A note from the MSS chair
February 2024
From MSS Chair Natasha Topolski
The MSS hit the ground running in 2024. We started the year with a series of spring orientations, hosted a state advocacy summit, and prepared for our Physicians of the Future Summit and Medical Student Advocacy Conference! Meanwhile, there were also lots of exciting things happening at the state level.
Spring orientations
Our spring orientations paved the way for a smooth start to 2024. If you missed them, no need to worry, email [email protected] for the slide deck. Additionally, don’t forget to join our MSS Updates Groupme for real-time updates.
State advocacy
The highlight of our January was undoubtedly our State Leadership Summit, which brought together state medical student leaders from across the nation. This event served as a catalyst for collaboration and knowledge exchange, focusing on student advocacy and engagement at the state level. If you happen to be a state leader and are interested in participating in future events, please reach out.
In the meantime, many of our members were actively involved in exciting events within their respective states. I had the privilege of attending the Texas Medical Association Leadership Summit, alongside MSS Chair-elect Anand Singh (a proud TCU student). Anand and I were also able to chat with two former MSS chairs from Texas (Russ Kridel, MD, and Sue Bailey, MD). Our AMA Board of Trustees (BOT) student representative, Aliya Siddiqui, also attended and delivered a remarkable keynote address to the Texas medical students in attendance.
Additionally, several of our Wisconsin medical student members, Laurie Lapp, Samantha Crowley, Aliya Siddiqui, Andrew Norton, Justin Magrath and Kalifa Wright, were invited to a special reproductive justice event based on their advocacy and had the honor of meeting Vice President Kamala Harris! Wisconsin also had their Doctor Day where students from every Wisconsin medical school advocated at the capital.
Medical Student Advocacy Conference (MAC)
One of the most exciting MSS events is around the corner! Join us for MAC to learn advocacy skills and put them to work at the U.S. Capitol, advocating to your legislators in person about graduate medical education, lowering patient costs and increasing access to substance use disorder treatment. Funding opportunities are listed on the find discounts, funding and savings for your MAC trip page.
Contact us
Interested in getting more involved? Join the MSS Updates GroupMe to keep up with opportunities and email us with questions at [email protected].
