Sandra Fryhofer MD - AMA Board of Trustees

12/19/2025

Recall that Secretary Kennedy fired all 17 of the experienced vaccine scientists and researchers that made up the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). ACIP develops vaccine policy for the nation. Kennedy replaced those experienced members with his own handpicked, vaccine-skeptic appointees, many of whom have no meaningful experience in vaccine development and implementation but have been immersed in a range of anti-vax initiatives for years.

At the December 2025 ACIP meeting, this new, handpicked group voted to remove the previous ACIP recommendation for a universal birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine. Hepatitis B is a devastating disease and often leads to other forms of liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. The hepatitis B recommendation is over three decades old, is one of the most successful vaccine programs in history, and has brought the U.S. almost to complete eradication of the disease.

On December 16, 2025, the politically appointed, non-physician acting CDC director approved this change.

The removal of the recommendation for a hep B birth dose by the new, vaccine-skeptic ACIP, and the approval of it by the acting CDC director, were not based on scientific data or evidence. Instead, it was all driven by anti-vax politics and ideology. It will lead to more disease and more heartache, suffering and death for America’s families and children.

I was proud to participate in the attached AMA statement opposing this reckless decision and commend it to your review. All physicians, and anyone who believes in public health, must speak out against this.

12/06/2025

https://www.facebook.com/100064832616919/posts/1319299040241171/?

Today’s action to weaken the birth-dose recommendation for the Hepatitis B vaccine disregards data supporting the effectiveness of the Hepatitis B vaccine, and creates confusion for parents about how best to protect their newborns.

Administering the birth dose is crucial for protecting children from both perinatal and early postnatal transmission of Hepatitis B virus – and preventing a lifelong condition that can lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death.

Families should be able to rely on the CDC for clear, evidence-based guidance when making important vaccination decisions for their children. We urge the CDC to reject this recommendation and uphold its commitment to science and public health. The consequences of failing to do so are too severe and the potential harm too great.

12/06/2025

https://fb.watch/DPTwYPh_he/?fs=e

10/08/2025

At the September 2025 ACIP meeting, a vote on whether to postpone the birth dose of Hep B vaccine was tabled. A dose of Hep B vaccine at birth has brought the US within reach of Hepatitis B elimination. It is safe, effective, and has been recommended since 2018.

10/01/2025

HHS Secretary Kennedy’s new ACIP panel took away parental choice by removing the combination MMR-Varicella vaccine as an option for young children. The discussion around this decision was an unnecessary distraction used as a subterfuge to stoke fear and confusion about MMR vaccines and discourage vaccination.
This edition of my Medicine Matters series has more details about the September ACIP meeting: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/acips-integrity-erodes-during-september-session-2025a1000q1m

09/04/2025

As a physician, mother and grandmother, I was honored to issue this statement on behalf of the AMA, supporting the critical importance of state requirements for childhood vaccination.

's statement strongly opposing Florida's plan to end all mandates. While there is still time, we urge Florida to reconsider.

03/08/2025

So honored and humbled to be selected as one of the Inaugural Alumnae Honorees in Georgia Institute of Technology’s Pathway of Progress: Celebrating Georgia Tech Women, a permanent tribute to the lives and legacies of women leaders from Georgia Tech.

When I got my chemical engineering degree from Tech in the 1970s, women students and professors were very few and far between. In the decades since, that has markedly changed for the better as more women have been encouraged to embrace STEM learning.

Extending from the ground up to the trees, this campus walkway tribute comprises a ribbon-like canopy of 2,946 suspended and mirror-polished metal tiles, of which an initial collection are inscribed with the names and stories of the women leaders Tech has produced. The inaugural honorees were each given a small replica of their original tile (attached), which is now a permanent part of the Pathway.

The architect and artist for this space is Merica May Jensen, MGT 2008, M. ARCH 2011. I enjoyed meeting Merica, and her mentor, at the Pathway of Progress Honoree Reception at Tech last night: A wonderful evening celebrating this remarkable group of women!

10/22/2024

These organizations, representing more than 140,000 physicians, are being honored by the AMA’s Joy in Medicine program for efforts to reduce burnout.

10/22/2024

The Hawaii Medical Association is dedicated to serving physicians, their patients, and the community through advocacy, education, and other services directed at providing quality medical care.

