CCOM Adjunct Faculty Member Appointed to Illinois Medical Board

Midwestern University congratulates James MacKenzie, D.O., on his appointment as a Member of the Illinois State Medical Board. Dr. MacKenzie is a fellowship-trained Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and an adjunct faculty member at Midwestern University’s Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM). He has provided didactic instruction to CCOM medical students since 2020 and has served as a volunteer mentor to CCOM’s medical student psychiatry club for more than a decade. In addition, Dr. MacKenzie hosts medical students on elective rotations for clinical, research, and advocacy experiences.

Dr. MacKenzie is a 2001 graduate of the Kansas City University – College of Osteopathic Medicine and has been practicing child and adolescent psychiatry in the Chicagoland area for 17 years. He has spent his career working closely with primary care physicians to create strategies for treating patients collectively. Currently, Dr. MacKenzie is the Director of the Center for Collaborative Behavioral Health Care for Advocate Children’s Hospital and teaches courses on practical child psychiatry. Previously, Dr. MacKenzie was the Medical Director of the Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation and Emergency Services at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital before serving as the Director of Pediatric Collaborative Care at Rush University Medical Center.

The Illinois State Medical Board’s objective is to advise the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation on the qualifications of applicants for medical licensure in Illinois and to consider allegations of misconduct or malfeasance by members of the medical professions. The Board is composed of 17 members appointed by the Governor. Dr. MacKenzie joins Thomas A. Boyle, D.O., Dean of the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, who is also a member of the Illinois State Medical Board.

“I am very honored to receive an appointment to the Illinois State Medical Board. My goal for serving on the Board is to bring the expertise and perspective of a psychiatrist,” Dr.  MacKenzie said. “In particular, I hope to gain an appreciation for the circumstances in which Illinois practitioners are brought before the State Medical Board in hopes of identifying preventative measures to avoid such potential pitfalls.”

Dr. MacKenzie is the former president of the Illinois Psychiatric Society and during his tenure, he helped gain passage of legislation making Illinois the first state in the U.S. to require both private and public insurance to reimburse primary care physicians when collaborating with psychiatrists. This legislation marks a major step forward to improving access to mental healthcare as well as reducing cost and associated stigma. Dr. MacKenzie also helped create a statewide Medical Student Committee within the Illinois Psychiatric Society comprised of student members from eight Illinois medical schools including CCOM with the goal of providing mentorship and leadership opportunities for students planning a career in psychiatry.

Founded in 1900, the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine educates physicians to provide compassionate quality care and commit to lifelong learning, research, and service. Students in the program benefit from caring faculty mentors, robust research opportunities, outstanding clinical rotation sites, and join other students studying a variety of healthcare disciplines at Midwestern University.