Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH, a urological surgeon from Buffalo, New York, won the office of president-elect of the AMA today. He was voted into office Tuesday by physician and medical student delegates gathered at the 2025 AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago. Following a year-long term as president-elect, Dr. Underwood will be inaugurated as AMA president in June 2026.
“It is an incredible honor to be chosen by my peers to represent physicians and the patients we serve at this critical moment for health care and medicine,” Dr. Underwood said in a statement. “The AMA is leading the way in fighting for a rational Medicare payment system, to rein in prior authorization, and reduce physician burnout. I will stand up to advocate for our profession in a way that will inspire, motivate, and activate physicians to join the AMA in our efforts to improve the health of our nation.”
Dr. Underwood has more than 25 years of experience in urologic surgery, including more than 15 years in robotic urologic surgery. He was elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in June 2019, chaired the AMA Board of Trustees from 2023 to 2024, and previously chaired the AMA Resident and Fellow Section.
In addition to his leadership roles within the AMA, Dr. Underwood has served as president of the Erie County (New York) Medical Society. He was also a member of both the AMA and National Medical Association Commission to End Health Care Disparities, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s Urology Residency Review Committee, and the American Urological Association Public Policy Council. Dr. Underwood also served as a board member for Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western and Northeastern New York, as well as for The Joint Commission’s the board of commissioners. He is the co-founder of KAPS Biotechnology LLC and holds patents for co-developing a biomarker for prostate cancer.
His medical expertise has led him to co-author more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and published abstracts, and has garnered him speaker and active-presenter appearances in grand rounds, webinars and TV and radio interviews.
3 physicians elected to Board of Trustees
The newly elected physician trustees—elected to four-year terms—are Sheila Rege, MD, and Marta J. Van Beek, MD, MPH. Pauline Huynh, MD, was elected to the resident physician position on the board. She will serve a two-year term.
Based in Washington, Dr. Rege is a private practice radiation oncologist with more than 35 years of experience in medicine and an AMA member since 1987. She has been elected twice to the AMA Council on Medical Service and brings to the AMA board deep expertise in the issues of health care payment systems and advocacy.
In addition to roles within the AMA, Dr. Rege is a clinical associate professor at Washington State University at Tri-Cities and has been a mentor at the Creative Destruction Lab, a global initiative supporting science and tech startups. She is past chair of the Washington State Health Technology Committee and has been a member of the Washington State Medical Association Board of Trustees for more than 20 years. Dr. Rege has served as president of the American College of Radiation Oncology, was previously the medical director for the western region of a large physician multispecialty group and worked in an urban academic center as the director of research in radiology at Louisiana State University Shreveport.
“I am deeply honored to be elected to the AMA Board of Trustees,” said Dr. Rege. “At a time when physicians are navigating unprecedented pressures—from misinformation to mounting administrative burdens—I’m committed to bringing practical, ethical leadership.
“I will advocate to protect physician autonomy and ensure patients—regardless of ZIP code, race, or income—receive high-quality, compassionate care,” she added. “I believe physicians must lead the integration of new technologies like AI to enhance patient care without compromising the human side of medicine. I’m especially focused on advancing Medicare and Medicaid reforms, reducing red tape, and amplifying the voices of frontline physicians. As new federal policies and executive actions emerge, we must be proactive—shaping legislative change rather than reacting to it—and build a profession that empowers today’s and tomorrow’s physician leaders.”
Dr. Van Beek, a dermatologist from Iowa, has more than 20 years of experience in organized medicine, currently serving as chair of both the AMA Council on Legislation and the Dermatology Section Council. She also serves as a board member of the American College of Mohs Surgery, and surgical section chair of the Association of Professors of Dermatology.
Previously, Dr. Van Beek held various leadership positions with the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), including serving on its board of directors, as well as a six-year term as the organization’s operational and budgetary officer. Additionally, she helped AAD implement DataDerm, the world’s largest dermatology clinical data registry, to advocate against prior authorization, step therapy and narrow networks.
A practicing board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Van Beek has spent nearly a decade caring for patients, mentoring physicians in training and leading staff at University of Iowa (UI) Health Care, which is part of the AMA Health System Member Program. Dr. Van Beek serves as UI Health Care’s executive medical director of ambulatory care, overseeing the operations structure of 22 primary care and specialty clinics. She is also the fellowship director of Mohs surgery and dermatologic oncology, as well as associate program director of the dermatology residency at UI Health Care. Dr. Van Beek previously was chief of staff, serving as an ombudsmen for 2,500 clinical staff.
“I have been a fierce advocate for medicine for more than two decades at both the state and federal levels,” said Dr. Van Beek. “To effectively advocate for our patients and our profession, I believe that we must speak boldly with one voice. I am honored to be elected to the AMA Board of Trustees so I can continue relentlessly communicating our story to policymakers and the public, particularly regarding scope of practice, prior authorization, Medicare payment reform and access to care for all patients.”
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Dr. Huynh, an otolaryngology resident at the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center in California, has been active in organized medicine since her first year of medical school.
“I am honored to be chosen by my colleagues to represent them on the AMA Board of Trustees,” said Dr. Huynh. “I look forward to working with the rest of our board to ensure that the AMA remains a relentless yet nimble force in safeguarding our patients, our profession and the sanctity of science and public health. Our unified voice is needed on critical issues regarding physician workforce protections, Medicare and Medicaid payment reform, government encroachment on the patient-physician relationship and funding protections for biomedical and public health research.”
The daughter of Vietnamese immigrants and a first-generation physician, Dr. Huynh has been active in numerous AMA roles since her first year of medical school. She served as chair of the AMA Resident and Fellow Section, delegate of the AMA Medical Student Section, delegate to the House of Delegates, and a councilor on the AMA Council on Constitution and Bylaws.
Throughout her tenure, she has championed issues including workforce protections, the patient-physician relationship and encroachment against evidence-based care, payment reform and access to care, and health equity. Beyond the AMA, Dr. Huynh has contributed to national health policy through her work with the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and through her involvement in state medical societies in California and Maryland.
Other election results
Both the speaker and vice-speaker of the AMA House of Delegates, continuing their service in those roles that began in June 2023. Lisa Bohman Egbert, MD, was reelected to the role of speaker of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD). An ob-gyn from Dayton, Ohio, Dr. Egbert previously served as the HOD’s vice speaker. 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.
Candidates also were elected to open positions on these AMA councils:
- AMA Council on Constitution and Bylaws: Jerry P. Abraham, MD, MPH; Mary Ann Contogiannis, MD; and Helene Nepomuceno, MD, (resident member).
- AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs: Michael J. Redinger, MD, and Ishaan Rischie (student member).
- AMA Council on Medical Education: Sherri Baker, MD; Lou Edje, MD, MHPE; Scott H. Pasichow, MD, MPH; David Savage, MD, PhD; Joey Whelihan, MD (resident member).
- AMA Council on Medical Service: Alain Chaoui, MD; Laura Faye Gephart, MD, MBA; and Hari Iyer, MD (resident member).
- AMA Council on Science and Public Health: Kavita Shah Arora, MD, MBE, MS; and Jennifer Bryan, MD.
Learn more about the AMA elections and catch up with the other highlights from the 2025 AMA Annual Meeting.
