Throughout its 178-year existence, the AMA has built a legacy as an organization that has evolved to meet the changing needs of physicians and patients. At the 2025 AMA Interim Meeting’s opening session tonight in National Harbor, Maryland, new CEO John Whyte, MD, MPH, laid out a vision for redefining that legacy and growing stronger amid challenging times for health care.
In his first formal remarks to the House of Delegates since taking over as the organization’s day-to-day leader in July, Dr. Whyte offered a bold plan that will allow the AMA to actively lead and adapt to the rapidly changing health care landscape, while protecting the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship.
“The future of the AMA is not something we wait for. It’s something we shape, with urgency and unity,” he said to applause. “At the heart of our work is you, the physician.”
“The practice of medicine today is tougher than ever. Administrative burdens continue to climb. Burnout remains dangerously high. And new challenges—from workforce shortages to the explosion of generative AI—are reshaping how we practice care.” (Read Dr. Whyte's speech.)
“But here’s the good news; we are not bystanders. We are architects.”
Standing up for science
The blueprint laid out by Dr. Whyte put the AMA’s advocacy efforts and role as an authority on evidence-based medicine at its foundation. Its implementation includes a new strategy that gives the AMA clear, amplified messaging in the increasingly noisy discourse around public health and health system reform.
“We’re elevating science-based policy,” Dr. Whyte said. “We’re supporting public health messaging. And I’m sure ... you have all seen numerous statements we have issued and an ambitious social medial strategy, all backed by action. And we are fiercely defending the patient-physician relationship from interference, whether it comes from politics, algorithms or bureaucracy.”
Protecting the profession’s integrity and leading the charge on patient safety is nothing new for the AMA. Dr. Whyte pointed out how the AMA fought medical quackery—the numerous potions and concoctions that promised to cure disease and prolong life—in the early 20th century.
“We led by focusing on science and encouraging people to talk to their doctor,” Dr. Whyte said. “Well, what’s old is new again. Because that’s what we’re doing right now.”
Physician-shaped solutions
In championing the AMA’s continued evolution, Dr. Whyte highlighted the AMA’s new Community Health Impact Lab micro grants. Announced this week, the $1 million program offers $50,000 in funding for up to 20 physician-led initiatives focused on addressing urgent and unique health-related challenges faced by patient populations within their local communities.
The grants will empower physicians to drive change through creative, community-centered solutions, whether tackling food insecurity, expanding caregiving support, improving maternal health or addressing other critical local health needs.
“This program is about innovative solutions led by those who know their communities best—doctors on the front lines. You want to solve the problems of health care, let physicians do their job,” Dr. Whyte said, prompting a large round of applause. “Let us be unencumbered by excessive regulation and administrative burden.”
“Our vision is a health system that is inclusive, just and grounded in our oath to serve all.”
In citing the potential benefits in evolving technologies such as wearable devices, AI diagnostics and virtual care, Dr. Whyte said incorporating technology is necessary to achieve optimal health outcomes for patients, but it must be done responsibly.
With the launch of the AMA Center for Digital Health and AI in October, the Association has taken proactive steps to put physicians at the center of shaping, guiding and implementing the augmented intelligence tools and other technologies that are transforming medicine.
“The AMA believes technology should extend the human touch, not replace it. We believe in guardrails, not blind adoption. And we’re leading national efforts to shape ethical standards for AI in health care,” Dr. Whyte said. “Innovation without humanity is not progress, it’s peril.
“Physicians must be leaders in AI because we understand the needs of patients better than anyone. …
We must lead conversations about AI policy and regulation, workflow integration, education and training. And we must do this as one medical community—one family—so that we unlock the extraordinary potential of this technology.”
Protecting the “soul of medicine”
The AMA’s approach to reshaping the health care system must include the next generation of physician leaders, Dr. Whyte said. By taking a visionary and vigilant approach, the AMA can better show future physicians that it represents and reflects their values.
“If we are to remain the unified voice of medicine, we must listen deeply, adapt courageously and welcome broadly,” Dr. Whyte said. “We must work together, because truly together we have more power.
“The future of the AMA must belong to the next generation—not just as members, but as leaders.”
The breadth of the AMA House of Delegates, and the Association’s membership more broadly, includes physicians from different generations, specialties, practice settings and ideologies. Those differences in perspective make the body stronger when they can rally behind the organization’s mission.
“We come together for something bigger than ourselves,” Dr. Whyte said. “We are not just protecting a profession. We are protecting the sacred bond between doctor and patient. We are guarding the soul of medicine.”
It is with that unity of purpose that physicians can guide the future of the AMA and the practice of medicine.
“Where do we go from here?” Dr. Whyte said. “We keep fighting. We keep evolving. We keep leading. We strive for impact in our relentless pursuit of a healthier America.
“We speak with moral clarity. We act with strategic strength. We honor our past by building our future. And we do it together. Each step of the way.
“Because this is our calling. This is our charge. This is the future of our AMA.”
Read about the other highlights from the 2025 AMA Interim Meeting.
