A note from the YPS chair
October 2024
From YPS Chair Sam Mathis, MD, MPH
As October starts, we finally move into fall. I love the changing of the seasons. Fall brings beautiful colors, cooler weather and numerous opportunities to reconnect with nature and important people in our lives. I hope you take time to connect with friends and family this fall as those connections are so vital to our emotional health. And of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the healing power of pumpkin spice on our well-being. In all seriousness, I do hope you take some time this season to connect with the people and activities that bring you joy and help improve your emotional well-being.
YPS strategic plan focus: policy and advocacy
This month, I want to focus on one of the four areas of emphasis of our strategic plan. A primary focus of YPS is representing young physicians in policy and advocacy. I am so impressed with the leadership our members show in working to advance patient-focused health care policies both within the AMA and on a local, state and national scale.
For example, two of our assembly representatives, Shamie Das, MD, MPH, and Tracey Henry, MD, were chosen as two of the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows for 2024-2025. This prestigious fellowship places these physicians in direct working relationships with key congressional offices and committees. I am so excited to cheer them on and look forward to learning about the fantastic work they will do over the next year.
While not everyone can take a year to do what these doctors are doing, we can all get engaged in some way. We can write a letter to our congressional office or meet with them at their office when they are home. We can get engaged locally in our city or county with local schools, community boards or volunteer opportunities. We can vote and encourage our patients to vote. We can have an impact.
Interim meeting
I look forward to seeing you all soon at our AMA meeting next month in Florida. We have an exciting time planned to work on policy, reconnect with old friends, and hopefully make some new ones as well. Together, we are working to advance health care and protect the future of medicine. Thank you for all you do day in and day out. I can’t wait to see you all!
Contact us
As always, email us at [email protected] with any comments and questions.
