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2005 DCMS President's Profile - Leslie H. Secrest, MD
List of Past President Pages 
“Dr Secrest is extremely dedicated to exploring better ways for our community to deliver the highest quality of patient care to the largest number of people possible. Yet at the same time he is a pragmatist—he seeks possible solutions within existing frameworks and resources, and is a champion for Dallas to become a beacon for healthcare delivery in this country.” — Mark Feldman, MD; Chair, Department of Internal Medicine; Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program; and Medical Director, Research Services at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas
Leslie Harold Secrest (at right in his 1970 DCMS application photo) was born on July 31, 1942, in Ponca City, Okla, where his mother, Harriett, still lives. His father, Leslie C. Secrest, was an engineer for Conoco, which was then based in Ponca City. While with Conoco, the family moved to Montana, and then to Wichita Falls, Texas, where the younger Leslie graduated from high school in 1960.
Les Secrest majored in zoology at Wheaton University in Illinois, where he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in 1964. He was on the school’s wrestling team, along with a student named Dennis Hastert, who now is the speaker of the US House of Representatives. They remain friends today.
Dr Secrest received his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1968, and he did his internship at Presbyterian Hospital. He was chief resident during his psychiatric training at UT Southwestern.
In 1971, Dr Secrest served as a US Army psychiatrist in the 1st of 5th Mechanized Combat Brigade in Vietnam. He provided evaluation and short-term treatment of psychiatric casualties, established a substance abuse detox and treatment program, and was the officer in charge of two inpatient psychiatric units. From 1975 to 1979, he gave a weekly staff development seminar to the Federal Employees Health Service.
Dr Secrest became board certified in psychiatry and neurology in 1976. He graduated from the New Orleans Psychoanalytic Institute in 1983, and was in private practice from 1983 to 1996. In 1994, he became board certified in addiction, including alcoholism and other drug dependencies. He operated “Alternatives for Recovery,” an intensive outpatient chemical dependency treatment program licensed by the Texas Commission on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, from 1991 to 1996.
Dr Secrest has been a staff member of many local hospitals including Green Oaks, Trinity, RHD Memorial, Medical City Dallas, and Presbyterian. He was psychiatric section chief at Medical City from 1986 to 1988 and president of the RHD medical staff in 1991.
Dr Secrest has been the chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Presbyterian since 1996. He was the 2003–2004 president of the Presbyterian medical staff and served many board and committee appointments.
He has been equally active in Texas Health Resources leadership. Dr Secrest currently is chairman of the Advisory Committee Continuing Medical Education and is a member of the Deuteronomy Board of Trustees and the Physician Leadership Council’s Executive Committee.
His teaching activities at UT Southwestern always have been a part of his career, starting as clinical instructor in 1974. He now is Clinical Professor, Psychotherapy Supervisor of Residents, and a member of the Faculty Mentoring Program.
Dr Secrest has been active in many professional societies. In the North Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians, he has served as president, and in the Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians, as vice chairman of the Managed Care Committee, chairman of the Budget Committee, and vice chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee. Dr Secrest has been an American Psychiatric Association legislative representative since 1997.
Dr Secrest has been a member of the Dallas County Medical Society, Texas Medical Association, and the American Medical Association since 1970. At DCMS, he has served as chairman of the Mental Health Committee, TMA alternate delegate, and member of the Board of Censors and board of directors.
At the state level, Dr Secrest has served TMA as chairman, Psychiatric Section Host Committee for the TMA Convention; chairman, Tellers Committee; representative to the Texas Mental Health Liaison Group; Committee on Addictions; and Continuing Medical Education Committee.
Dr Secrest has long been devoted to helping others, and he has received awards related to this devotion: Texas Health Resources Physician Volunteer Award, Letter of Commendation from the Farmers Branch Police Chief for aid to Police SWAT Team, Letter of Commendation from the president of the American Psychiatric Association for service to Delta Flight 191 crash victims, US Army Bronze Star.
In addition to his prestigious professional life, he enjoys a rich personal life with his wife and two daughters. Dr Secrest met his wife, Linda, through a mutual friend who was also a physician, and they were married in 1983.
Linda Secrest is a Crystal Charity Ball member, Junior League sustaining adviser, Linz Award chairperson-elect, and Equest Women’s Auxiliary Louise Spence Griffeth Award recipient for outstanding achievement.
Their daughter Sarah attended the Hockaday School, and is a sophomore honor student at Tulane University, where she is majoring in Spanish and business legal studies. She serves on the Newcomb Senate and is an officer of Pi Beta Phi sorority.
Their daughter Laura attended the Episcopal School of Dallas and is a freshman at Washington and Lee University, majoring in political science and history. She is a forward on the field hockey team.
Dr Secrest long has been active in his church, St Michaels and All Angels Episcopal Church. He has taken his daughters on church-sponsored Habitat for Humanity mission trips to Romania, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Hungary. He was the medical adviser and chaperone on these trips, but became the patient on his trip to Bolivia when a wall from one of the buildings that they were constructing fell on his arm.
DCMS looks forward to being led in 2005 by such a well-rounded and well-respected physician.
“I had the honor of serving Dr Secrest during his tenure as president of the PHD Medical Staff for the last year. He is a skillful negotiator with an analytical mind who listens carefully before responding, but who invariably stood up to his peers for what was best for the hospital in challenging situations. Dr Secrest is respected by the medical staff, and we are all proud that he has been selected to serve as DCMS president.” — Bruce Bougeno, Vice President, Medical Staff Affairs, Presbyterian Hospital
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