Bobby Mukkamala, M.D., sworn in as 180th AMA president

Bobby Mukkamala, M.D. © American Medical Association

Bobby Mukkamala, M.D., an otolaryngologist from Flint, Michigan, was sworn in as the 180^th president of the American Medical Association (AMA), emphasizing a deeply personal commitment to addressing urgent health care challenges facing the United States.

© American Medical Association

In remarks during his inauguration on June 10, 2025, Mukkamala candidly shared details of his recent battle with an 8-cm brain tumor, diagnosed in late November 2024.

“A few months ago, I didn’t know if this night would even be possible,” he told attendees at the AMA’s annual House of Delegates meeting in Chicago. “As I lay in recovery from brain surgery at the Mayo Clinic, with tubes and wires monitoring my every movement, this night — this honor — this opportunity to improve health care seemed a very distant dream.”

Mukkamala described his journey from physician to patient as transformative.

“I’ve changed because I have a better understanding of our health care system,” he said. Despite the system’s flaws, he credits his successful treatment to the skill of his physicians, family support and advancements in medical science made possible by government-supported research.

He also noted the stark disparity faced by many patients who encounter hurdles with insurance coverage, medication affordability and delays in specialist care. “Most patients who walk through our doors have a much different experience.”

Fighting for systemic change

Mukkamala vowed to use his presidency to advocate vigorously for equitable health care reforms. He identified key priorities:

• Adequate health coverage
• Rebuilding the physician workforce
• Reducing health care bureaucracy
• Removing barriers to care

“This is the work of the AMA,” he said, emphasizing that physicians need unified leadership to confront challenges like physician shortages, burnout and the excessive administrative burdens imposed by prior authorization processes.

“I believe physicians are built for moments like this,” Mukkamala said. “We are problem solvers. We are advocates. We are resilient. We are determined.”

A second-generation physician and the AMA’s first leader of Indian heritage, Mukkamala has a longstanding commitment to advocacy and community services. He played a key role in addressing the Flint water crisis, chairing the Community Foundation of Greater Flint to mitigate lead exposure in children. He is also a member of the Foundation for Flint, focusing on increasing access to high-quality early education for children exposed to lead. Recently, he was appointed as a trustee of the C.S. Mott Foundation, headquartered in Flint, promoting a just, equitable and sustainable society.

As chair of the AMA’s Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force, he has also championed evidence-based approaches to combat the opioid epidemic.

Flint: A microcosm of American health care challenges

Mukkamala graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School and completed his residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, but his personal and professional journey is deeply rooted in his hometown of Flint, a city emblematic of broader American health care disparities.

Returning to Flint with his wife, Nita Kulkarni, M.D., an obstetrician-gynecologist, Mukkamala established an independent practice and a scholarship fund, the Endowed Health Professions Scholarships, at the University of Michigan, Flint, in 2012. The couple viewed their return not just as an opportunity to serve but as a responsibility to help rebuild the community.

Mukkamala describes their decision to practice in Flint as both profoundly rewarding and immensely challenging due to pervasive public health issues.

“Post-industrial Flint [has] incredible and heartbreaking health disparities,” he explained during his inauguration speech. He specifically highlighted the city's deep struggles, stemming from widespread poverty, lack of investment and the devastating Flint water crisis caused by deteriorating lead pipes. These factors have contributed to elevated rates of obesity, chronic illnesses, cancers and alarming levels of infant and maternal mortality.

“Life expectancy in Flint is about 12 years shorter than its suburbs,” he noted, underscoring the severity of local health inequities.

His personal experience treating patients amid these challenges has sharpened his resolve to address systemic failures nationwide. “We want for [our patients] what every physician wants for those in our care: longer, healthier lives; timely access to care; abundant healthy foods, a steady paycheck and quality schools; health coverage that makes care affordable instead of the number one cause of bankruptcy,” he affirmed.

These Flint experiences, Mukkamala emphasized, reflect broader systemic issues across the United States, demanding urgent attention and reform.

Leading with ‘tumor wisdom’

In the aftermath of his diagnosis, Mukkamala began compiling reflections he calls “tumor wisdom” — insights gained from confronting mortality and the health care system’s limitations. He stressed the importance of empathy, timely care and reducing bureaucratic hurdles.

He concluded his speech by calling on physicians to unify and demand meaningful reforms. “We must speak with one voice to demand a better future for our patients and our profession,” he said.

Mukkamala will serve a one-year term as AMA president, taking the reins from Bruce A. Scott, M.D., who led for the past year.

The full text of Mukkamala's remarks from his inauguration address can be found here.