FLINT, Mich. (Diya TV) — Dr. Srinivas “Bobby” Mukkamala has been elected as the 180th president of the American Medical Association (AMA), the first person of Indian descent and the first South Asian to serve as leader of the organization in its 178-year history.
The historic swearing-in ceremony occurred at the AMA’s House of Delegates meeting in Chicago on June 6-11. Describing the experience as “moving” and “awe-inspiring,” in his moving speech, Dr. Mukkamala spoke on the occasion.
“To describe this moment as humbling doesn’t do it justice,” he said. “This night—this award—opportunity to improve healthcare seemed like a distant dream as I lay recovering from brain surgery at the Mayo Clinic, with tubes and cables monitoring every move I made” (American Medical Association).
Dr. Mukkamala, 53, is an otolaryngologist in Flint, Michigan, where he has been practicing medicine for more than two decades with his wife, Dr. Nita Kulkarni, an obstetrician-gynecologist. He holds his medical degree from the University of Michigan and finished his residency at Loyola University in Chicago before moving back to his hometown to work for his community. The couple has two sons: Deven, a political science Ph.D. student, and Nikhil, a biomedical engineer.
His path to AMA presidency was dramatically altered in late 2023 when physicians found an 8-centimeter tumor in his left temporal lobe while he was undergoing an MRI. He was operated on at the Mayo Clinic only three weeks after diagnosis. The AMA substantiated this brush with death in a recent report, applauding the resilience and grit Mukkamala displayed in the face of a life-threatening situation.
That personal experience has only strengthened his passion for patient advocacy and healthcare reform. “Our patients are entitled to better. Our doctors are entitled to better. Our country deserves better,” he declared in his inauguration speech.
Mukkamala has been an active member of the AMA for a long time, where he had previously chaired the Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force. Here, he targeted the opioid epidemic, enhancing addiction care and responsible pain management.
Throughout his career, he has championed equitable access to care, especially in underserved communities like Flint, which has grappled with significant public health challenges. “I’ve seen firsthand how structural disparities hurt people in communities like mine,” he said. “We need sustainable, fair healthcare approaches that leave no one behind.”
As the president of AMA, Mukkamala hopes to promote greater government investment in public health, more research funding, and lower-cost, accessible care for every American. He will use his own family’s immigrant experience and his strong connection to Flint to create a healthcare system founded on the principles of equity, inclusion, and compassion.
The AMA’s official X (formerly Twitter) account marked the occasion, posting, “Please join us in celebrating the inauguration of Bobby Mukkamala, MD, the 180th president of #OurAMA.”
With a combination of clinical acumen, personal strength, and four decades of leadership in organized medicine, Dr. Mukkamala begins the job with a strong vision—and a profoundly personal appreciation for why healthcare reform is necessary.
