Jackson Free Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Gov. Phil Bryant has nominated a Jackson physician to serve on the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure.

Dr. Michelle Y. Owens is an obstetrician and gynecologist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and has been on faculty since 2007. She directs the master's program in biomedical sciences for the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine.

Bryant's office said Wednesday that Owens begins serving on the licensure board immediately. She succeeds Dr. John C. Clay of Meridian, an oncologist who left the board earlier this year. Owens' term will expire at the end of June 2020.

Members of the licensure board must be confirmed by the state Senate, but it's not unusual for nominees to serve several months as they await approval when the Legislature is out of session.