AMSA Receives Grant From Robert Wood Johnson Foundation To Empower New Generation Of Primary Care Leaders

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 20 Nov 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the nation's oldest and largest, independent association for physicians-in-training, today announced that it has received approximately $50,000 in support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to empower the next generation of primary care leaders over the next five years with the goal of strengthening primary care in the United States.

The grant helped fund AMSA's 2008 National Primary Care Week, "The Future of Primary Care in America," which included lectures, speaker panels, structured conversations and volunteer activities. Money will also be allocated to schools across the country for hosting local community events.

In addition, grant monies will fund a comprehensive analysis of National Primary Care Week events. This will provide an opportunity, over a five-year period, to characterize health professional students' attitudes towards primary care and assess the impact of "interventions" like National Primary Care Week events.

"Primary care is associated with improved patient adherence to care, a reduction in emergency hospitalizations and many other community health benefits," says Ryan Van Ramshorst, national chair, AMSA's Communitry & Environmental Health Action Committee. "AMSA's National Primary Care Week efforts will enhance awareness, interest, debate and follow-up. We encourage and empower physicians-in-training to enter primary care and improve our nation's health care system, one patient at a time."

"As the next generation of physicians, we have a responsibility to deliver the best care to our patients," says Dr. Brian Hurley, AMSA's national president. "All evidence points to the central role primary care practitioners play in the provision of best care. We are grateful to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for supporting National Primary Care Week, which has been so successful at highlighting the importance of primary care over the last decade."

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit http://www.rwjf.org.

About the American Medical Student Association

The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), with more than a half-century history of medical student activism, is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. With more than 67,000 members, including medical and premedical students, residents and practicing physicians, AMSA is committed to improving medical training as well as advancing the profession of medicine. To learn more about AMSA, our strategic priorities, or joining the organization, please visit us online at http://www.amsa.org

American Medical Student Association

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