AMA Elects Sandra Fryhofer President for 320,000 Doctors as RFK Jr. Vaccine Fight Deepens
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 11
AMA Elects Sandra Fryhofer President for 320,000 Doctors as RFK Jr. Vaccine Fight Deepens
1 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 11
Summary
Sandra Fryhofer won the AMA presidency Tuesday, signaling the largest U.S. doctors’ group is ready to confront Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. more aggressively.
Nearly 20 years as the AMA’s liaison to the CDC vaccine advisory panel made Fryhofer a clear vaccine-standard bearer after Kennedy overhauled that committee last June.
More than 320,000 physician members were represented in a vote many doctors described as a referendum on whether the AMA should stop trying to accommodate Kennedy and Trump.
Outgoing president Bobby Mukkamala defended his approach, saying the AMA had repeatedly criticized Kennedy’s vaccine actions even while seeking influence on Medicare fees and insurer disputes.
Doctors interviewed by POLITICO said Medicaid cuts, measles outbreaks and Kennedy’s push to shrink the vaccine schedule have pushed pocketbook concerns behind a broader public-health fight.