Which physician is associated with suggesting non-physician clinical support personnel to help alleviate care disparities?

• A. Eugene Stead
• B. Buddy Treadwell
• C. Johnson
• D. Charles L. Hudson, MD

Answer: (D)

The idea here is recognizing the need to extend medical care by using clinicians who are not physicians to reach underserved populations. Charles L. Hudson, MD, is the physician most closely associated with advocating for non-physician clinical support personnel to help alleviate care disparities. He emphasized creating a cadre of physician extenders who could deliver essential care and free physicians to tackle more complex cases, laying groundwork for the later development of physician assistants and other non-physician clinicians. While Eugene Stead is pivotal for initiating the physician assistant concept and training programs, the specific association with proposing non-physician support personnel to reduce disparities points to Hudson.