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.
Niva M. Lubin-Johnson, MD
Candidate for Council on Medical Service
Term: 2026-2030
History with organized medicine
Dr. Lubin-Johnson has an extensive history in organized medicine. Dr. Lubin-Johnson has consistently shown up, taking on committee, task force and leadership roles throughout her medical career. She has been an active member of many organizations on the national and state level, including:
- Long-time AMA and NMA member
- Illinois State Medical Society Alternate Delegate and Delegate for several terms
- Illinois Department of Health COVID-19 Equity Task Force
- Cook County Physicians Association, Prairie State Medical Society
- Cook County Health System Governing Board, NAACP and more.
Leadership roles in NMA, WPS, MAS and more
- President of the National Medical Association from 2018–2019
- Chair of the National Medical Association Board of Trustees from 2008–2009
- Co-Chair of AMA Truth, Reconciliation, Healing and Transformation Task Force from 2023–2025
- Chair of the AMA Women’s Physicians Section Governing Council from 2019–2021
- Chair of the AMA Minority Affairs Section Governing Council from 2014–2016
- Board of Directors, Southside Branch NAACP
- President of the Cook County Physicians Association
- President of the Prairie State Medical Society
Strengthened by colleagues
Why I want to serve
I am seeking the opportunity to serve on the Council on Medical Service because its work is central to the AMA’s mission of supporting physicians and improving health care delivery nationwide. With more than three decades of varied clinical and administrative experience and extensive service within the AMA, I have a deep understanding of the policy landscape and the challenges facing physicians across practice settings.
CMS’s charge to study socioeconomic factors influencing medical practice and to recommend policy solutions aligns with my professional work in health care leadership, community health and system reform. Experience on state task forces has equipped me to analyze complex socioeconomic issues and develop actionable, physician-centered recommendations.
Issues that I believe our CMS will provide guidance and policy include: practice viability, health care delivery transformation, patient access and affordability, technology, digital health, health equity and social drivers.
I would be honored to bring my clinical background, policy expertise, and long-standing commitment to AMA governance to the Council on Medical Service, and to contribute to policies that strengthen physician practice and advance the AMA’s strategic priorities.
Committed to the AMA
About me
I was raised by two hardworking parents in a middle-class neighborhood that produced several physicians, dentists, lawyers, engineers and other professionals on the same block. Medicine appealed to me as a vehicle to serve my community while utilizing my talents in math and science. After working as a retail pharmacist for six months, I decided to pursue a career in medicine.
My exposure to advocacy began with my mother at the age of twelve and was cultivated in college, medical school and later. My mother was a teacher and active in the Chicago Teachers Union. Knowing of the inequities in funding public school education at that time, she chose social justice activities that aligned with her concerns. She began going to the weekly meetings of Operation Breadbasket and took me with her, exposing me to the teachings of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.
I began membership in AMA and SNMA as a medical student and joined NMA after medical school. Wanting the best for the patients that I served and fairness for my physician colleagues cultivated my continued interest in advocacy. All my immediate family had chronic illnesses early in life and even lost their lives sooner than expected.
Part of my pursuit was a belief that I needed to make sure that I was doing all that I could for the betterment of their health care.
I look forward to the opportunity to bring my clinical insight, policy experience, collaborative leadership and passion for advocacy to the AMA Council on Medical Service.
Then and now
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.
