The AMA is your powerful ally in providing you with leadership opportunities in the Underrepresented in Medicine Advocacy Section (UMAS) to represent physicians with a unified voice and remove obstacles that interfere with patient care.
UMAS Governing Council
The Underrepresented in Medicine Advocacy Section (UMAS) has five governing council positions up for election during the 2026 election cycle:
- *Medical Student Section (MSS) representative (one-year term, 2026-2027)
- *Resident and Fellow Section (RFS) representative (two-year term, 2026-2028)
- *Young Physicians Section (YPS) representative (three-year term, 2026-2029)
- **Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) representative (three-year term, 2026-2029)
- **National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) representative (three-year term, 2026-2029)
*Active AMA members may apply for these three section representative positions by completing the application. Deadline is Feb. 28, 2026. Each sending section will endorse at least one candidate. This endorsement will be delineated on the UMAS ballot in April 2026.
**External organizations such as AAIP, NHMA, and NMA nominate an individual to serve as their representative on the UMAS Governing Council. As such, these positions are not included on the application, however, UMAS members will have the opportunity to vote to approve such nominations on the UMAS ballot in April 2026.
Terms for each position begin at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois in June 2026.
Contact UMAS staff at [email protected] for additional information or should you have questions.
UMAS standing committees
The UMAS standing committees provide opportunities for leadership development while advancing the goals of the section. The UMAS has three standing committees:
Education Committee
The goal of the UMAS Education Committee is to provide content focused on topics related to issues impacting underrepresented medical students, trainees, physicians and minoritized patient populations. Committee members will be requested to serve one-year terms that expire upon conclusion of the Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates. Members are eligible to serve a maximum of two one-year terms. Service on the inaugural committee will not count towards the term limit.
Committee members will be asked to:
- Share ideas and insights to inform education programming for the section.
- Assist with development of learning objectives.
- Identify potential speakers for education programming.
Membership Engagement Committee
The goal of the UMAS Membership Engagement Committee is to contribute to section growth and member involvement while considering the diverse interests, experiences and identities of UMAS members. Committee members will be requested to serve one-year terms that expire upon conclusion of the Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD). Members are eligible to serve a maximum of two one-year terms. Service on the inaugural committee will not count towards the term limit.
During their term, committee members will:
- Assist with planning for section member events and activities (e.g., networking event held in conjunction with annual and interim meetings).
- Contribute, as appropriate, to outreach efforts to potential UMAS members and provide support/mentorship to new section members.
- Identify opportunities to help foster connection with UMAS members and provide opportunities for collaboration with other AMA sections where appropriate.
Policy Committee
The goal of the UMAS Policy Committee is to contribute to the section and broader AMA policymaking process and develop policy that reflects the issues of concern of underrepresented physicians. Committee members will be requested to serve one-year terms that expire upon conclusion of the Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD). Members are eligible to serve a maximum of two one-year terms. Service on the inaugural committee will not count towards the term limit.
Committee members will be asked:
- Review HOD reports and resolutions for topics impacting underrepresented trainees, physicians and minoritized patient populations, and propose a course of action (e.g., support, monitor, etc.).
- Identify topics relevant to underrepresented physicians and draft resolutions for consideration by the UMAS Governing Council and section membership.
- Review draft resolutions for accuracy and consistency with policy convention, current research, scope of AMA actions, etc.
Committee applications are being accepted on a rolling basis. Apply now.
