drug, or medical equipment is necessary before they pay for it. Under his leadership, MMA would also work to promote physician wellness and advocate to preserve healthcare networks in rural areas of Minnesota because citizens deserve to get care close to home, he said. Other issues Dr. Bogonko promised to advocate for were mental health and protection for seniors, both of which he said were close to his heart.

“As many of you in the frontlines would agree, expanding access to mental healthcare is really crucial to easing the choke on our systems, both as physicians and even our hospitals, and especially our emergency rooms,” he said. “We also need to advocate for an environment that doesn’t force seniors to choose between medicine and putting food on the table.”

Dr. Bogonko’s one-year term begins on Oct. 1.

Speaking to Mshale, Dr. Bogonko said that by the time he was 12 years old, he knew he was going to be a doctor. As a child growing up in Kisii, a city in southwestern Kenya, he had a younger brother who had heart disease, which meant that the family visited the hospital a lot.

“Even though I was very young, I could tell that people were suffering unnecessarily because there was a shortage of doctors,” he said.

After his high school education, he went to the University of Nairobi to study medicine. He graduated in 1993 and practiced in Kenya until 1999 when he relocated to the United States. Dr. Bogonko said he joined the MMA to continue his efforts to help the most vulnerable, which began when he was in med school.

When asked to reflect on being the first person of color to ever serve as president of MMA, Dr. Bogonko said that it inspired him dedicate a significant portion of his term as president to advocate for equity in healthcare. He said the MMA would increase outreach efforts to people in underrepresented communities in order find ways to encourage their children to study and become doctors. Having more doctors from minority communities would greatly improve care for patients of color, he said.

“When you are seen by a doctor who understands your culture, you get better care.”