In honor of the American Medical Association (AMA) Special Meeting of the House of Delegates (HOD) on June 11–16, we wanted to provide a brief overview of the HOD for groups who do not currently participate.
The AMA states, “The House of Delegates (HOD) is the legislative and policy-making body of the American Medical Association. State medical associations and national medical specialty societies are represented in the HOD along with AMA sections, national societies such as American Medical Women’s Association, American Osteopathic Association and the National Medical Association, professional interest medical associations, and the federal services, including the Public Health Service. The HOD is composed of delegates selected by recognized constituent associations and specialty societies, and other delegates as provided by the AMA Bylaws.”
As the largest association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students in the United States, membership in the AMA and recognition in its House of Delegates represents an excellent opportunity for enhanced visibility and an amplified voice for your medical association or society.
According to the AMA, the HOD “represents the views and interests of a diverse group of member physicians from more than 170 societies. These delegates meet twice per year to establish policy on health, medical, professional and governance matters, as well as the principles within which the AMA’s business activities are conducted.”
At Affinity Strategies, we are well versed with and connected to the AMA. Our CEO, Liz Schumacher formerly served as Senior Legislative for the AMA, our VP, Strategy and Policy, Charlotte Grill has extensive experience with the AMA through her legislative and government affairs background, and our client, the American College of Medical Quality, is a current member of the HOD.
If you’re interested in your organization participating in the HOD, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:
- Current AMA membership
- Elected or selected by the principal governing body or the membership of the sponsoring organization
- At least one member of each delegation is encouraged to be involved in the governance of their sponsoring organization
Want to learn more? Visit https://www.ama-assn.org/house-delegates or contact Affinity Strategies for help with all your medical or healthcare association needs, including positioning your organization with the AMA.
