Moments after he assumed the highest elected position in organized medicine, Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH, spoke of the foundational problems in America’s healthcare system.
Newly inaugurated as the 181st president of the AMA—a physician organization founded in 1847—Dr. Underwood told the gathered physicians, family and close friends that while the medical profession is not responsible for all the problems that plague the provision and delivery of care in the U.S., the onus to address these challenges falls on the AMA and physician leaders across the country.
Having recently purchased a 120-year-old home in Buffalo, New York, Dr. Underwood understands the responsibility of repairing the problems created by others.
“When you buy an old house, you inherit everything that comes with it,” said Dr. Underwood, a urological surgeon. “Its beauty. Its craftsmanship. Its history. But also its cracks. Its weaknesses. The hidden issues behind the walls. Whether you created those problems or not, once the house belongs to you, you own it.”
Changing the face of the profession
The music portion of Dr. Underwood’s inaugural celebration included a soulful rendition of the civil rights anthem “A Change is Gonna Come” that was penned by Chicago-grown legend Sam Cooke. Sitting behind Dr. Underwood were some of the physician’s profession’s change agents, whom he recognized in his remarks. They included an array of trailblazers:
- Nancy Dickey, MD, the AMA’s first woman president.
- Robert Wah, MD, the AMA’s first Asian American president.
- Patrice Harris, MD, MA, the AMA’s first African American woman president.
- Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, the AMA’s first openly gay president.
- Bobby Mukkamala, MD, the first AMA president of Indian heritage.
He also gave special mention to Lonnie Bristow, MD, who in 1995 became the Association’s first Black president.
In acknowledging the historic election of these physicians, Dr. Underwood said “they present more than milestones. Their leadership represents the promise of our country and the responsibility of this profession.” (Read Dr. Underwood’s speech.)
As the second Black man elected to the AMA presidency, Dr. Underwood said that the organization’s monumental progress on physician inclusion is worth celebrating. Still, to build the future of medicine honestly, the AMA’s past actions—excluding qualified Black physicians and other racial and ethnic groups from membership in for decades after its founding—must be acknowledged directly.
“We lead with honesty about the past,” Dr. Underwood said. “We walk with courage in the present and we work to rebuild a profession that is stronger, more just, and more resilient for those who will follow us.”
Caring for all communities
Dr. Underwood’s physician origin story can be traced back to his roots in Northwest Indiana. As a shy, 10-year-old child with a stutter, his mother, grandmother and aunts called him into a room and told him he would be the family's doctor.
“They understood what I had not yet learned—that our family needed an advocate in the healthcare system,” Dr. Underwood said. “Not only for us. But for our community. For people whose voices too often went unheard.”
He credited his grandfather—who ran a small business on Chicago’s West Side serving socially and economically marginalized neighborhoods—with giving him perspective that his professional purpose must be guided not by prosperity or prestige but by responsibility to those in need.
Dr. Underwood’s journey in the AMA has been in service of the lessons. Yet, when he joined the organization in the mid-1990s he did so reluctantly, wondering if there was a place for people like him.
At his first AMA meeting in 1996, his viewpoint changed. Dr. Underwood saw physicians passionately advocating for their patients, engaging in thoughtful debates and showing deep respect for one another.
The AMA offered a venue where he could amplify the messages he learned in his childhood.
“I began to understand that medicine is not only what we do, but is what we become when we stand together in service of something larger than ourselves,” he said.
Rebuilding healthcare’s foundation
A prostate cancer diagnosis 14 years ago put Dr. Underwood in a position to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty that patients face on a daily basis. The few data points available were alarming rather than reassuring.
“As a urologist, I knew the statistics,” he said. “I knew Black men faced higher risk, later diagnosis and worse outcomes.”
The experience underscored the realities of gaps in care and how they can affect one’s quality of life and longevity.
“When outcomes are determined more by ZIP codes than diagnosis, the system is failing its promise,” Dr. Underwood said. “That is why conversations about health equity matter.”
In his closing remarks, Dr. Underwood said that with the U.S. health system at a point of crisis, physicians and the AMA have an opportunity to reshape it for future generations.
“Let us use our voices not to echo what has always been, but to build what must come next,” he said, adding: “The world is waiting for us to rise up, to stand up and to speak out. We can. We must. And we will.”
Read about the other highlights from the 2026 AMA Annual Meeting.
