Overview and how to apply
The American Medical Association is proud to support local initiatives through its medical student leaders. The Section Involvement Grant program is available to all medical schools to assist local AMA medical school section recruitment and engagement efforts throughout the school year.
Each month, the AMA Medical Student Outreach Program (MSOP) identifies one event to highlight as the Section Involvement Grant Event of the Month.
The school selected for the event of the month will receive recognition on the AMA’s website and official social media channels, a gift sent to student leadership on campus, an official letter sent to your faculty advisor, and consideration for the Section Involvement Grant Event of the Year, recognized at the AMA Annual Meeting.
To be considered for a Section Involvement Grant Event of the Month:
- Submit a Section Involvement Grant application and event recap
- As part of your recap, share photos and details on membership collected or community impact
Section Involvement Grant Event of the Year
Congratulations to the Section Involvement Grant Event of the Year: University of Pikeville–Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (KYCOM) has been selected for special recognition by the AMA Medical Student Section Governing Council.
KYCOM students launched a Saturday community service clinic in rural Kentucky in April 2024. Under the supervision of three attending physicians, students provided several health services to patients.
To raise funds for this clinic, students hosted the University of Pikeville–Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine AMA Gala: An Evening for Advocacy in November 2023. The event centered around increasing visibility in health care for the Appalachia and featured multiple speakers who discussed advancing interdisciplinary health care in the region. The event received local media coverage in the Appalachian News-Express.
Event of the Month highlights: 2024
September 2024
AMA student leadership at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health hosted a successful "AMA Kickoff" meeting! Student leaders invited returning, new and prospective student members to enjoy lunch and hear general information about their local campus section, AMA student benefits and upcoming events they plan to host.
After the formal presentation, the executive board and returning members answered questions and networked with new students. They also invited AMA Student Outreach Manager Alyssa Szynal to attend the event. Overall, the campus has seen a strong increase in membership this past year. Congratulations to the students at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health for hosting a successful "AMA Kickoff" meeting and a having strong membership year!
August
AMA student leadership at Northeast Ohio Medical University hosted "Bridging Medicine and Policy: A Guide for Future Physicians." The event featured multiple speakers and was designed to share information with medical students on how to engage in advocacy and policy work effectively.
Speakers shared their experiences, strategies and insights on how students can become advocates within the health care system. The event concluded with a Q&A session where the panelists answered audience questions. Overall, there was strong encouragement for attendees to become involved in advocacy work.
June
AMA student leadership at the University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine hosted Walk With A Doc Birthday/Anniversary Event. Zara Soomro, MD, led an educational session for Family Health and Fitness Day and provided demonstrations of recommended stretches. Participating families practiced stretching before starting the anniversary walk.
Medical student volunteers accompanied families and community members while providing one-on-one education and counseling about their individual health concerns. Free snow cones were also provided. Congratulations to the students at University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine for hosting a creative and impactful event!
May
AMA student leadership at the University of Texas Austin Dell Medical School AMA local campus section hosted a TMA/AMA Blood Drive with "We Are Blood" for students and faculty.
The blood drive was successful, with 22 donors showing up to give blood. The students provided food to participants after they donated.
The drive was well received, and the local campus section hopes to host this event annually.
April
The AMA local campus section at Western University of Health Sciences—College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific collaborated with Pomona Homeless Outreach Program (PHOP) to host "Snuggle Up and Serve." During the event, attendees created 25 wool tie blankets for the local unhoused community and their pets. These blankets were later distributed to event attendees on Sunday when PHOP and the university’s Veterinarian program volunteers provided point-of-care services for attendees and their pets.
During the event, AMA local campus leaders discussed the benefits of AMA membership and engagement in health advocacy and policy, and students attending expressed an interest in joining the AMA.
March
The Meharry Medical College (MMC) AMA local campus section, in collaboration with other groups, hosted "The Cutting Edge," a surgical skills event to educate students about common surgical techniques, and provide an opportunity to network with physicians with the goal of educating students about common surgical techniques and practices.
In the morning, students rotated through seven interactive skill stations. In the afternoon, students attended a panel discussion where surgeons spoke about their specialty and challenged, they faced throughout their career. The event concluded with an ERAS/USMLE presentation for students.
February
The Touro New York College of Osteopathic Medicine—Middletown AMA local campus section hosted "Care Packages for the Homeless at Middletown Health Fair." The participants assembled 100 care packages specifically designed for individuals at the nearby homeless shelter. Each care package contained essential items distributed at the GSM soup kitchen Health Fair.
January
The Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine AMA Chapter hosted a hybrid "Advocacy 101 Training" where they invited the Iowa Medical Society to speak with their school and the University of Iowa local campus chapter. The speaker shared information about advocacy and updates on the legislative session and provided a brief overview of the process. In addition to having a strong event in January, the chapter has been actively recruiting new members throughout the year. They have increased their recruitment through MSOP by 42% over the 2023 year-end!
- Event of the Month highlights: 2023
December
AMA student leadership at Morehouse School of Medicine hosted “Learn about research with the AMA," where medical students came together to discuss and learn more about finding mentors, conducting research, different types of projects, presenting research and how to publish.
Attendees were able to join small group discussions, and the students used their funding to purchase food for attendees and share printed materials about research at Morehouse. After the event, the chapter leaders received positive feedback, and requests to host the event again in the spring!
November
The University of Pikeville–Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine AMA chapter plans to launch a Saturday community service clinic in rural Kentucky in March 2024.
To raise funds for this clinic, the AMA chapter hosted the "University of Pikeville–Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine AMA Gala: An Evening for Advocacy." The event centered around increasing visibility in health care for the Appalachia, featuring multiple speakers who discussed advancing interdisciplinary health care in the region. Attendance exceeded expectations, with over 150 guests in attendance!
The event received local media coverage in the Appalachian News-Express.
October
AMA student leadership at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine hosted a successful night of games, food and fun during the end of a difficult exam session for the M2 students and a break weekend for other class years. Attendees were able to dance, eat and participate in free rounds of casino-themed games. The students noted:
“It’s a rare chance for everyone to hang out with multiple class years in a fun venue in non-scrub attire, so it was certainly the best night of the fall semester!”
Overall, membership at the campus is now up, and the chapter has already exceeded the 2023 year-end number of students they recruited!
September
AMA student leadership at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine East Lansing and Grand Rapids campuses hosted a successful "First General Meeting" in September. The MSOP team applauds the concurrent event and collaboration at these campuses. The events included offering food for attendees and sharing a slide presentation on the benefits of joining the AMA and how to join.
The Grand Rapids campus also included a personal testimonial from an M4 student who shared her unique experience and the impact being an AMA member had on her medical journey. Overall, membership is up significantly, and the school has already exceeded the 2023 year-end membership!
August
AMA Student leadership at Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU hosted a "Care Package Drive for Unhoused" community service event, serving 63 people experiencing homelessness with a variety of essential items.
Student volunteers set up tables outside and individuals were able to collect the items they needed. During the month of August, student membership increased on campus, and more than 50% of the M1 class have joined as members.
