News

New law a double victory for kids' health

I don't believe for one second that the congressional gridlock that has been an inherent part of our nation's capital over the years has been solved. But I will admit to feeling a great deal of satisfaction when Congress agreed—in relatively short order, I might add—on legislation to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

President Barack Obama signed that bill, known as the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, on Feb. 4, just hours after the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation passed Jan. 29 by the Senate. The new law reauthorizes SCHIP—a successful public program that covers millions of children whose parents can't afford health insurance-through 2013 and is expected to increase SCHIP enrollment by 5.7 million people.

The sharp rise in the nation's unemployment totals likely has added more children to the ranks of the uninsured and placed increasing pressure on state health care programs. That's why it's so important that states extend health care coverage to more children whose parents cannot afford it but earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. This law does exactly that.

The law will provide more flexibility to states to allow better coordination and partnership with existing employer-provided private health insurance. And enhanced premium assistance provisions should help to ease budgetary pressures on SCHIP.

The new spending, an additional $32.8 billion over 4½ years, will be offset by an increase in the federal tobacco tax. Considering what we know about the dangers of smoking, this makes perfect sense. Smoking remains the No. 1 preventable cause of death in the U.S., killing roughly 1,200 Americans every day. Each year tobacco use is responsible for almost $90 billion in U.S. health care expenditures.

Every day, 4,000 children start smoking—and 1,500 become daily smokers. Meanwhile, studies show that for every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes, youth smoking is reduced by 7 percent, and overall consumption by 4 percent. A tobacco tax increase would act as a deterrent to both young and potential smokers.

Higher tobacco taxes equal lower smoking rates in the long run, and the effect is greater among America's kids. The higher the tax, the more substantial the future public health benefit. And fewer smokers mean fewer people with strokes, heart attacks, cancer and other smoking-related health conditions. Increasing the tobacco tax and putting that money directly into health care for children is a win-win scenario that will better protect Americans-and it's a sound investment in our nation's future.

Just as important as what is part of the new law is what it does not include: a provision to restrict physician ownership of hospitals. The AMA strongly opposes restrictions on physician-owned hospitals—and for good reason.

Many physician-owned hospitals are specialty facilities, which are smaller than big community hospitals and have been proven to offer improved, cost-effective care that results in lower infection rates, fewer medical errors and shorter operating room turnover times. Moreover, specialty hospitals encourage competition among health facilities, which has led to the delivery of higher-quality and innovative health care in the communities where they are located.

As you might recall, there's a bit of recent history regarding physician-owned hospitals and legislation to reauthorize SCHIP. In late 2007 the House passed a bill to both reauthorize SCHIP and address Medicare physician payment cuts, but a ban on specialty hospitals was attached to it. Congress approved a final version that averted the physician payment cut for six months, but the specialty hospital ban wasn't included.

Then, last month, the House approved a SCHIP reauthorization bill, and again, a provision to restrict physician ownership of hospitals was included. The Senate legislation did not include such a provision, and I'm very pleased one didn't make it into the final bill. This is about providing care to children in need, not on limiting access or choice through restrictions on physician ownership of hospitals.

The House also attached a ban on physician-owned hospitals to mental health parity legislation last year. Congress ultimately passed a mental health parity bill, but it did not include the ban. That makes three times the House has tried to attach a provision to restrict physician ownership in hospitals to other bills. Since hospital associations have an obvious self-interest in pushing for it, the issue will probably come up again in the future. We must be vigilant.

Years of hard work and commitment to reauthorize SCHIP with proper funding and expanded eligibility have finally paid off. It's a fine first step in reducing the ranks of the nation's 46 million uninsured millions, and it ensures that more children will be able to get the health care they need to have the best chance to learn, develop and succeed in life.

E-mail comments, questions and replies to Dr. Nielsen

1) AMA announces physician class-actions against Aetna and CIGNA
The AMA and several state medical associations, including the Medical Society of New Jersey, joined with individual physicians in filing separate class-action lawsuits against Aetna Health Inc. and CIGNA Corporation claiming the companies used rigged data to dramatically under-reimburse physicians.

The two lawsuits, filed Feb. 9 in New Jersey federal court, contend that for more than a decade, the two health insurers used a corrupt system to underpay physicians for out-of-network medical services and forced patients to pay an excessive portion of the costs.

"We can no longer ignore the improper business practices of health insurers who decide to play by their own rules without regard to patients, or the legitimate costs required to care for them," said AMA President Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD.

