Last August, Rodney G. Hood, M.D., was installed as the 101st president of the National Medical Association, which represents more than 25,000 African-American physicians. As president, he will focus on eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities, particularly in the areas of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, and HIV/AIDS. A board-certified internist, Hood has been in private medical practice for more than 20 years and is currently managing partner of Care-View Medical Group in San Diego. He cofounded and is president of MultiCultural Primary Physician Medical Group, a 300-physician IPA, and founded CompCare, a 7,000-enrollee Medicaid health plan. In 1973, Hood…