Celebrating 55 Years of Student Activism, Medical Students Convene at AMSA Annual Convention

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Article Date: 17 Mar 2005 - 0:00 PDT


USA - Over 1,200 future physicians are expected to attend the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) 55th Annual Convention, the nation's largest gathering of medical students, set for March 16-20, 2005 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia. Premedical and medical students, international medical students, residents and interns, physicians and other activists from across the country will assemble for "A New Professionalism: Physicians Worthy of the Public Trust," a five day conference of innovative workshops and organizational policymaking relating to top health care issues.

"This year, AMSA celebrates 55 years of student activism," says Dr. Brian Palmer, AMSA national president. "The theme of this year's convention speaks to the core issues in medicine that AMSA addresses: revitalizing the service orientation of our profession, building a healthcare system that includes everyone, mobilizing medical students to combat HIV/AIDS globally and health disparities domestically, and finding an ethical way to interact with industry. The AMSA annual convention gives students the opportunity to broaden their learning beyond the classroom."

Pre-Conference Symposium:
"Medicine's Response to the Global HIV/AIDS Pandemic"

On Wednesday, March 16, a pre-convention symposium on the medical student response to the global HIV/AIDS pandemic will bring together hundreds of students from across the country. Drs. Joia Mukherjee, medical director of Partners In Health and Richard E. Chaisson, professor of medicine, epidemiology and international health and director for Tuberculosis Research at the Johns Hopkins University, will deliver keynote addresses.

Keynote Addresses

On Friday, March 18, Drs. Jeremy Lazarus, vice speaker of the American Medical Association House of Delegates and Steffie Woolhandler, co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program will face off in traditional debate format and tackle questions on health-care reform.

Dr. Reed Tuckson, senior vice president of Consumer Health and Medical Care Advancement at UnitedHealth Group, on Saturday, March 19 at 9:00 a.m.

Dr. Marcia Angell, senior lecturer in the Department of Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and former editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, on Sunday, March 20 at 11:00 a.m. After her presentation, Angell will sign copies of her recent book, "The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It."

Convention Programming

The program includes over 100 workshops and seminars, ranging from topics on health disparities, medical malpractice, the clinical skills exam, the obesity epidemic, pharmaceutical industry marketing and work hours.

Special events include a lobby day and rally on Capitol Hill in support of lower prescription drug costs for senior citizens, the 55th Anniversary Gala and 10th Annual Poster Session, in which students showcase current research on basic and clinical science, community service, medical education and health policy. On Friday, March 18, AMSA will launch an official partnership with Special Olympics. In addition to the announcement, medical students will provide free medical screening exams for prospective Special Olympics athletes within the Washington, D.C. area.

National Awards

AMSA will present the prestigious Paul R. Wright Award for Excellence in Medical Education to the University of Minnesota Medical School, for their exceptional achievements in global health education. AMSA will honor Dr. Margaret Kirkegaard from Midwestern University's Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine with its 2005 National Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence, for her exemplary teaching achievements. AMSA, along with the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association will present the 7th Annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Health Achievement Award, for a medical school or student group for their innovative approach to providing a safe environment for LGBT students. The winner to be announced.

AMSA's House of Delegates

As AMSA's official policy-making body, the House of Delegates is a delegation of medical students from each local medical school chapter who meet once a year at the annual convention to vote on AMSA's policies and to elect national officers. This year, members will be debating policy on diverse issues, such as, universal health care, pharmaceutical industry in medical education, pediatric obesity and resident and medical student work hours.

Kim Becker, Director of Public Relations
American Medical Student Association
Phone: (703) 620-6600, ext. 207
Email: prel@www.amsa.org
American Medical Students' Association

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