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First orthopedic hand surgeon named 171st president of the AMA
AMA president encourages colleagues to get involved in the organization by creating policy.
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In June 2016, Andrew W. Gurman, MD, was inducted as the 171st president of the AMA, making him the second orthopedic surgeon and first hand surgeon to hold this position.
“I think this is a tremendous honor, to be able to do this work,” Gurman told Orthopedics Today.
AMA presidency
Gurman began his career in physician advocacy at the Pennsylvania House of Delegates, where he served as vice speaker and speaker for a total of 8 years. In June 2007, he was elected as vice speaker for the AMA and served 4 years in that position before being elected speaker for the organization. In June 2015, Gurman became president elect for the AMA.
“I got hooked early on by mentors who brought me in to the Pennsylvania Medical Society and other people who suggested I do this or that, and it turns out that I had some ability to preside over a deliberative assembly, which is what the speakers do. I made a career out of that and that led to the presidency,” Gurman said.
During his 1-year term as president, Gurman noted he would like to stress the importance about political advocacy as part of professionalism to physicians.
“[Political advocacy] is a professional responsibility, as important as keeping up with our CME and with our profession,” he said. “It is also as important to be involved in advocating on behalf of our patients and ourselves.”
Other areas of interest for Gurman include bringing the message of what the AMA is doing out beyond the medical world, as well as talking about opioids and the epidemic of prescription drug diversion and overdose. He also aims to encourage orthopedic surgeons to become involved in the AMA in creating policy and discussing important issues that involve the entire medical community.
“On things like Medicare payment reform and to some extent on opioids and other broad brush issues, the AMA is the lead dog in the pack, and it is important for orthopedic surgeons to be involved in creating the policy that drives what the AMA does,” Gurman said.
Orthopedic career
Gurman attended State University of New York Upstate Medical University and completed his general surgery internship and orthopedic residency at Montefiore Hospital and Albert Einstein Medical Center.
“I was exposed to orthopedics early in my medical school career, and I was enamored of the ability to restore function,” Gurman said.
Fascinated with the technical challenge of hand surgery, he attended the Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopedic Institute for his hand surgery fellowship.
“The hand gives life to what the heart feels and what the mind sees, and I was very taken with the poetry in that, in being able to restore that,” Gurman said.
Along with being elected president of the AMA, Gurman was also named one of Modern Healthcare’s top 100 most influential people in health care for 2016. Ranked at number 27, Gurman is the second highest ranking physician on the list.
“It is a testament not to me; it is a testament to the AMA and to the importance of the AMA and our national health debate,” he said. – by Casey Tingle
- For more information:
- Andrew W. Gurman, MD, can be reached at the American Medical Association, AMA Plaza, 330 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60611; email: andrew.gurman@ama-assn.org.
Disclosure: Gurman reports no relevant financial disclosures.