Trust at the Crossroads: Medical Ethics in an Age of Uncertainty
Saturday, October 17 | 8:00 – 9:00 am (PT) | Presented during the Dr. K.J. Lee Opening Ceremony
Bobby Mukkamala, MD, has spent his career moving between two worlds: the exam room in his hometown of Flint, Michigan, and the highest levels of organized medicine in the United States. This unique vantage point has given him a clear-eyed view of a healthcare system under strain—one that he'll bring to this year’s John Conley, MD Lecture on Medical Ethics.
Dr. Mukkamala, past president of the American Medical Association and a board-certified otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon, will address a hard question: At a moment when trust in medicine feels increasingly fragile, how do physicians hold onto their ethical footing? He'll walk attendees through the pressures reshaping American healthcare today, including access to care, the rising cost of treatment, and the inefficiencies that too often stand between patients and the outcomes they deserve. He'll also examine where physicians fit into that picture, including their growing burden that can lead to burnout and moral injury.
For Dr. Mukkamala, this isn’t only a professional concern; it’s personal. “The interaction of being a physician and being a patient made me even more aware of the improvements needed in our system,” he says.
That dual perspective informs a recurring theme of his talk: how to improve a system that keeps people healthy, rather than one built primarily to treat disease after it takes hold. He'll also address the critical challenge of workforce shortages that compromise patient care.
Dr. Mukkamala has been active in organized medicine since his residency, joining the AMA’s Board of Trustees in 2017 after serving as Michigan’s representative to the AMA Young Physicians Section. After training at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, he returned to Flint to open a private practice—one he now shares with his wife, Nita Kulkarni, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist—dedicated to meeting the community’s most urgent health needs.
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.