The National Medical Association (NMA) is the largest and oldest organization representing African American physicians and their patients in the United States.

However, its principles, goals, initiatives, and philosophy encompass all ethnic groups Conceived in no spirit of racial exclusiveness, fostering no ethnic antagonism, but born of the exigencies of the American environment, the National Medical Association has for its object the banding together for mutual cooperation and helpfulness, the men and women of African descent who are legally and honorably engaged in the practice of the cognate professions of medicine, surgery, pharmacy and dentistry.— C.V. Roman, M.D.

Furthermore, the AMA's support of Abraham Flexner's Report of 1910 witnessed the closure of numerous African American and women's hospitals across the country.

Internally torn about the best methods to promote their own professional ambitions as well as the interests of African American patients, the health insurance topic remained a divisive one.

In the months after his election as president, Howard had played a key role in the search for evidence and witnesses in the Emmett Till murder case and led the largest civil rights organization in the state, the Regional Council of Negro Leadership.

[4] Nearly every year since its founding in 1895, the NMA has held the Annual Convention & Scientific Assembly, which is regarded as the nation's foremost forum on medical science and African American health.

Further, the work of the NMA and its members has received national exposure on NBC, ABC, FOX and CNN television stations, as well as numerous radio and major print media each year.

Currently under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Edith P. Mitchell, MD, MACP, FCPP, it is a peer-reviewed publication whose purpose is to address medical care disparities of persons of African descent.