Atlanta internal medicine physician Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD, won the office of American Medical Association (AMA) president-elect June 9. She was voted into office by physician and medical student delegates gathered at the 2026 AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago. Following a yearlong term as president-elect, Dr. Fryhofer will be inaugurated as AMA president in June 2027.
Dr. Fryhofer is graduate of Emory University School of Medicine where she is an adjunct clinical associate professor of medicine. She is a board member of the Medical Association of Atlanta (MAA) and a delegate of Medical Association of Georgia (MAG) House of Delegates.
MAG president Dr. Deborah Martin describes her reaction to Dr. Fryhofer’s election, “I’m excited and proud that my friend and colleague Dr. Sandra Fryhofer was chosen as the President-elect of the AMA this week. Working with her on the MAA board and MAG, I appreciate her ability to consider all sides on issues. Sandra uses her analytical engineering skills from GA Tech combined with her natural concern for patients, to approach problems. Her sincerity and conviction are always evident.”
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 patients and physicians. She was elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 2018 and served as board chair in 2022–2023. A member of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) since 1999, she was twice elected to the AMA Council on Science and Public Health, including a term as chair, and represented the council at the National Influenza Summit.
Dr. Fryhofer 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 vaccines to protect against COVID-19, influenza, HPV and other conditions, 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 in an AMA news release. “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.”
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.
A nationally recognized voice on healthcare topics, 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. She is also a contributing writer for the MAA journal, Atlanta Medicine.
