Physicians and medical students at the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates last week elected Willie Underwood III, M.D., MSc, M.P.H., a urologic surgeon based in Buffalo, N.Y., as the new president-elect of the nation’s largest physician organization. Following a year-long term as president-elect, Dr. Underwood will be inaugurated AMA president in June 2026
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, served as AMA board chair from 2023 to 2024, and previously served as chair of the AMA Resident and Fellow Section.
“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,” said Dr. Underwood. “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.”
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 board of commissioners of The Joint Commission. 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.
Dr. Underwood earned his undergraduate degree in biology from Morehouse College and graduate degrees in cell biology and anatomy, and health management and policy, from State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University and the University of Michigan School of Public Health, respectively. He received his medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University and his general surgery and urologic surgery training at the University of Connecticut Health Center. After his residency, Dr. Underwood became one of the first five urologists to be admitted into the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program.
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