The US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps at the American Medical Association: A Model Cross-Sector Collaboration to Promote Better Health for All

The American Medical Association (AMA) is the nation’s largest physician organization and has a prominent voice in health policy in the United States. AMA policies and priorities are set in part by its House of Delegates, in which the US Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps participates. The USPHS is a federal uniformed service dedicated to improving health. This article describes the impact of educational USPHS testimony during the policy deliberation process in the AMA House of Delegates. The USPHS has provided invaluable input to the AMA, providing 414 instances of technical advice or information on behalf of subject matter experts at 5 federal agencies during the past 9 years, from 2017 through 2025. The resolution of the proposed AMA policy under debate was aligned with USPHS recommendations a median of 77% of the time. USPHS involvement in the AMA has helped both the AMA and the US government work better together through early information sharing and coordination of activities. The collaboration between the USPHS and AMA is a model partnership to improve health.