Natchez &8212; A Natchez physician has been named executive medical director of the state Board of Medical Licensure.

Dr. Mallan G. Morgan will assume the director position on Dec.1, directing the board that governs the practice of physicians, osteopaths, podiatrists and physician assistants.

He replaces Dr. W. Joseph Burnett of Oxford, who is retiring.

&8220;Dr. Burnett told me he was retiring and was going to recommend me for the position,&8221; Morgan said. &8220;Several others applied. The board interviewed us, and they selected me for the position.&8221;

As director, he will spend at least two days a week in Jackson. &8220;The rest of the time I will be in Natchez, but I&8217;m giving up my practice,&8221; Morgan said.

In recent years, he had begun to limit his practice because of personal health problems. &8220;I was treated for cancer three years ago, and I&8217;ve had two episodes of recurrence,&8221; he said. &8220;I can&8217;t go back to office practice.&8221;

The position with the licensure board is a good opportunity for him, he said. &8220;It will keep me active. It&8217;s something I think I can do well. And it will be at a desk.&8221;

Leaving his medical practice entirely is not easy, Morgan said. He opened his Natchez practice in internal medicine and cardiology in 1975.

&8220;I will truly miss my practice. I&8217;ll miss my patients and my co-workers at the hospitals,&8221; he said. &8220;But this is happening at the right time of my life, and it&8217;s something I will enjoy.&8221;

Duties of the director include ensuring those applying for licenses have the appropriate educational background and training as well as the moral character to practice in Mississippi, he said.

The board governs those who are graduating from medical schools within the state as well as those professionals moving into the state.

&8220;We also have the authority to monitor, investigate, suspend or revoke licenses of anyone found not to be practicing appropriately,&8221; he said.

The board sets policies and professional standards for the professions it oversees and &8220;promulgates and publishes reasonable rules and regulations necessary to enable it to discharge its functions and to enforce the provisions of law regulating the practice of medicine,&8221; the mission statement of the board says.

As a part of this mission, the board is responsible for the &8220;investigation of errant licensees, disciplining licensees not in compliance with statutory requirements, and protecting patients from unscrupulous practitioners.&8221;