BIG Moment: First Person Of Indian-Origin Bobby Mukkamala Sworn In As Head Of American Medical Association

Indian-origin physician Bobby Mukkamala has been sworn in as the 180th president of the American Medical Association, becoming the first physician of Indian heritage to lead the organisation. Mukkamala, an otolaryngologist -- an ear, nose, and throat specialist -- took the oath on Tuesday, according to a statement by the association.

Mukkamala: A cancer warrior

Mukkamala has been active in the AMA since residency and is chair of the organisation's Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force. He was diagnosed with an 8-cm brain tumour last November. “A few months ago, I didn't know if this night would even be possible,” the release quoted him as saying.

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"To call this moment humbling doesn't capture it," said Bobby Mukkamala, MD, an otolaryngologist and the AMA's newly inaugurated 180th President. "It's moving. It's awe-inspiring," he said.

Cancer treatment costs 

Mukkamala went on to highlight that he, without question, benefited from the best possible treatment. But for many patients, the process of getting care comes with far more troubling questions than reassuring answers: whether insurance will cover a procedure, how much medication costs, or how long they will wait to see a specialist for something as serious as a lump in their neck, as per the statement.

"Our health system needs the input of many skilled physicians--physician leaders across every state and speciality--who are working together with incredible purpose and urgency," he said. "It needs the AMA more than ever, with leaders in our profession speaking with one firm and commanding voice."

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He played a central role in the response to the water crisis in his hometown of Flint, Michigan -- where his parents settled after moving from India in the early 1970s. "The son of two immigrant physicians, Dr. Mukkamala was inspired to go into medicine and return to his hometown of Flint to serve the community that welcomed his family decades before," said the statement.

Mukkamala also served as chair of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint with a focus on funding projects to mitigate the effects of lead on children. He is a past recipient of the AMA Foundation's “Excellence in Medicine” Leadership Award and was elected to the AMA Council on Science and Public Health in 2009. He also served as its chair from 2016 to 2017 before being elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 2017 and 2021.

Mukkamala graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School and completed his residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago.