James L. Madara, MD, retires as Chief Executive Officer from the Chicago-based American Medical Association in June 2025, wrapping up a remarkable 14-year tenure in which he solidified the organization’s long-term strategic vision, financial standing, and grew physician membership to levels not seen in decades. Throughout his time leading the nation’s largest and most influential physicians’ organization, Dr. Madara championed health innovation and equity and propelled the AMA into the 21st Century with a reimagining of medical education, physician training and digital technology.
At Dr. Madara’s direction, the AMA became a nationally recognized leader and advocate for improved health technology by elevating physician expertise and experience into the creation of new digital tools that create practice efficiencies and reduce burdens. The AMA founded the Health2047 venture studio in Silicon Valley and built the expansive Physician Innovation Network online matchmaking platform, to bring physician voice and perspective to entrepreneurs that are designing and developing technologies. These collaborations have resulted in numerous promising health technology companies, including some dedicating to accelerating scientific research and helping people better monitor and manager chronic health conditions.
Dr. Madara’s steady leadership from the earliest days of the Covid-19 pandemic focused the AMA’s response as a leading voice for physician needs, science- and evidence-based solutions, and in communicating about vaccine efficacy. The AMA played a key role in telehealth expansions that helped keep patients and physicians connected throughout the pandemic, developed critical resources for physicians in private practice to stay afloat during the crisis, and became a leading voice in pushing back on misinformation and disinformation that jeopardized public health.
In addition to Modern Healthcare consistently naming him as one of the nation’s 50 most influential physician executives, as well as one of the nation’s 100 most influential people in health care, Dr. Madara has been recognized with several national and international awards.
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