ACOG Members Bring Strong Leadership Voice to the 2026 AMA House of Delegates Annual Meeting

This week, physicians from across the United States convened at the AMA House of Delegates Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, to determine AMA policy on the most pressing issues affecting physicians and patients. ACOG’s 14-member delegation, led by delegation co-chairs Nita Kulkarni, MD, FACOG, and Kasandra Scales, MD, MPH, FACOG, and Vice Chair G. Sealy Massingill, MD, FACOG, continued to serve as a strong and respected leadership voice at the AMA. Guided by ACOG’s mission, vision, and values, they provided the valuable perspectives of ob-gyns and their patients.

Throughout the meeting, ACOG’s delegation—together with delegates from AAGL, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, as well as representatives from the American Urogynecologic Society and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine—continued to serve as the authority on policies affecting all those seeking ob-gyn care. ACOG’s presence was also strengthened by the many ob-gyns who participate in the AMA House of Delegates with their state society.

ACOG delegation members shared powerful testimonies that propelled a number of accomplishments at the Annual Meeting, including new AMA policies that …

• Direct the AMA to continue prioritizing Medicare physician payment reform as a top advocacy priority, while also increasing their advocacy to protect the Medicaid program
• Support the preservation and strengthening of maternal mortality review committees
• Reinforce the AMA’s continued support for COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, as well as restoring a balanced scientific perspective within CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
• Support strategies to increase capacity and access to maternal health services in rural communities, including by:
  • Increasing funding for physicians providing obstetric care in Maternity Care Target Areas
  • Modernizing the Conrad 30 Waiver Program for J-1 visa holders
  • Encouraging the Department of Defense to invest in access to care at military bases
• Advance ethical reproductive care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Affirm support for access to gender-affirming health care, including advocacy for new and restored research funding
• Ensure access to full HIV postexposure prophylaxis courses for survivors of sexual assault
• Expand support for women experiencing homelessness
• Support rapid inpatient stabilization and linkage to care for pregnant patients with opioid use disorders
• Align AMA policy with the latest available evidence on infant feeding options for HIV-seropositive individuals

ACOG congratulates ACOG delegate Heather Smith, MD, MPH, FACOG, who was elected by her fellow delegates to the AMA Board of Trustees following a very competitive race.

The size and strength of ACOG’s delegation in the AMA House of Delegates, which meets twice annually, is determined by the number of ACOG members who are also members of the AMA. Help us strengthen our presence even more: Join the AMA today and designate your specialty as obstetrics and gynecology.

In addition, ACOG member engagement with organized medicine, including membership in your state medical societies, is an increasingly important means of advancing ACOG policies and priorities in your states, and it shapes the policy-making process that happens in the AMA House of Delegates. ACOG encourages you to join your state medical society to ensure that your society hears the valuable perspective of ob-gyns.