Today’s residents and medical students are training to be not only skilled physicians but also leaders of the health care system. Get training to make a difference in the profession, and be recognized as a positive influence on health care, through a special leadership award program.
Students, residents, fellows and early career physicians can apply for the AMA Foundation Leadership Awards to be recognized for their strong, nonclinical leadership skills in advocacy, community service or education. Recipients receive leadership development training to bolster their skills and receive awards at a reception June 6 during the AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago. Leadership Awards are self-nominated, and applications are due Jan. 20.
Jordan Amadio, MD, a senior neurosurgery resident at Emory University School of Medicine, received an award last year. Beyond the benefits of being recognized as an inspiration to others, the leadership training helped him forge connections.
“Like most important life experiences, the award’s most salient value was that of camaraderie and mentorship from my own peers,” Dr. Amadio said. “I have kept in touch with several of my fellow awardees, and those people have already inspired me to be a better surgeon, prioritize the needs of my community and be open to creative opportunities for improving the world.”
The opportunities the award provides—including attending the AMA Annual Meeting, connecting with peers and mentors, and gaining expert training—were valuable for another award recipient, Kevin Contrera, a medical student at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Contrera is completing his master’s degree in public health between his third and fourth years of medical school.
“As a medical student, the books surround you, and if you’re lucky, the hospital surrounds you. But the award opened my eyes and others’ eyes to so much good work going on,” Contrera said. “You have to be the change agent. There’s a lot of criticism that gets thrown around about our health care system, and you can blame whomever. But there’s no one that is better equipped than physicians in training to lead the transformation of our health care system.”
“I encourage other physicians to look around in their community for the unsung heroes, those doctors or medical students who are fueled day and night by their rare passion to build something from nothing, and encourage them to apply,” Dr. Amadio said. “The medical community needs to uphold optimistic innovators as an antidote to pessimism, and this award is a premier opportunity to do that. It is essential for the well-being of our generation and those of the future.”
Award recipients will receive airfare, hotel and a nominal reimbursement to attend leadership training in February, in addition to hotel and travel reimbursement to attend the 2014 AMA Annual Meeting in June. Further details about award criteria are available on the AMA Foundation Web page.
