MSSNY Member Elected 181st President of the AMA

This year, one of MSSNY’s own stepped onto the national stage as Buffalo-based urologic surgeon Dr. Willie Underwood III was inaugurated as the 181st President of the American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s largest physician organization.

Dr. Underwood assumes the AMA presidency at a defining moment for American healthcare. During his inaugural address, he emphasized the importance of bringing physicians together across specialties to improve patient outcomes, strengthen the physician workforce, and ensure that physicians help shape the policies that affect healthcare delivery. He called for a healthcare system that works “not only for some of us, but for the sum of us,” highlighting the need to address gaps in access, outcomes, and opportunity.

A urologic surgeon, educator, advocate, and prostate cancer survivor, Dr. Underwood brings more than 25 years of clinical experience to the role. He previously served as Chair of the AMA Board of Trustees and has dedicated much of his career to advancing collaboration among physicians while addressing complex healthcare challenges. As only the second urologist and third Black physician to serve as AMA president, his election represents an important milestone for organized medicine.

Throughout his remarks, Dr. Underwood spoke passionately about the importance of service, leadership, and advocacy. He challenged physicians to confront healthcare inequities, support one another, and continue building a healthcare system that delivers high-quality care to every community. His message reinforced a belief shared by MSSNY and physician leaders across New York: meaningful progress happens when physicians work together to advocate for both patients and the profession.

MSSNY congratulates Dr. Underwood on this historic achievement and looks forward to working alongside physician leaders nationwide to strengthen healthcare, support physicians, and improve outcomes for the patients you serve.