Meet Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld: A Jewish Veteran, And The First Openly Gay President of The AMA

Q&A by Alan Zeitlin

Q: What made you want to go into the military?

A: I’ve always been called to use my talents in a way that can improve the world around me. I think that’s in large part due to Jewish upbringing. I don’t think of myself as coming from a military family. My dad was in the Army in the Vietnam era because he had to be…I had an ancestor who as a medical officer in the Revolutionary war for George Washington. At the end of my residency, I’m a Harvard trained doctor. I decided: why shouldn’t our service members who are putting themselves on the line, benefit from someone with my skill set when they need medical care on the battlefield? I served for ten years.

Q: I know you had a Seder In Kandahar, Afghanistan. Do they have kosher for Passover MRE’s?

A: They do. You get a whole kit. I was well taken care of. I carried matzah on the C137. There weren’t a lot of Jews with me while I was deployed but there were a few on our base. I was able to celebrate Sukkot which was lovely, and I did make connections. We had a lot of folks who joined in the Seder who were not Jewish, and it was a really lovely time to share our traditions in a moment of solidarity.

Q: There’s a 2015 Time Magazine article arguing that the U.S. military should look to the model of Israel for transgender people who are in the military. Did you share that sentiment?

A:I was so involved in work to eliminate the ban on transgender service withing the Department of Defense. Israel was held up as a model. When there’s a policy change, showing that the sky doesn’t actually fall, and people are able to do their jobs regardless of their gender identities is important. I think that argument was helpful along with other arguments.

Q: What’s the best part of being Jewish?

A: The food. Also, I’ve always been somebody who tries to give back to the community. I was president of The Jewish Student Union in Andover in high school. I lead services every week. My husband and I and our children are very involved locally in Milwaukee and we are grateful for the community especially at a time where unfortunately there are rising antisemitic sentiments and events that are concerning. I was on the Board of west End Synagogue when I lived in Nashville.

Q: Where did you meet your husband and when did you get married?

A: We met on Long Island, obviously. We met at a Fourth of July Party. We just had our 12-year Meet-Aversary. We’ve been married for six years. We were married in Nashville.

Q:  Did you ever experience antisemitism, homophobia, or mockery of being a Republican?

A: All of the above. There’s a lot of prejudice in the world and it manifests itself in all the ways you describe. I’ve always believed it’s important to not shy away from your identity, because you’re teased, mocked, or otherwise threatened. I find those pieces of my identity that sometimes make me an outsider, or somebody who is othered, a source of strength. I’ve tried to use my voice and my platform at the AMA to lift up others.

Q: The FDA recently approved Opill, the birth control pill for over-the counter usage, 50 years after it was approved for prescription. Do you think this was a response to the overturning of Roe V. Wade?

A: Anything we can do to improve access to the full range of women’s health care is important and we’re pleased that the FDA made this decision because we know having to schedule an office visit, having to take off time from work or find childcare is a barrier to women having access to birth control. Hopefully, this is one of the first of many approvals of over-the-counter medications that we know will be important to take care of reproductive health.

Q: When the CDC said masks didn’t work, then said they did, then there was confusion during Covid. In addition, there has been a tremendous amount of misinformation. What can be done to restore the public trust in medical bodies and to combat misinformation?

A: The lasting lesson from the pandemic is just how quickly medical disinformation, misinformation, bad information can spread online and through social media, and the devastation it leaves behind us is having serious consequences for the health of the nation. We know that we have to stand up against it. The health of our patients is put at risk by these coordinated well-resourced efforts to mislead the public about medicine and science. Some call this anti-science aggression, it’s not just undermining confidence in strategies to mitigate Covid, it’s also been used to widen existing divisions on issues like access to safe reproductive care, achieving health equity, discrimination against healthcare for transgender patients…we think it’s important that we counter voices that blatantly spread false information and we have urged media outlets to remain vigilant and to help their readers, their listeners, and their viewers separate fact from fiction.  I am particularly concerned as we enter into an AI era, that this problem is only going to get worse, and we need credible media outlets to do their part.

Q: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is one person who many doctors say is spreading blatant falsehoods relating to vaccines and Covid. There have been calls for someone from the medical field to debate him. Some say not debating him gives the appearance of being afraid. But many doctors say it would be a waste of time to give a platform to someone without the required medical knowledge.  Would you debate him, or would you think it’s a waste of your time? (This interview took place prior to reports of RFK talking about Jews and Covid)

A: You know, I’ve never received an invitation, but in general, our position is we only want to give a voice, to conversations where there is an opportunity to have an honest scientifically based discussion, and my expectation is that this would not fall into that category.

Q: Whether it’s abortion, gender affirming care, or the vaccine mandate, there have been and will be times when a physician’s religious and or personal beliefs are in conflict with the law. What advice would you give to them?

A: We have an ethical obligation to get our patients the health care that they need and to make sure we do what is in our patients’ best interest. We are increasingly seeing states where laws are in conflict with our obligation. There is a longstanding code of medical ethics it goes back to our founding in 1847…our medical code is clear. The physician should respect the law. Only in the most extenuating circumstances should they do otherwise.

Q: Regarding AI, are there areas you believe it will be helpful to doctors and patients?

A: I’m excited about digital medicine in general including AI tools. We are already seeing that about 20% of U.S/ physician practices report using AI. It’s mostly for backend operations tuff-scheduling-billing transactions…we cannot make enough physicians fast enough, to meet the demands for health care services. We’re only going to solve some of the workplace pressures by embracing and building technologies that allow us to redefine our healthcare in ways that are more efficient.

Q: Some in the Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities will at times decide on medical treatment based on their rabbi, imam or priest, rather than their doctor. What would you say to them?

A: I’ve had that happen with my own patients. I always try to be very respectful and understanding of a patient’s individual decision making. For example, I will hold hands with a Christian patient and pray with their priest prior to surgery if I find it is in their best interest and they request me to do so. Ultimately, what’s more concerning to me, is not when a patient is looking to a religious leader to help them with their health journey. What’s more concerning to me is when a legislator steps in and tries to mandate care as we’re continuing. It’s something we’re deeply concerned about and unfortunately, it’s becoming a trend in many states across the nation.

Q: What’s your greatest challenge leading the American Medical Association?

A: We’ve got a lot of challenges in health care today. Despite our health care system being in crisis. Despite so many of my colleagues being burned out and at their breaking point, I remain optimistic about the future, about what lies ahead. We can get this right and we can’t yield.