MCMS President Installed

Board-certified internist Frederic S. Becker MD started his journey to helping others by following in his father’s footsteps.

“I chose medicine to emulate my father, in the hopes that one day I would earn some of the respect that was shown to him by his patients and colleagues,” said Dr. Becker who was recently installed as the 163rd president of the Montgomery County Medical Society.

He celebrated this professional milestone with more than 130 colleagues, family and friends during the medical society annual installation dinner and business meeting held at the Elmwood Park Zoo in June.

“I am truly honored to serve my profession in this way,” said Dr. Becker who has a thriving internal medicine practice in King of Prussia and is sole owner of King of Prussia Medicine LLC. “I am proud to be a physician dedicated to improving the health of this community. I thank my colleagues who continue to take this journey and serve in one of the most noble and respected professions.”

In addition to installing the new president, the Montgomery County Medical Society also recognized six Montgomery County physicians who have practiced medicine for 50 years. The 50-year honorees were L. Stewart Barbera MD, S. Joseph Cardamone MD, David M. Ellis MD, Doris T. Freudenberg MD, James J. O’Brien MD and James W. Thompson MD.

Dr. Becker, a Narberth native, expressed his concerns about the state of medicine and its future. Physicians are being pushed more and to the more to the sidelines in patient care.

”The matters outside the examination room – insurance companies, medical liability, reimbursement regulations, fair managed care contracts – adversely affect the preservation of the doctor-patient relationship which is our paramount concern,” he said.

He finds practicing as an internist rewarding because it allows him to care for multiple generations of the same family in various settings ranging from the physician office to their homes to nursing home care.

“There are very few jobs that allow someone to play such an integral role in other people's lives for extended periods of time. If the trends continue, being a physician will become nothing more than just a way to make a living. I can’t just sit back and allow this to happen.”

He emphasized the importance of membership within the medical society.
“Organized medicine helps physicians to remain strong in health care advocacy to ensure safe and quality care for their patients. There is strength in numbers.”

For 14 years, Dr. Becker has been a member of the Montgomery County Medical Society and has served on its board of directors for 11 years. As an active member, he serves on the county medical society Political Task Force and will again represent MCMS as a delegate to the Pennsylvania Medical Society Annual Business Meeting. Dr. Becker is also a member of the Pennsylvania Medical Society and the American College of Physicians.

Eighteen years ago, he graduated with his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and then completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Cleveland, Ohio. Since his residency, he has been an attending physician at Montgomery Hospital Medical Center in Norristown and was an admitting physician with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania until 2005. Currently, he is the medical director for the ManorCare Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility in King of Prussia and the Abramson Center Hospice in North Wales.

Outside his practice, Dr. Becker enjoys coaching baseball and soccer and golfing. He resides in Blue Bell with his wife Lauren and their two children, Mariel and Reid.