American Medical Association

American Medical Association (AMA), organization of American physicians, the objective of which is “to promote the science and art of medicine and the betterment of public health.” It was founded in Philadelphia in 1847 by 250 delegates representing more than 40 medical societies and 28 colleges. In the early 21st century the AMA had about 240,000 members. Its headquarters are in Chicago.

The AMA disseminates health and scientific information to its members and to the public and carries out a broad range of health education programs via the mass media and lectures. It keeps its members informed of significant medical and health legislation, and it represents its profession before the U.S. Congress and other governmental bodies and agencies, advocating its own views in the process. It helps set standards for medical schools and internship programs, and it tries to detect and alert the public to both quack medical remedies and medical charlatans.

In the AMA headquarters office are various departments concerned with a wide variety of medical topics, including geriatrics, maternal and child care, hospital facilities, medical education, nutrition, drugs, insurance plans, scientific exhibits, health in rural areas, mental health, the cost of medical care, the health of industrial workers, and medical publications. Much of the work of the AMA is carried out under the guidance of committees and scientific councils, which collect and analyze data concerning new medical discoveries and therapies. Such bodies include councils on medical education, medical service, legislation, and ethical and judicial affairs.

Publications of the AMA include the Journal of the American Medical Association, which is released 48 times a year, and 11 journals issued either monthly or bimonthly and devoted to such medical specialties as internal medicine, psychiatry, and pediatrics. In addition, the AMA publishes the online journal JAMA Network Open, which focuses on original research.