AMA in the News: June 2025

AMA in the News covers media coverage and mentions about the American Medical Association. Find articles recognizing our efforts in health care, advocacy, medical education and improvements in public health. Read coverage on the achievements of our leadership and the members of the AMA community.

1. Vaccine Expert: RFK Jr.'s "handpicked replacements lack experience and expertise"

   1. CNN, June 30, 2025
   2. Sandra Fryhofer, MD, former chair of the American Medical Association, talks with CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown about her concerns about the new CDC vaccine advisory panel.

2. Unusual pushback, ‘dangerous precedent’: What the first meeting of Kennedy’s CDC advisers reveals about the future of vaccines in America

   1. CNN, June 27, 2025
   2. “Recent changes to federal immunization review processes raised concerns across the medical and public health community. In this moment of uncertainty, physicians must align around clear, evidence-based guidance for patients,” dozens of major medical associations—including the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians—wrote in an open letter about the meeting.

3. U.S. stops donating to global vaccine group

   1. MSNBC Morning Joe, June 26, 2025
   2. "Just in the last 24 hours, Jonathan, there's been a lot of movement across civil society. The American Medical Association with 78 medical societies came together and vociferously backed existing guidelines for seasonal vaccines against COVID, RSV, Flu."

4. Bobby Mukkamala: First Indian origin elected as president of American Medical Association

   1. CNN India, June 25, 2025
   2. From fighting his personal health battle to using that experience for healthcare equity and access, he shares his inspiring journey on #TheBreakfastClub.

5. Short on specifics, insurers’ new prior authorization pledge draws skepticism

   1. Medscape, June 25, 2025
   2. “Patients and physicians will need specifics demonstrating that the latest insurer pledge will yield substantive actions to bring immediate and meaningful changes, break down unnecessary roadblocks, and keep medical decisions between patients and physicians,” said Bobby Mukkamala, MD, president, American Medical Association, in a statement.

6. Health insurers vow—again—to fix prior authorization process. Here’s what to know

   1. Time, June 24, 2025
   2. Almost one in three physicians report that prior authorization requests are frequently or always denied, and about 75% said the number of denials has increased somewhat or significantly over the last five years, according to a 2024 survey (PDF) conducted by the American Medical Association.

7. Preserving scientific integrity in vaccine policy: The role of, and risk to, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

   1. Annals of Internal Medicine, June 24, 2025
   2. Liaison organizations, including the American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and many others, represent clinicians and advocates who care directly for patients, seek better health outcomes and see the consequences of vaccine decisions.

8. Insurance companies announce changes to prior authorization process

   1. NBC Nightly News, June 24, 2025
   2. Insurance companies require doctors to get approval before providing some care to patients, a process known as prior authorization. Doctors and patients alike are often frustrated by the process, which can lead to delays in care. Now, the organization that represents insurance companies has pledged changes to the way it works.

9. Buffalo's Dr. Willie Underwood elected to AMA leadership post

   1. WGRZ, June 23, 2025
   2. Underwood was installed as the American Medical Association's president-elect in mid-June and will become president next year. He has served on the AMA board since 2019, including a stint as chair of the organization's Board of Trustees.

10. Brain surgery and D.C. Strategy: A Q&A with AMA President Bobby Mukkamala

    1. Medpage Today, June 19, 2025
    2. The American Medical Association (AMA) inaugurated Bobby Mukkamala, MD, an otolaryngologist from Flint, Michigan, as its 180th president on Tuesday.

11. Perspectives on Medicare: Physicians, patients, politicians, analysts react to report

    1. Medical Economics, June 19, 2025
    2. Medicare needs to change the way it pays physicians or patients are going to lose access to care, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).

12. Flint doctor president of American Medical Association after brain tumor surgery

    1. Detroit Free Press, June 15, 2025
    2. Bobby Mukkamala, MD, an otolaryngologist from Flint, was sworn in June 9 as president of the American Medical Association. Mukkamala was diagnosed in November with an 8-centimeter cancerous tumor in his brain, and underwent surgery Dec. 13 at the Mayo Clinic. Now, Mukkamala says he is ready to lead the AMA through politically challenging times.

13. AMA calls for ACIP answers, stable federal funding

    1. Medscape, June 13, 2025
    2. Leaders and delegates at this week’s American Medical Association (AMA) annual meeting called for more stable funding for medical care and research, and a U.S. Senate investigation into unprecedented changes to a federal vaccine advisory panel.

14. We established AI guardrails for our health system. Why you should, too. | Viewpoint

    1. Chief Healthcare Executive, June 11, 2025
    2. According to the American Medical Association, physicians spend nearly two hours on documentation and administrative duties for every hour of patient care. They spend an additional hour or two nightly doing computer or clerical work.

15. New AMA President credits NIH research for his brain tumor drug

    1. Medpage Today, June 11, 2025
    2. But last November, the then-president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA) wasn't sure he'd live long enough to attend the organization's annual June meeting, much less get sworn in to his elected office.

16. AMA taps 180th president

    1. Becker’s Hospital Review, June 11, 2025
    2. The American Medical Association named Bobby Mukkamala, MD, as its 180th president. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

17. Bobby Mukkamala sworn in as AMA president; New York urologist voted in as president-elect

    1. Fierce Healthcare, June 10, 2025
    2. The American Medical Association underwent its annual leadership change on Tuesday, inaugurating otolaryngologist Bobby Mukkamala, MD, as the 180th president of the nation’s largest physician association.
    3. The organization’s House of Delegates, composed of its member physicians and residents, also chose urologic surgeon Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH, as its president-elect. Underwood will assume the presidency in June 2026. 

18. AMA sets guardrails on physician health data to curb burnout

    1. Medical Economics, June 10, 2025
    2. The American Medical Association (AMA) has approved a new policy to regulate how personal and biological data from physicians can be collected and used in efforts to address professional burnout.

19. RFK Jr. boots all members of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee

    1. NPR, June 9, 2025
    2. The American Medical Association said Kennedy's decision undermines "trust and upends a transparent process that has saved countless lives." The president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America called the allegation about the integrity of the committee "completely unfounded."

20. RFK Jr. ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory committee

    1. Associated Press, June 9, 2025
    2. Bruce A. Scott, MD, president of the American Medical Association, called the committee a trusted source of science- and data-driven advice and said Kennedy’s move, coupled with declining vaccination rates across the country, will help drive an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases.