Candidate for election at 2026 Annual Meeting: Marilyn Heine, MD

Elections will be held at the Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates on June 9, 2026.

Officers and five councils are elected by the American Medical Association House of Delegates (HOD) at the Annual Meeting. Elections for contested contests are held during a special election session under the supervision of the Committee on Rules and Credentials and the chief teller, who are appointed by the speakers. Voting is conducted by secret ballot.

Marilyn Heine, MD

Candidate for AMA Board of Trustees

Term: 2026-2030

Esteemed leader with a tireless work ethic

Champion for physicians, patients and public health

Dr. Heine is uniquely qualified for reelection to our AMA Board of Trustees. 

AMA, National: Dr. Heine served as chair of the AMA Board’s Awards and Nominations Committee where she was instrumental in strengthening AMPAC and enhancing the awards program. She was chair of the AMA Council on Legislation and played a key role in developing AI principles and privacy guidelines that led to AMA policy. Also a former member of the AMPAC board, Mobility Caucus Executive Committee and Private Practice Physicians Congress Governing Council where she helped see to fruition its transition to a section. 

Dr. Heine represents AMA on the CAQH CORE Board and the Da Vinci Clinical Advisory Council where she works to enhance interoperability, try to fix prior authorization, and streamline the business of medical practice. 

She has held leadership roles in national specialty societies and the Federation of State Medical Boards. During medical school, Dr. Heine worked at the National Institutes of Health as a participant in the Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program of the U.S. Public Health Service.

A national spokesperson on scope of practice, prior authorization reform, AI, personalized medicine, and effective advocacy, she has presented keynotes on these topics. 

State: Dr. Heine served as president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED), president of the PA College of Emergency Physicians and chair of PAMPAC. 

PA’s governors appointed her to the Commonwealth’s Health Care Reform Implementation Advisory Committee, PA’s eHealth Collaborative and the State Board of Medicine whose members elected her to serve as chair.

She is a keen listener, an accessible and responsive communicator and a consensus builder who is inclusive of diverse perspectives. As PAMED’s Telehealth Task Force chair, she convened a wide range of interested persons to draft telehealth legislation with vital safeguards.

County: A former president of the Bucks County Medical Society, Dr. Heine continues to serve on the Executive Committee where she has guided the organization through management changes, ensures a strong voice for the delegation at the PAMED House and is editor-in-chief of the newsletter. She promotes physician wellness and helped to lead her county medical society’s “Heal the Healer” programs.

Awards: Dr. Heine has received many accolades, including the inaugural AMPAC Award for Political Participation, AMA WPS Inspiration Award, ASCO Advocacy Champion and ACEP’s awards for Excellence in Health Policy and Outstanding Contribution to Emergency Medicine.

Tenacious advocate for physicians and patients

Proven track record as an accomplished advocate

Dr. Heine's experience informs her advocacy: She is in clinical practice, primarily in urgent care, with expertise in emergency medicine and hematology oncology, and has worked in private practice and employed models, urban and non-urban locations, community-based, hospital and academic settings. She is clinical assistant professor of medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine and completed the Leadership Academy at Kellogg School of Management Executive Programs, Northwestern University.

She advocates for safeguarding the patient-physician relationship, restoring clinical autonomy and strengthening public health.

Federal: Dr. Heine testified before Congress that quality measures for physicians should be developed by physicians and achievable regardless of resources. She advised a U.S. president and chairs a Congressional Physicians Advisory Board where she is a strong bipartisan leader.

State: As PAMED president, she led its successful campaign to block the hospital association’s plans to expand scope of practice for nonphysicians. She testified before the state legislature on scope of practice, health system reform, fair contracting and women’s health. As chair of PAMPAC, Dr. Heine spearheaded its unprecedented growth to support physician-friendly candidates.

County: As a member of the Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership Board, she helped to initiate the free clinic programs that cared for thousands of community residents. She developed the Lower Bucks County Coalition to Save Pennsylvania Medicine that engaged seniors, the business community and physicians to successfully advance medical liability reform.

Media: She expertly advocates on social and print media. She has spoken at state and national press conferences on medical liability reform. In recognition of her role as a media spokesperson on health care, she is an associate member of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia.

Dr. Heine motivates colleagues and legislators to act. Here are examples:

• When Congress was about to vote on a patient protection measure, her congressman was on the fence, but said he cared what seniors thought. Dr. Heine developed a pink post card campaign that involved senior women. The congressman said, “The deluge of pink post cards convinced me to vote yes.”
• She inspired colleagues to write 600 letters to members of Congress that she coordinated and hand delivered to advance Medicare physician payment reform.
• When Congress was debating antitrust reform, she engaged colleagues to reach out to their congressman who became a champion who helped to ensure its passage in the House.

Dedicated mentor for medical students and physicians

Helps others to strategically reach their goals

Dr. Heine listens thoughtfully and assists medical students and physicians to strategically advance their goals. She identifies opportunities where she can amplify their voices.

A champion for our future leaders, Dr. Heine has presented at the AMA's “What I Wish I Knew When I Was in Medical School.” She served as a mentor for the AMA Foundation Leadership Development Institute (LDI). In the spotlight, her mentee Nicole Uzzo, DO, wrote:

“As the first in my family to pursue a medical career, I often felt overwhelmed and intimidated. I struggled to find a mentor I connected with–someone who shared similar interests, forged a unique career path, and remained eager and excited to work with a new generation of physician…until I met Dr. Heine.

“Dr. Heine took time to understand me, personally and professionally. She recognized the value in my experiences and encouraged me to share my story with others, especially during residency interview season. As a soon-to-be EM/IM resident physician, Dr. Heine supported my pursuit of a dual program and worked to connect me with peers, colleagues, and mentors in both Emergency and Internal Medicine. She appreciated my vision and wanted me to feel supported throughout this process.

“Dr. Heine inspired me to get more involved in organized medicine and to share my clinical experiences to make a larger impact…With Dr. Heine, I witnessed leadership in action. I observed firsthand how to work with others with similar values and visions and recognized the importance of uplifting others along the way.”

As a member of the AMPAC Board and chair of its Committee on Political Education and Communication, Dr. Heine led the effort to ensure designated seats for medical students as part of AMPAC’s political education programs.

Through her regional and national presentations, she mentors groups on “building your social media network one post at a time,” and “How YOU Can Be an Effective Leader in Organized Medicine.”

ACEP presented Dr. Heine with the 2025 James D. Mills Outstanding Contribution to Emergency Medicine Award with the inscription, “In recognition of your significant contributions, distinguished leadership, dedication, and inspiration as a mentor and role model for all emergency physicians.” 

Lauren Kramer, DO; YPS member; former chair, PAMED RFS, wrote: “Dr. Heine provides compassionate care to patients and is a champion for our profession. She has been a valuable mentor of mine since I was in medical school. She helped guide my career path and is an excellent role model as I engage in advocacy. A particularly memorable time was when we visited Congress and we advocated increasing support for GME. She leads by example.”

Additional resources

• Visit the AMA elections page for information on other candidates running for office.
• Find up to date information for the June Annual Meeting of the HOD.