Paul E. Pedersen, M.D., was sworn in as president of the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) during its 2019 annual meeting. Dr. Pedersen is board-certified in internal medicine and is Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington. Since 1995 he has served on various committees and functions within OSF including local, system wide and Board Committees primarily focused on IT development, Quality & Safety and Ethics. He earned his medical degree at the University of Illinois Chicago campus.

Dr. Pedersen is active in many areas of organized medicine. He has been a member of ISMS since 1980. At the local level, Dr. Pedersen is active in the McLean County Medical Society, where he has served as its president from 1995 through 1996. Since 1992, Dr. Pedersen has served on the board of the Rural Illinois Medical Student Assistance Program (RIMSAP) and is currently board president. RIMSAP is a program started in 1948, sponsored by the Illinois Farm Bureau and the ISMS. It has helped many qualified applicants to hurdle financial needs and other barriers to a medical education. This program has assisted over 800 students with a recommendation and/or loans to the University of Illinois. This program is designed to provide doctors in rural communities in Illinois. Dr. Pedersen will serve as president through April 2020.