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

“As a practicing, fellowship trained orthopaedic trauma surgeon, I’m well aware of the demands the medical profession places on each of us,” said Dr. Suk. “I also believe doctors should be able to practice in the manner they choose—with neither insurance companies, EMR systems nor politicians dictating care. We are at a crucial moment in medicine, and I recognize the profound trust my colleagues have placed in me. I look forward to advocating for physicians and our patients as we work to advance the AMA Recovery Plan for America’s Physicians.”

First elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 2019, Dr. Suk has served as Board liaison to the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, Council on Long Range Planning, AMPAC, the Integrated Physicians Practice Section, and the Private Practice Physicians Section. An active and inaugural lifetime AMA member for over 30 years, Dr. Suk was the first medical student and first Asian-American elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 1994.

Board-certified in orthopaedic surgery, Dr. Suk is professor and chair of the Musculoskeletal Institute and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the renowned Geisinger Health System based in Danville, Penn. Additionally, he serves as chief physician officer of Geisinger System Services, where he provides clinical leadership over the system’s $1.5B enterprise supply chain and pharmacy division. In these positions, Dr. Suk created and directed value-based improvements and growth strategies for one of the nation’s largest integrated healthcare delivery systems.

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 over 70 residents and fellows across multiple training programs in orthopaedic surgery and physical medicine and rehabilitation.

In 2003, Dr. Suk was selected as a White House Fellow by President George W. Bush and served as Special Assistant to Secretary Gale A. Norton at the U.S. Department of the Interior where he pioneered initiatives to develop the link between public health, nature and recreation.

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. Dr. Suk holds Fellowships in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (FAAOS), the American Orthopaedic Association (FAOA), the American College of Surgeons (FACS), the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), the American College of Legal Medicine (FCLM) and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (dipl.ABLM).