A note from the YPS chair
October 2026
From YPS Chair Anna Yap, MD
Making our time count
Colleagues and friends,
I’m looking forward to seeing many of you in Orlando on Nov. 6 for our 2026 YPS Interim Meeting at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort.
These meetings are an opportunity for us to come together, debate policy and help shape the direction of our AMA. But I also recognize what it takes for each of us to be there.
As young physicians, our time is limited. Attending an AMA meeting means time away from our patients, practices, families and everything else competing for our attention. Our governing council does not take that for granted. One of our priorities this year is making sure the time you spend with YPS is high-yield, meaningful and impactful.
That means more than running an efficient meeting. We want to create real opportunities for young physicians to influence AMA policy, give feedback directly to the people building AMA programs and resources, and make sure our perspectives are represented throughout the organization.
Bringing the young physician perspective into the AMA
Our governing council met in September for our annual retreat, and a major focus of our time together was how we can better connect YPS members with the broader work of the AMA.
We met with AMA's membership experience team to talk about how young physicians consume information, what actually gets our attention and how the AMA can better reach us and our colleagues.
At our June meeting, we also met with the AMA Career Advancement Collective to share feedback about what physicians early in our careers need as we navigate jobs, contracts, leadership opportunities, career transitions and the many different directions our careers can take. If you haven’t explored the collective yet, I encourage you to take a look at the resources available to support physicians throughout their careers.
These conversations are something I hope we continue to expand. YPS should not only be a place where we develop policy; it should also be a place where the rest of the AMA can hear directly from young physicians as it develops the programs, advocacy and resources intended to support us.
Looking ahead for YPS
We also spent time at our September retreat beginning to think about what comes next for YPS.
Our current 2021–2026 five-year YPS Strategic Plan focused on four broad areas: focus, communications, leadership development and active participation. We are now starting the process of developing the section’s next five-year strategic plan.
A major part of that process will be hearing from you. In the coming months, we’ll be asking YPS members for feedback about what young physicians need from this section, what has changed over the past five years, and where YPS can be most useful and impactful going forward.
For now, I mostly want to put this work on your radar. When we ask for your input, I hope you’ll share it candidly. We want the next strategic plan to reflect the needs and priorities of young physicians.
What’s happening across the AMA
Our board liaisons also joined us in September to share updates from the AMA Board of Trustees on several issues that directly affect physicians early in our careers.
The AMA continues to work on Medicaid coverage and financing, including concerns about new work requirements creating additional documentation burdens and causing eligible patients to lose coverage. The AMA is also engaged in work around vaccines and evidence-based medicine, as well as the growing role of AI and digital health in clinical practice.
There is also continued advocacy around medical education debt. In September, the AMA joined other national organizations in support of the REDI Act, which would allow residents to defer interest accrual on federal loans during training.
At the same time, the AMA Board of Directors is developing the organization’s broader strategic plan around five areas: advocacy, career, well-being, technology, and public health and access to evidence-based medicine. One part of that discussion particularly resonated with me: that our goals and metrics should ultimately reflect whether physicians experience the AMA as more effective, relevant and useful.
I think YPS has an important role in making sure the experiences and priorities of physicians early in our careers are part of that work.
See you in Orlando
As we head into November, my ask is simple: show up, participate and tell us what you think.
Bring your ideas to our policy discussions. Tell us what is working and what isn’t. And as we begin planning for the next five years of YPS, be ready to tell us what you want this section to become.
Our governing council is committed to listening, but even more importantly, to creating opportunities for your input to go somewhere.
I’m excited about what we can build together, and I look forward to seeing many of you in Orlando.
Contact us
If you have comments, questions or need additional information, please email us at [email protected] or post in the GroupMe.
