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Elections will be held at the Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates on June 11, 2024.
Officers and seven councils are elected by the American Medical Association House of Delegates (HOD) at the Annual Meeting. The elections are conducted during a special election session under the supervision of the Committee on Rules and Credentials and the chief teller, who are appointed by the speakers. The speaker and vice speaker are responsible for overall administration of the elections. Voting is conducted by secret ballot.
Ezequiel “Zeke” Silva, III, MD
Candidate for Council for Medical Service
Term
2024-2028
Payment policy expertise
Ezequiel “Zeke” Silva III, MD, a diagnostic and interventional radiologist from San Antonio, has the knowledge and leadership to excel as a member of the AMA Council on Medical Service. Dr. Silva has spent his career advocating for fair payment policies to improve patient care and access. His passion to help lead medicine through needed transformations in the health care system is backed by his experience in organized medicine at the national, state and county levels.
Through his extensive involvement in the AMA Multi-Specialty RVS Update Committee (RUC)—currently as chair since 2021—Dr. Silva has worked to bring new services and innovations to patient care. He also is a strong advocate for physician leadership on payment policy issues. Dr. Silva is also a founding member and past co-chair of the AMA Digital Medicine Payment Advisory Group. He has served the Texas Medical Association as a member of the Texas Delegation to the AMA; the Council on Legislation, currently chair-elect, appointed chair starting June 2024; and the Council on Socioeconomics.
A founding board member of the Neiman Health Policy Institute, Dr. Silva has served as chair of the American College of Radiology Commission on Economics, economics chair for the Society of Interventional Radiology, and president of the Texas Radiological Society. He is on the South Texas Radiology Group board of directors and is vice-chief of staff and director of radiology at Methodist Texsan Hospital. He also is an adjunct professor at the UT Health San Antonio, Long School of Medicine.
Dr. Silva is president of the Bexar County Medical Society, where he works closely with his fellow physicians making his community stronger. The San Antonio Business Journal named him a 2021 Health Care Hero for his efforts during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
He completed medical school and residency at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and a vascular and interventional radiology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Sharing expertise with lawmakers
Physician and patient advocate
Dr. Silva is an expert on payment policy and its impact on physicians’ practices and patient care. He believes physicians know what is needed to improve the health care system.
He has spent his career advancing physicians’ voices in payment determination, culminating in his current position as AMA RUC chair, leading 32 RUC members and more than 300 advisory committee members representing nearly every specialty in the AMA House of Delegates. The RUC’s focus is important: Patients deserve the best possible care from their physicians. “I agree, and I will work tirelessly on the Council to this end,” Dr. Silva said.
Dr. Silva embraces innovation. He understands the role of new technology, including digital medicine, in patient care. As a founding member and immediate past co-chair of the AMA Digital Medicine Payment Advisory Group, he has advocated for responsible, physician-informed diffusion of technology into quality patient care. He believes digital technology, including augmented intelligence, offers important tools to physicians who choose to apply this technology in their practice.
Successful applications, however, require physician involvement to answer questions, such as: Does it work? Will I get paid? Will I get sued? Will it work in my practice? These are questions Dr. Silva will work with the Council on Medical Service to address.
Health Care Hero award recipient
Voice for medicine
Dr. Silva’s goal on the AMA Council on Medical Service will be to reinforce the lines of communication among AMA’s House of Delegates, the association’s advocacy team and federal policymakers for the betterment of our profession and our patients.
“National policy is only as effective as the local physician experience that informs it,” Dr. Silva says. As a full-time private-practice physician and adjunct medical school professor, he understands the importance of both independent practice and academic medicine settings. As president of the Bexar County Medical Society, he especially values collaborating with his colleagues to improve the health of his San Antonio community.
He knows how to translate physician and patient experiences and needs into meaningful reports, actions and recommendations to the AMA House of Delegates, association leadership and the public.
Dr. Silva gets it done
Additional resources
- Visit the AMA elections page for information on other candidates running for office.
- Find up to date information for the June Annual Meeting of the HOD.
