2010 AMA-MSS Annual Meeting

June 10-12, 2010
Hyatt Regency Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Programming Highlights

• View the complete meeting agenda

Educational programs
More than 700 medical students from across the country attended the 2010 AMA-MSS Annual Meeting, which offered more than 25 educational programs on a range of topics including medicine and the media, surviving and thriving in medical school and residency, benefits of advanced degrees, Healer’s Art, and more. A keynote panel explored the history and transformation of medical education in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the “Flexner Report.”

• Download select educational program presentations

Medical Specialty Showcase
The AMA-MSS hosted its 7th Annual Medical Specialty Showcase, which was a resounding success. More than 50 specialty societies represented in the AMA-HOD were on hand to provide an introduction to their specialties and to offer materials to assist medical students in their career decision-making.

National Service Project event
Despite the weather, more than 40 students participated in an outstanding "National Get Outdoors Day" event at Lincoln Park Zoo as part of the AMA-MSS national service project. The students educated the public about the AMA’s Healthier Life Steps™ program, the concentration of the Section's national service project through 2011. Hundreds of visitors learned about four key health behaviors—poor diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and excessive or risky use of alcohol. In addition, medical students facilitated healthy lifestyle activities for children, including exercise sessions, and body mass index and blood pressure screenings for adults.

Humanities Initiative
The AMA-MSS held its first annual Humanities Initiative, focusing on Empathy through Art and Poetry, at the 2010 AMA-MSS Annual Meeting. Thirty-three medical students from around the country submitted entries for viewing and judging at the AMA-MSS welcome reception. Congratulations to this year's winners:

• First place: Shawna Bellew, University of Central Florida College of Medicine
• Second place: Seema Varghese, Michigan State University College of Medicine
• Third place: Manuel (Trey) Penton, University of South Florida College of Medicine
• Fourth place: Sonya Hovsepian, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine

Thank you to all who submitted entries, and to those who judged the entries.

Governing Council Elections

The AMA-MSS Assembly elected the following members of the 2010-2011 AMA-MSS Governing Council:

• Vice Chair: George Salloum, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
• Delegate: Steve Lee, Alpert Medical School of Brown University
• Alternate Delegate: Michael Best, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• At-Large Officer: Busayo Obayan, Boston University School of Medicine
• Speaker: Andrew Lutzkanin, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
• Vice Speaker: Paul Mayor, Medical College of Georgia

At the conclusion of the meeting, Christopher Bucciarelli, University of Florida College of Medicine, commenced his term as AMA-MSS Chair, and Meredith Williams, Baylor College of Medicine, commmenced her term as student member of the AMA Board of Trustees (BOT). A special thanks to Hans Arora, AMA-MSS Immediate Past Chair, and Justin Mahida, past student member of the BOT, for their outstanding service.

Policy Highlights

The AMA-MSS Assembly considered 35 items of business spanning a wide range of issues, including taxes on medical school tuition, the cost of the USMLE and COMLEX licensing examinations, the role of physician extenders, and the repeal of the "Defense of Marriage Act." Thirty-one of these items were adopted in some form, seventeen of which will be forwarded to the AMA House of Delegates for consideration at the 2010 Interim Meeting in San Diego.

• Proceedings of the 2010 AMA-MSS Annual Meeting