Award in Her Honor By Mary E. Nava, MBA, BCMS Chief Government Affairs Officer

Francine Prosser-Johnson, Chief Operating Officer for South Texas Center for Pediatric Care (left) and Dr. Dianna Burns-Banks (right) pause for a photo after the award presentation to Dr. Burns-Banks during the BCMS Women Leaders in Medicine Awards event held Sept. 30. Above: BCMS Women Leaders in Medicine Community Service Award presented to Dr. Dianna Burns-Banks on Sept. 30.

calling deeply rooted in her faith…has led to a lifetime of caring for patients and giving back to her community.

The Bexar County Medical Society has established an annual award in honor of past BCMS President, Dr. Dianna Burns-Banks in recognition of her significant and on-going contributions to the practice of medicine and service to the community. The Dianna Burns-Banks, MD Women Leaders in Community Service Award was presented to Dr.

Dianna Burns-Banks, MD Burns-Banks during the annual BCMS Women Leaders in Medicine Awards event Presented with Annual held virtually on September 30. This award will recognize future generations of women Award in Her Honor leaders in medicine in the years to come. Born and raised in Meridian, Mississippi, Dr. Burns-Banks graduated with honors By Mary E. Nava, MBA, BCMS Chief Government Affairs Officer from Xavier University of Louisiana and completed her medical school, internship and pediatric residency at the University of A Louisville. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and also holds a master’s degree in Health Care Administration from Trinity University. Dr. Burns-Banks is a board-certified pediatrician with over 35 years of experience in primary care. She is President and co-owner of South Texas Center for Pediatric Care, a practice with over 100 employees, operating multiple clinics with the focus of improving access to the medically underserved areas in the San Antonio and surrounding communities.

Dr. Burns-Banks actually did not start out in pediatrics. She had planned on becoming a pathologist. As a data-driven individual who is also very analytical, Dr. Burns-Banks was working on a Masters in Microbiology when things took a different turn. She decided to enter medical school and finished in 3 ½ years. Dr. Burns-Banks started out working in the emergency room. The 12-hour days were intense, but during that time, she wanted to become a surgeon. By then, she had already been drawn to pediatrics. She found that children are honest, and caring for them seemed more fun. Eventually, she set up her private practice on San Antonio’s East Side. Dr. Burns-Banks was seeing patients not just from the local neighborhood, but from all over San Antonio and beyond. Her passion for caring for the underserved population presented an opportunity to take care of children who didn’t know their full potential. Likewise, caring for more difficult patients presented an opportunity for her to examine how to manage their care in a more economical way. “Medicine should not have to cost what it does,” Dr. Burns-Banks said. Her involvement in Medicaid patient advocacy helped to bring attention to the struggles of Medicaid patients and the physicians who care for them.

Coming from a close-knit family, Dr. Burns-Banks was one of three sisters. Her parents always stressed the importance of education and supported her in all her endeavors. They were proud to see her become a doctor. Dr. Burns-Banks was proud to sponsor her dad’s winning bowling team, where she provided the team shirts emblazoned with her practice name. A product of Catholic schools from grade school through the first couple of years of high school, Dr. Burns-Banks believes in divine intervention and credits her faith for all her life’s journey and accomplishments. She also credits her physician mentors, the late Dr. Frank Bryant, who encouraged her to get involved in organized medicine and the late Dr. Al Sanders, who encouraged her to run first for Hospital Chief of Staff and later for BCMS President.

In 1986, Dr. Burns-Banks became the first female African-American Chief of Staff at Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital. In 2006, Dr. BurnsBanks became the first female African-American President of the Bexar County Medical Society and second female president overall in the Society’s then 153-year history. She has held numerous positions on councils and committees at the Bexar County Medical Society and the Texas Medical Association, including Chair of both the BCMS Board of Mediations and Membership Committee, has served as a member of the BCMS Legislative and Socioeconomics Committee and delegate to the TMA, as well as Chair of the TMA Committee on Children and Adolescent Healthcare and member of the TMA Council on Constitution and Bylaws. Additionally, she has served as a representative to the State Medical Care Advisory Committee and both the State and Regional Advisory Committees for Medicaid and CHIP.

Dr. Burns-Banks’ list of accomplishments and service to the community is impressive, and some key highlights are her service as Vice Chairman of the Board of the Center for Healthcare Services, the Mental Health Authority for the City of San Antonio, where she championed the concept that the integration of mental health and physical health is essential to providing effective health care. Her work culminated in the creation of the Center’s Dianna Burns-Banks, MD CenterCare Clinic at the Restoration Center.

Additionally, Dr. Burns-Banks has previously served on the Board of Managers of the University Health System, appointed by County Judge Nelson Wolff. Currently, she serves as a Board Member on the Lift Fund, Community First Health Plans, Our Lady of the Lake University and The Oblate School of Theology.

In 2015, Dr. Burns-Banks launched a project near and dear to her heart – The South Texas Center for Pediatric Care Summer Internship Program. Since the program’s inception, the lives of 35 male and female college-bound students have been positively impacted by their participation in the 7-week paid program. Through the program, students learn how a medical practice works, basic business skills, interaction with patients, interaction with practice staff, employee etiquette, including on-site experience at an office location and participate in a discussion on the community and why we give back.

Most recently, in 2020, Dr. Burns-Banks organized the COVID Community Outreach Project, which through her recruitment efforts, helped impact the lives of over 8,000 residents of San Antonio and the surrounding area by signing up to get vaccinated against COVID-19. This project, which she directed from her practice administrative headquarters, included help from her staff, a couple of community volunteers and three medical student volunteers. At the peak of the project, about 100 persons per hour were being registered for COVID-19 vaccinations. If registrants were not able to get transportation or were homebound, the project volunteers helped pick them up to bring them to the vaccination clinics or coordinated having the vaccine brought to homebound patients.

Dr. Burns-Banks is a proud mom of two sons, Capt. Michael Burns and Johnathan Burns and is a grandmother of two grandsons. Dr. Burns-Banks said this of receiving the award, “I continue to be surprised when I’m recognized. Nothing I’ve done has ever been a big deal to me.”

Mary E. Nava, MBA is the Chief Government Affairs Officer at the Bexar County Medical Society.