A note from the MSS chair
October 2023
From MSS Chair Natasha Topolski
September was a month full of celebration, learning, work and travel. It marked Women in Medicine Month and the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, both of which were celebrated through events hosted by our MSS standing committees. Our governing council also had the privilege of attending several national medical student conferences.
In addition, we hosted our first fall United Leaders in Advocacy Work Group meeting. All final resolutions for the 2023 Interim Meeting have also been submitted and are ready for review and debate. You can check out the resolutions on our Virtual Reference Committee. Along with policy discussions, we also have a full agenda with educational programming and networking opportunities.
2023 MSS Interim Meeting
Register and join the Medical Student Section on Nov. 9 and 10 in National Harbor, Maryland, for the MSS Interim Meeting. The meeting includes policymaking, education programs, the AMA Poster Showcase, region meetings, elections for national positions and much more.
Government Relations Advocacy Fellow update
Our Government Relations Advocacy Fellow (GRAF), Jessica McAllister, has provided a recap of ongoing legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts (PDF) and upcoming opportunities from the advocacy office in DC.
Medical student conferences
Medical Student Section leaders attended the Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) Annual Meeting and Health Conference, Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) National Conference and the Wisconsin MSS Advocacy Retreat.
Standing committee spotlight
Women in Medicine Month and Hispanic Heritage Month were both celebrated through events hosted by our MSS standing committees. For Women in Medicine Month, the MSS’s Women in Medicine Committee, in collaboration with the Women’s Physicians Section (WPS), hosted a panel in which members of the WPS shared their experiences as women in medicine. For Hispanic Heritage Month, the MSS Minority Issues Committee hosted a conversation with Dr. Elizabeth Valencia about her personal journey into medicine and experience serving Hispanic communities.
United Leaders in Advocacy work group meeting update
The United Leaders in Advocacy, a working group made up of representatives from DEI-related National Medical Student Organizations (NMSOs), met in September to discuss collaborations for the upcoming year.
Ideas included bringing attention to health care-related social issues and advocacy opportunities through various collaboration possibilities at both the regional and national level. The work group also discussed the possibility of having an online organization fair, policy-writing workshops for NMSOs, and creating a living document for organizations to share their past and present work.
Contact us
Interested in getting more involved? Join the MSS Updates GroupMe and email us with questions at mss@ama-assn.org.
