Atlanta internal medicine physician Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD, won the office of AMA president-elect on Tuesday. She was voted into office by physician and medical student delegates gathered at the 2026 AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago. Following a yearlong term as president-elect, Dr. Fryhofer will be inaugurated as AMA president in June 2027.
For more than two decades, Dr. Fryhofer has been a trusted leader within the AMA, serving in key roles and advancing work on behalf of patients and physicians. She was elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 2018 and served as board chair in 2022–2023. A member of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) since 1999, she was twice elected to the AMA Council on Science and Public Health, including a term as chair, and represented the council at the National Influenza Summit.
Dr. Fryhofer spent many years as the AMA’s liaison to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, contributing to national efforts related to vaccines to protect against COVID-19, influenza, HPV and other conditions, as well as broader adult immunization and public health initiatives.
“Patients are at the heart of everything we do as physicians, and there has never been a more important time to advocate for them,” said Dr. Fryhofer in an AMA news release. “Medicine is at its best when we put patients first and remain guided by science and evidence. We have a tremendous opportunity to improve public health and ensure every patient has access to high-quality care. I am honored to serve as president-elect as we continue that work together.”
Beyond her work with the AMA, Dr. Fryhofer served as president of the American College of Physicians (ACP). When elected in 2000, she became the youngest person and only the second woman to serve in that role. She also served on the ACP Board of Regents, chaired its Committee on Women’s Health, participated on its Education Committee and served as national spokesperson for ACP’s “Doctors for Adults” public education campaign.
A nationally recognized voice on healthcare topics, Dr. Fryhofer has testified before Congress and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, served as a medical correspondent for CNN, authored the weekly “Vital Signs” column for CNN.com and created the “Medicine Matters” and “Staying Well” series for Medscape.
5 physicians elected to Board of Trustees
Four physicians won spots on the Board of Trustees on Tuesday. Newly elected trustees Tripti Kataria, MD, and Heather A. Smith, MD, MPH, were joined in victory by Toluwalasé A. Ajayi, MD, and Marilyn Heine, MD, both current board members who won reelection.Amar Kelkar, MD, MPH, was elected to the young physician seat on the board—reserved for physicians who are under 40 or within their first eight years of practice after completing graduate medical training. All will serve four-year terms.
A pediatrician and a palliative medicine specialist in San Diego, Dr. Ajayi was elected to a second term on the board. She will chair the Board of Trustees for the upcoming year.
“I believe healthcare access must be real, not theoretical, and built on stable coverage, fair payment and fewer barriers to care. I believe in strengthening our physician workforce by expanding training pathways, supporting trainees from all walks of life, and fixing the friction that drives physicians out of practice. I believe in physician-led, patient-safe innovation that reduces burden and works for every patient,” Dr. Ajayi said in the AMA’s news release. “I am deeply honored to be reelected to, and now serve as chair of, the AMA Board of Trustees so I can continue working on behalf of physicians to help improve our healthcare system and improve health outcomes for our patients.”
Dr. Ajayi works in clinical practice as a newborn hospitalist and home-based physician for medically fragile children at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego and is an adult palliative medicine consultant at UC San Diego Health. She serves as a clinical professor at the University of California, San Diego, in both the departments of medicine and pediatrics, and directs the UC San Diego–Scripps Health palliative medicine fellowship program.
Dr. Heine, meanwhile, is an emergency medicine and hematology oncology physician in Abington, Pennsylvania, as well as a clinical assistant professor at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. This will be Dr. Heine’s second term on the board.
“This is a pivotal moment for medicine, and I believe the best solutions come from listening, working together, and keeping patients at the center of every decision,” Dr. Heine said in an AMA news release.. “Too often, unnecessary obstacles stand in the way of patient care. We have an opportunity to embrace innovation and technology to improve the way we work and strengthen patient care. I am honored to continue serving on the AMA Board of Trustees.”
Dr. Kataria is a Chicago-based anesthesiologist who brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in organized medicine to the board.
“Medicine is at an inflection point, and I am honored to be elected to the AMA Board of Trustees,” Dr. Kataria said in the AMA release. “I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to ensure physicians remain at the forefront of healthcare leadership, advocate for physician payment that reflects economic realities, address the burden of medical education debt, and preserve a practice environment that is sustainable, independent and rewarding. The future of medicine should be shaped by physicians, and I am committed to helping lead that effort.”
She now serves as president of the Illinois State Medical Society and chairs the AMA Council on Legislation. Dr. Kataria is in private practice in the Chicago area and also serves as manager of physician advisory solutions at R1 RCM, a leading provider of technology-enabled revenue cycle management services across hospitals, health systems and physician groups.
Dr. Smith is an ob-gyn from Rhode Island who has served as a member of the AMA House of Delegates since 2022. She also is a former president of the Rhode Island Medical Society, where she led efforts to strengthen primary care, reduce administrative burden and protect physician-led decision-making, guiding the organization through complex legislative and operational challenges.
“I am honored by the trust my colleagues have placed in me to serve on the AMA Board of Trustees at a pivotal time for medicine,” Dr. Smith said in the AMA’s news release. “Physicians continue to face growing administrative burdens, workforce challenges and barriers that threaten patient access to care. I look forward to working with physician leaders nationwide to strengthen our profession, improve patient care and ensure the AMA remains a strong voice for physicians and the patients we serve.”
Dr. Kelkar is a stem-cell transplantation physician in Boston, where he is an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. In his role at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Kelkar leads the adult gene-therapy program, directs of the Transplant Survivorship Clinic, and has been a member of the HOD for a decade, serving in various elected roles.
Other election results
Both the speaker and vice-speaker of the AMA House of Delegates will continue their service in those roles. Lisa Bohman Egbert, MD, reelected to the role of speaker, is an ob-gyn from Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Egbert’s counterpart, John H. Armstrong, MD, was reelected to the vice speaker position. Dr. Armstrong is a trauma surgeon, medical educator and Army veteran from Ocala, Florida.
- AMA Council on Constitution and Bylaws: Stuart J. Glassman, MD, MBA, and Steven C. Thornquist, MD.
- AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs: Christopher K. Wong, MD (resident/fellow position).
- AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs: Natalia Solenkova, MD, PhD.
- AMA Council on Medical Education: Mark Milstein, MD.
- AMA Council on Medical Service: Ravi Goel, MD, Michael Hanak, MD, and Steven Wang, MD, MBA.
- AMA Council on Science and Public Health: Joshua Cohen, MD, MPH, Dave Cundiff, MD, MPH, Laura Halpin, MD, PhD, Cynthia Romero, MD, and Abhi Dharan, MD (resident/fellow position).
Learn more about the candidates for AMA election and read about the other highlights from the 2026 AMA Annual Meeting.
