Atlanta internist Sandra Fryhofer, MD, chosen as AMA president-elect

CHICAGO - Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD, a board-certified physician in internal medicine, was selected by her peers as president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA). A longtime champion of public health and physician advocacy, Dr. Fryhofer maintains a full-time general internal medicine practice in Atlanta and serves as an adjunct associate professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine.

For more than two decades, Dr. Fryhofer has been a trusted leader within the AMA, serving in key roles and advancing work on behalf of physicians and patients. She was elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 2018 and served as board chair in 2022-23. A member of the AMA House of Delegates since 1999, she was twice elected to the Council on Science and Public Health, including a term as chair, and represented the council on the National Influenza Summit. She was also the first chair of the AMA's Gun Violence Task Force.

Dr. Fryhofer has spent many years as the AMA's liaison to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, contributing to national efforts related to COVID-19, influenza, HPV, and other vaccines, as well as broader adult immunization and public health initiatives.

"Patients are at the heart of everything we do as physicians, and there has never been a more important time to advocate for them," said Dr. Fryhofer. "Medicine is at its best when we put patients first and remain guided by science and evidence. We have a tremendous opportunity to improve public health and ensure every patient has access to high-quality care. I am honored to serve as president-elect as we continue that work together."

A nationally recognized medical communicator, Dr. Fryhofer has testified before Congress and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, served as a medical correspondent for CNN, authored the weekly Vital Signs column for CNN.com and created the Medicine Matters and Staying Well series for Medscape.

Beyond her work with the AMA, Dr. Fryhofer served as president of the American College of Physicians (ACP). When elected in 2000, she became the youngest person and only the second woman to serve in that role. She also served on the ACP Board of Regents, chaired its Committee on Women's Health, participated on its Education Committee and served as national spokesperson for ACP's Doctors for Adults public education campaign.

Dr. Fryhofer earned her medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine and her bachelor's degree in chemical engineering with high honors from Georgia Institute of Technology. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, George, a retired attorney. Their son is an orthopedic surgeon, and their daughter, a graduate of Yale University's joint JD/MBA program, works in technology investing.