In Memoriam: Former ABA Director William ” Bill” W. Hesson, J.D.

11/12/19 – Former ABA Director William “Bill” W. Hesson, J.D., 70, passed away on Oct. 30, 2019. Mr. Hesson served as the Board’s first public member director from 2012 to 2017, providing a public/patient perspective and expertise outside of the area of medicine in discussions about board certification in anesthesiology.

Mr. Hesson served on the Board’s Maintenance of Certification (MOC) and Nonstandard Examinations Committees, where he helped navigate the future direction of continuing certification and decisions about exam accommodations for certification candidates. It was during his tenure that the Board planned, approved and launched a redesign of the Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology® (MOCA®) program, known as MOCA 2.0®.

Prior to retiring, Mr. Hesson spent more than 30 years as an attorney and in-house counsel in various roles within the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC). He served as the Associate Vice President for Legal Affairs, overseeing all legal matters for UIHC and its components. He also served as the UIHC Associate Director/Legal Counsel and as an adjunct professor at UI’s College of Public Health, Division of Health Management and Policy.

Mr. Hesson earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Iowa, College of Liberal Arts in 1971 and his Juris Doctor degree with high honors from the University of Iowa, College of Law in 1979.

He is survived by his wife Rita.