Our board
Fulfilling the vision of a youth orchestra for Montana
Dr. Dennis Wentz
Board MemberI am thrilled to be part of the development of the Montana Youth Symphony and have a keen interest in piano literature and symphonic music.
Dennis K. Wentz, MD has had a lifelong interest in music since his childhood days in North Dakota and is thrilled to be a part of the development of the Montana Youth Symphony. Taking piano lessons from his mother and local teachers, he developed a keen interest in piano literature and symphonic music.
Dr. Wentz’s move to Chicago for college and medical school began a long-term relationship with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and other Chicago musical entities, and he remains a CSO subscriber, beginning with the tenure of Fritz Reiner and continuing with Riccardo Muti. He was on the Board of Bravo! Vail in Colorado for eight years and served as President for three years of Intermountain Opera Bozeman and the Montana Chamber Music Society. He is known internationally for his contributions in continuing medical education (CME) and continuing professional development (CPD).
While at the American Medical Association (AMA), Dr. Wentz focused on the international dimensions of CME and the development of a global system of CME by the creation of mutually acceptable standards. Following his retirement as Director of the AMA’s Division of Continuing Physician Professional Development, he authored a comprehensive history of CME and CPD, Continuing Medical Education: Looking Back, Planning Ahead (Dartmouth College Press/University Press of New England, July, 2011). During fifteen years of leadership at the AMA (1988-2004), he moved the credit system of the AMA's Physician Recognition Award (AMA PRA) to recognize self-directed learning by individual physicians, such as learning related to performance improvement.
Prior to joining the AMA, Dr. Wentz was on the faculties of the Schools of Medicine of the University of Maryland, the University of Tennessee, and Vanderbilt University. He received his B.A. degree from North Central College, his MD degree from the University of Chicago and then trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physician Executives and served as the President of the National Commission for Certification of CME Professionals. His honors include the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Chicago Alumni Association, Distinguished Service Awards from the Alliance for Continuing Medical Education and the Society for Academic CME, and the Hippocrates Award for Excellence in CME from the Global Alliance for CME.