A note from the MSS chair
February 2025
From MSS Chair Anand Singh
Physicians of the Future Summit
Hi everyone! Thank you to everyone who attended the Physicians of the Future Summit on Feb. 8. A special shoutout to our MSS At-large Officer, Kimberly Ibarra, for organizing a wonderful event with Anita Ravi, MD, and Richard Paat, MD. Additionally, we had wonderful MSS region events in conjunction with the national program. Thank you to our region leaders for organizing these events.
National Medical Student Organization Summit
We are excited to announce we held the inaugural National Medical Student Organization (NMSO) Summit. We had a total of nine presentations from NMSO leaders, such as Latino Medical Student Association, Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association, Association of Native American Medical Students and many other organizations represented. Thank you to our MSS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Julianna Sim, for organizing this event and for everyone who attended!
MSS policy cycle
Our MSS policy cycle has already begun and is in full swing. The MSS Open Forum closes Feb. 16, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. Everyone who plans to submit a resolution for MSS consideration must post to the open forum before the deadline to move along the process. If you are interested in joining a resolution authorship team, please reach out to authors on open forum.
Upcoming events
Medical Student Advocacy Conference
Registration is open for the AMA’s largest advocacy event and conference for medical students, held March 6-7, 2025. It provides students with advocacy training, access to legislators, opportunities to network with their peers and a platform to raise their voice and enact changes in public health policy.
Registration is $45 and closes Feb. 16, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.
Standing committee spotlight: Committee on Disability Affairs (CDA)
The Committee on Disability Affairs has had an exciting year, welcoming 15 new members to our team. We recently hosted Abbey, from “Love on the Spectrum,” who shared her experiences navigating health care as a person with autism.
Our monthly journal club continues to foster discussions on key disability advocacy topics, and we are currently working on policy efforts related to leave of absence from medical school. We look forward to continuing our advocacy and education efforts in the months ahead!
Advocacy updates
As the 119th Congress continues its efforts to pass a reconciliation bill to fund the government and advance key priorities, AMA staff have been actively identifying opportunities for engagement. Recent actions include:
- The AMA sent a letter to the FDA applauding its adoption of a universal, risk-based screening process for cell and tissue donation. This updated approach eliminates outdated restrictions that disproportionately impacted certain groups, including men who have sex with men (MSM), and ensures a more equitable and science-driven donation policy.
Contact us
Interested in getting more involved? Join the MSS Updates GroupMe to keep up with opportunities and email us with questions at mss@ama-assn.org.
