Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH

Inaugurated as the 181st president of the American Medical Association in June 2026, Willie Underwood Ill, MD, MSc, MPH, is a board-certified urologist with more than 25 years of urologic surgery experience, including more than 15 years focused on robotic urologic surgery.

An expert in healthcare disparities and healthcare policy, Dr. Underwood was first elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in June 2019 and later as its chair in June 2023. He is a TEDx speaker and active presenter, with appearances at grand rounds, webinars, and on TV and radio. He has served on several national and regional healthcare policy committees, including the Board of Commissioners of the Joint Commission.

Dr. Underwood has also served as a board member of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western and Northeastern New York and as past president of the Erie County Medical Society of New York. He is a former member of the AMA and National Medical Association Commission to End Health Care Disparities, a former board member and medical advisor to the Love Canal Medical Fund Inc., a former member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Urology Residency Review Committee. He has also served as chair of the AMA Council on Legislation, the Erie County Medical Society Legislative Affairs Committee, and the Medical Society of the State of New York Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Committee.

Raised in Gary, Ind., Dr. Underwood earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Morehouse College, and his Doctor of Medicine and Master of Science in anatomy and cellular biology degrees from the State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, N.Y. He received his general surgery and urologic surgery training at the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Conn.

After his residency, he became the fifth urologist admitted into the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, which he completed in 2002 at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. While in Ann Arbor, he also earned a Master of Public Health degree in health management and policy from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2004. Most recently he received a certificate in artificial/augmented intelligence in healthcare from the Harvard School of Medicine.

In addition to co-authoring more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and published abstracts, he has received millions in research funding from the National Institutes of Health and holds U.S. and Japanese patents for co-developing a biomarker for prostate cancer. Dr. Underwood received an honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 2024.

2026-2027

Board of Trustees speaker request form

To request a member of theAMA Board of Trustees to speak at an upcoming event, please read the terms and conditions, complete and submit the form.

For the media

• Download a high-resolution image
• For media inquiries, please contact [email protected]