Hawaii Medical Association Officers (pictured above, left to right): Drs. Jerry Van Meter, AMA Delegate; Jerris Hedges, HMA Treasure and former JABSOM Dean; Tom Kosasa,Secretary; Sandra Fryhofer, AMA Board of Trustees Representative to HMA meeting, Angela Pratt, AMA Delegate and past HMA President; Nadine Tenn Salle, HMA President; and Elizabeth Ignacio, HMA Immediate Past President

Honolulu, Hawaii: Photo op at Ola Pono Ike Gala (Celebration of Health) with HMA President Nadine Tenn Salle MD - Internal Medicine/ Pediatrics and Immediate Past HMA President Elizabeth Ignacio MD- Vascular Interventional Radiology, with Marc Alexander, HMA Executive Director

10/21/2024

Hawaii Medical Association meeting, Honolulu:
I enjoyed serving as AMA representative to the Hawaii Medical Association meeting. It was a whirlwind trip that started with a live local television interview, along with HMA Exec Marc Alexander, about needed vaccines for respiratory virus season.

I also spoke to and met with medical students at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) to encourage them to join the AMA’s medical student section and add their ideas and enthusiasm to our house of delegates. Dean Sam Shomaker also attended our lunch and learn session.

My visit culminated in my remarks on behalf of AMA at the HMA Ola Pono Ike (Celebration of Health) gala which recognized three individuals who embody the aloha spirit by going above and beyond to serve our community:
Whitney M.L. Limm, MD, recipient of the HMA Physician of the Year Award
Thomas S. Kosasa, MD, recipient of the HMA Lifetime Achievement Award
John Henry Felix, PhD, recipient of the Manawale'a Community Service Award
We enjoyed visiting with Angela Pratt, MD, Hawaii Delegate to the AMA, and former Hawaii Medical Association President, who attended with her daughter and her mother, who was celebrating her 88th birthday the following day. It was also great to catch up with former Hawaii delegate and unofficial Hawaii ambassador Dr. Jeff Akaka. We also enjoyed talking to many JABSOM medical students who attended the gala and showcased their volunteer work with people experiencing homelessness.

10/10/2024

Addiction Alliance of Georgia: We had a wonderful evening at the Atlanta History Center last night celebrating the Addiction Alliance of Georgia, with a talk from William Cope Moyers, celebrating his newest book, Broken Open: What Pain Killers Taught Me about Life and Recovery. The Addiction Alliance of Georgia is a joint venture between Atlanta’s renowned Emory Healthcare and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, one of the foremost addiction treatment and research centers in the country. The idea was to bring these two groups together in order to create an institution for world class addiction treatment and research in Atlanta. This incredible idea was conceived by the three founders of the Alliance—renowned attorney Jack Hardin, Mohawk Carpet executive Frank Boykin and my dear patient, mentor and friend, Tom Johnson, former editor of the LA Times and the first head of CNN. In the earliest phases of these discussions, it was my honor to play an early, small part in this by convening a meeting in my office in 2018 among Tom Johnson, Frank Boykin, Dr. Ira Horowitz (Director of the Emory Clinic), Cammy Rice, spouse of John Rice (Emory Board of Trustees) and leaders from the Medical Association of Georgia and the Medical Association of Atlanta. Driven by the founders, and made a reality by major gifts from the Woodruff Foundation and the Rollins Foundation, as well as contributions from many individuals, the Alliance is well underway and has treated over a thousand patients with tens of thousands of patient visits. My dear friend and former AMA Board Chair, former AMA President, and accomplished Atlanta psychiatrist Dr. Patrice Harris also played an early and important role in this effort. It was a special treat to get to visit with her last night and reflect on how far this effort had come.

09/24/2024

Augusta, GA, Medical College of Georgia: I enjoyed meeting with medical students at MCG along with MAG President, Dr. Charles Wilmer, to talk about the American Medical Association and the Medical Association of Georgia and the important role of organized medicine in supporting our patients and the physicians who care for them. We were honored to have Dean of the Medical College of Georgia, David Hess, MD, join our dinner meeting with student leaders along with Phillip Coule, MD, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Augusta University Health System and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs. Our lunch and learn the following day was well attended. I urged them to join the ranks of our AMA medical student section—to get immersed in the important work of our vibrant, passionate, involved student members, who advocate for policy issues close to their hearts. I promised they could do enormous good and make lifelong friends in the process!