CHICAGO — The American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s largest physician organization, today announced the election of Michael Suk, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., F.A.C.S., an orthopaedic surgeon based in Danville, Penn., to its Board of Trustees.

“I firmly believe people are what makes quality health care possible,” said Dr. Suk. “I recognize the importance of advocating for medical professionals in all stages of training and practice, and I appreciate the way the AMA brings young people in and nurtures their careers. Invigorating the next generation of leaders is a key goal of mine. I pledge to continue expanding the physician voice in advocacy as I serve on the AMA Board of Trustees and to do everything I can to move health care into a better state of health.”

Dr. Suk is board-certified in orthopaedic surgery, chief physician officer of Geisinger System Services, chairman of Geisinger’s Musculoskeletal Institute and Department of Orthopedic Surgery, and has been part of the AMA for almost 30 years. He was the first medical student directly elected to the AMA Board of Trustees. Dr. Suk has also served on the AMA Council of Medical Service and chaired the AMA’s Resident and Fellow Section.

In 2018, Dr. Suk and his team at Geisinger created the world’s first and only total joint lifetime warranty. This was only possible because Dr. Suk and his team had developed highly reliable, evidence-based processes to support the groundbreaking warranty. Additionally, Dr. Suk’s interest and ability to address the environmental burdens that contribute to physician burnout has been demonstrated over time - from his early work on resident work hour reform to advising on ways to ease the burdens associated with electronic health records. Dr. Suk is aware of the demands the medical profession places on physicians as a busy academic Orthopaedic trauma surgeon and by overseeing orthopaedic surgery residency program. 

As chief physician officer of Geisinger System Services and chairman of Geisinger’s Musculoskeletal Institute and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Dr. Suk created and directed value-based improvements and growth strategies for one of the nation’s largest integrated healthcare delivery systems. In addition, Dr. Suk was selected in 2003 as the White House Fellow Special Advisor to Secretary Gale A. Norton of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Dr. Suk earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine and his J.D./M.P.H. with special certification in healthcare law from Boston University School of Law and School of Public Health. He also holds an M.B.A. from the Kania School of Management at the University of Scranton.