When Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD attended his first meeting at the American Medical Association (AMA) as a first year medical student, he was struck by the collaborative spirit he witnessed among physicians of all specialties from across the United States. But he was also filled with insecurity over whether he, as a gay man, would ever be truly accepted for who he was. 22 years later, Dr. Ehrenfeld is now the first openly gay president of the AMA. An anesthesiologist by training, he is also a senior associate dean and tenured professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. 

In this episode, Dr. Ehrenfeld shares his journey in medicine — from how he has channeled his experiences with discrimination, to becoming a leading advocate of health equity especially for LGBTQ individuals, to his time as a combat veteran in the Navy, to now leading one of the most influential medical organizations in America. Our conversation also ranges in topic from the future of medical education, to physician burnout, to the promises of digital health, and more.

In this episode, we discuss: 

2:18 - Dr. Ehrenfeld’s path to becoming an anesthesiologist

5:03 - How health equity came to the forefront of Dr. Ehrenfeld’s work and how it has taken center stage in his leadership at the AMA 

11:57 - The role that the house of delegates plays within the AMA 

13:37 - How Dr. Ehrenfeld represents the democratically determined positions of the AMA 

17:03 - Dr. Ehrenfeld’s mission for his year as President of the AMA 

19:26 - How the AMA invests its resources on tackling systemic issues that affect health

24:42 - Dr. Ehrenfeld’s perspectives on physician burnout

32:02 - How medical training needs to change in order to prepare for the dawning of AI 

38:38 - Engaging with the politics of healthcare 

41:45 - How the AMA is working to ensure that doctors can affect the future of medicine through programs including Health 2047 and the Physician Innovation Network

45:27 - Why Dr. Ehrenfeld believes that medicine is still a worthwhile calling 

For more about the AMA, visit https://www.ama-assn.org/.

Follow Dr. Ehrenfeld on Twitter @DoctorJesseMD.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

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