The American Medical Association (AMA) has announced John Whyte, M.D., as its new CEO and executive vice president, effective July 1.
Whyte, a practitioner and author with experience at government agencies and private sector medical media outlets, will be taking over for James Madara, M.D. The outbound executive had shared plans to end his 14-year run last June.
Unlike the physician association’s president and president-elect titles, which are voted on by membership for single-year terms, the CEO position is appointed by the AMA’s board of trustees for an open-ended tenure. They are tasked with overseeing the organization’s day-to-day operations.
“I have tremendous respect and admiration for this venerable, science-based organization and its important work that improves the lives of millions of people,” Whyte said in the announcement. “I see significant opportunities for a strong and vibrant AMA to fulfill its core mission to promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.”
Whyte is a board-certified internist who received a medical degree from the Hahnemann University School of Medicine and trained as a resident at Duke University Medical Center. He also has a master of public health degree in health policy and management from Harvard University.
He comes directly from health media company WebMD, where he’s held the chief medical officer role since 2018. Per the AMA, he played a role in its strategic partnerships and helped generate new revenue streams amid an evolution from digital content platform to an interaction wellness hub.
Whyte also spent half a decade at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research as director of professional affairs and stakeholder engagement, where he headed initiatives around clinical trial design modernization and research diversity.
Ahead of that was more than eight years at the Discovery Channel as vice president and chief medical expert, where he helped launch medical educational programming, and various leadership roles at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, where he helped guide payment policies and program coverage decisions. He is the author of five books and no stranger to on-screen health advocacy.
The AMA noted that his appointment comes at a sensitive time for the physician profession. The organization is heavily lobbying for increased Medicare payments, careful adoption of new technologies like AI, restrictions on administrative requirements imposed by payers and a stronger stance on public health issues like vaccination.
“Dr. Whyte is an exceptionally qualified leader who has distinguished himself across many fronts,” AMA Board Chair Michael Suk, M.D., said in the announcement. “He is uniquely positioned to lead the AMA at this pivotal time and offers a deep and nuanced understanding of the AMA’s mission, governance, and evolving role—ensuring both continuity and meaningful progress toward the association’s goals.”