BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo physician Dr. Willie Underwood III has been named the new president of the American Medical Association, placing a Western New York doctor at the helm of the nation's largest physician organization.
"This moment may bear my name, but it was built by many hands," Underwood said during the ceremony announcing his election.
Underwood was elected president of the American Medical Association after serving as president-elect following the organization's annual meeting in Chicago. He has practiced medicine in Western New York for nearly two decades and has held several leadership positions within the AMA, including chair of its Board of Trustees.
"Buffalo is partially responsible for my growth and development that helped me get here," Underwood said.
As he begins his tenure leading the AMA, Underwood said he plans to focus on some of the biggest challenges facing the health care system.
"We have a system that is dysfunctional and broken, and we have barriers that prevent us from providing top-notch care to patients, and that's in rural areas and urban areas," Underwood said.
Among his priorities are reducing insurance-related administrative hurdles, addressing physician burnout and reforming a Medicare payment system that he says is failing both doctors and patients.
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"Doing more with less, when you put that all together, it means we don't have the time and infrastructure to sit with someone, listen to them, hear them and understand their situation and provide the care that they need," Underwood said.
For Buffalo, his election places a local physician on the national stage and gives Western New York a voice in major health care policy discussions.
Underwood said his connection to the community remains central to his work.
"I love the community, and I know the community deserves to be healthy," he said. "We love our chicken wings and pizza, but the truth is, we want longevity of life."
