Name: Rick W. Snyder II, MD
Specialty: Cardiology
City: Dallas
County Medical Society: Dallas CMS
As he concluded his presidency and became TMA’s immediate past-president in May 2024, Rick W. Snyder II, MD, continues serving as an ex-officio member of the TMA Board of Trustees.
Throughout his one-year TMA presidency, Dr. Snyder visited 22 county medical societies and 11 medical schools as he cris-crossed Texas, advocating for the practice of medicine and good patient care.
“Going around the state meeting with our members and the leaders of the various medical schools and discussing how important advocacy is in the empowerment of physicians and the patient-physician relationship is an honor and privilege as TMA president,” said Dr. Snyder.
An ardent advocate of protecting the patient-physician relationship, Dr. Snyder believes physicians must be a voice for their patients outside hospitals and exam rooms as much as within them. For years he often could be found in lawmakers’ and regulators’ offices seeking improvement of policies that help patients and medical practice.
He urges other physicians and even medical students to advocate for patients. “[Advocacy] is not an innate part of our culture coming out of medical school. But it needs to be,” he said.
His primary goals have been to preserve the significance of a physician’s role in health care and to provide solutions to the challenges doctors encounter in the care of patients.
Among the TMA board’s victories in recent years are the association’s multiple lawsuit victories against federal government agencies for adopting what the association calls unfair rules implementing the No Surprises Act law.
Dr. Snyder has been involved in TMA throughout his 30-year career. In addition to his service as president, he has chaired and served on the TMA Board of Trustees and participated in TMA’s House of Delegates and Council on Legislation. Dr. Snyder also is active in TEXPAC, TMA’s political action committee.
Since 1996, Dr. Snyder has practiced at Medical City Dallas, where he has chaired the Department of Medicine and served as medical staff president and board trustee. He also was a member of the board of directors of the Southwestern Medical Foundation. Dr. Snyder is president of HeartPlace, the oldest and largest independent cardiovascular group in Texas. In addition, he chairs the board of directors of ASPEN Physician Network, a network of 20 large independent specialty groups serving North Texas.
Dr. Snyder previously served as president of the Dallas County Medical Society and the Texas Chapter of the American College of Cardiology. He also was a member of the American College of Cardiology’s Board of Governors.
For seven years, he represented Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins’ office as his appointee to the Dallas County Health and Human Services Public Health Advisory Committee.