About the John Conley, MD Lecture on Medical Ethics
This award, named for an esteemed leader in the specialty, is based on Dr. John Conley’s passion for head and neck surgery and belief in the professionalism of the practice of medicine.
2026 Lecturer
Bobby Mukkamala, MD, President of the American Medical Association (AMA)
Saturday, October 17 , 8:00 – 9:00 am (PT), presented during the Opening Ceremony
Trust at the Crossroads: Medical Ethics in an Age of Uncertainty
Bobby Mukkamala, MD, is the President of the American Medical Association (AMA) and a board-certified otolaryngologist–head and neck surgeon in private practice in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. A passionate advocate for public health, Dr. Mukkamala is deeply committed to creating a more sustainable health system that better supports physicians and more effectively serves the needs of people and communities.
Dr. Mukkamala joined the AMA’s Board of Trustees in 2017 and has been active in organized medicine since residency. He is a past Michigan representative to the AMA Young Physicians Section and a past recipient of the AMA Foundation’s “Excellence in Medicine” Leadership Award.
After completing his residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, he returned to Flint to establish a private practice dedicated to addressing the community’s urgent health needs, where he now shares an office with his wife, Nita Kulkarni, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist.
Dr. Mukkamala previously chaired the Community Foundation of Greater Flint (CFGF), guiding its focus on reducing the effects of lead exposure in children. He continues to serve on the CFGF committee board as it advances high-quality early education opportunities for children. He also co-chairs efforts of the Crim Fitness Foundation to incorporate mindfulness into community health initiatives and serves on the board of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which works globally to build a just, equitable, and sustainable society.
About the lecture
The John Conley, MD Lecture on Medical Ethics is based on Dr. Conley’s passion for head and neck surgery and dedication to the highest standard of ethical behavior from physicians. Past lecturers include heads of state, government leaders, and prominent medical leaders.
Previous Lecturers:
- 2025: James L. Netterville, MD
- 2024: Professor Kelvin M. Kong, MBBS BSc, FRACS, MD
- 2023: Jennifer R. Grandis, MD
- 2022: Andrew G. Shuman, MD, HEC-C
- 2021: J. Nwando (Onyejekwe) Olayiwola, MD
- 2020: Anand K. Devaiah, MD
- 2019: Dana M. Thompson, MD, MS
- 2018: Ronald Kuppersmith, MD, MBA
- 2017: Michael M. Johns III, MD
- 2016: G. Richard Holt, MD, D-BE, MSE, MPH
- 2015: G. Scott Morris, MD, M.Div.
- 2014: Rosemary Gibson
- 2013: Nancy L. Snyderman, MD
- 2012: Itzhak Brook, MD
- 2011: Marlee Matlin
- 2010: Gerald S. Healy, MD
- 2009: Arthur L. Caplan, PhD
- 2008: Nancy M. Kane, DMA
- 2007: William G. Enright, PhD
- 2006: Thomas R. Russell, MD, FACS
- 2005: Harvey V. Fineberg, MD, PhD
- 2004: Her Majesty Queen Noor
- 2003: Arthur S. Levine, MD
- 2002: Rev. Professor Peter J. Gomes
- 2001: Daniel P. Sulmasy, OFM, MD, PhD
- 2000: Pastor James D. Miller, PhD
- 1999: C. Everett Koop, MD, ScD
- 1998: Rev. Dr. Robert Schuller
- 1997: Leo J. O’Donovan, SJ
- 1996: Lasalle D. Leffall, Jr., MD
- 1995: Thomas E. Starzl, MD, PhD
- 1994: Bruce N. Ames, PhD
- 1993: Benjamin Carson, Sr., MD
- 1992: John Fletcher
- 1991: Leland R. Kaiser, PhD
- 1990: Edmund D. Pelligrino, PhD
- 1989: Louis Sullivan, MD
- 1988: John McLaughlin, PhD
- 1987: Mark Medoff
- 1986: Morris B. Abram, JD