Established by the AMA Foundation in conjunction with the AMA Women Physicians Congress, the scholarship provides funding for projects that aim to advance the progress of women in the medical profession and strengthen the AMA's ability to identify and address the needs and interests of women physicians and medical students.

In its third year, the scholarship has been awarded to five researchers, including last year's winners, Sue Yom, MD, and Maurice Clifton, MD. Dr. Yom, an assistant professor of radiation oncology at the University of California, San Francisco, used the funds to examine why women faculty leave the profession and costs associated by respective institutions because of this lack of retention. Dr. Clifton, an associate dean for admissions and student affairs with Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Ga., is researching obstacles that prevent more women from practicing in rural areas.

Web site to learn more and to apply.

4) Don't miss the 2009 AMA Foundation Excellence in Medicine Awards
Prior to the National Advocacy Conference, the AMA Foundation Excellence In Medicine Awards dinner will take place March 9 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C. Presented in association with Pfizer Inc, this event honors a select group of physicians and medical students who exemplify the medical profession's highest values of altruism, compassion and dedication to patient care. The cost per person to attend is $150, and the cost for table sponsorship is $1,350.

This year's Excellence in Medicine Award winners are:

• Randi Abramson, MD, Washington, D.C.
• Regina Benjamin, MD, La Batre Bayou, Ala.
• David Muller, MD, New York
• Nancy Oriol, MD, Boston
• AppaRao Mukkamala, MD, Grand Blanc, Mich.
• Richard Baylor, MD, Kilmarnock, Va.

Please call (312) 464-4200 by Feb. 20 to confirm your attendance and/or table sponsorship.

5) Make your voice heard at the National Advocacy Conference
Join together with your colleagues and stand as advocates for patients, physicians and the future of medicine at the National Advocacy Conference, March 10–11 at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C. The cutoff date for room reservations is today, Feb. 12.

The conference features a Capitol Hill briefing, health system reform sessions, the Dr. Nathan Davis Awards for Outstanding Government Service program, the AMA Foundation Excellence in Medicine Awards dinner and the AMA Alliance Capitol Conference, winter session.

6) The February issue of Virtual Mentor looks at abuse and violence in their many forms
The article surmises that while violence and abuse represent a significant public health problem, "we are less likely to know about the mistreatment of doctors-in-training and its possible consequence, or to consider how physicians can aid in identifying and treating school children who may pose a threat to their teachers and peers."

7) In JAMA: New surgical technique shows promise for improving function of artificial arms
Improving the function of prosthetic arms remains a challenge, because access to the neural-control information for the arm is lost during amputation. A surgical technique called targeted muscle reinnervation aims to address this challenge through the transfer of residual arm nerves to alternative muscle sites. After reinnervation, these target muscles produce electromyogram signals on the surface of the skin that can be measured and used to control prosthetic arms.

According to a study in the Feb. 11 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), targeted muscle reinnervation appears to improve the control of functions in an artificial arm for patients with arm amputations.

Preview an editorial on this topic.

1) AMA-GLBT seeks nominations for its 2009–2010 advisory committee
Two at-large positions and three slotted positions on next year’s AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee will open this spring.

The AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee includes three at-large positions, appointed by the AMA Board of Trustees, and four slotted positions, appointed by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association as well as various AMA sections. Slotted positions represent the AMA Medical Student Section (MSS), the AMA Resident and Fellow Section (RFS) and the AMA Young Physicians Section (YPS). Visit the AMA-GLBT Web site to view and download application materials.

Individual candidates who are interested in at-large positions should e-mail application materials for consideration. E-mail applications to the AMA-MSS, AMA-RFS or AMA-YPS if you’re interested in slotted representative seats.

Call (312) 464-4335 or visit the Web site for more information about the AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee.

1) Advisory Committee on Group Practice Physicians seeks nominations
Nominations are being accepted for the Advisory Committee on Group Practice. The committee is comprises 11 physicians practicing medicine in a medical group or faculty practice setting. Nominees must be leaders within their group practices, which include CEO, COO, board chair, department chair, etc. and active members of the AMA and organized medicine. The committee is charged with advising the AMA Board of Trustees and staff on issues that directly affect the group practice community.

2) AMNews: Easing into technology: Alternatives to a full EMR
According to a story in the Feb. 2 issue of American Medical News, there are two alternative approaches to consider when deciding what Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is right for your practice. One is automating one process at a time. The other is adopting a "lightweight EMR," an EMR with limited functionality. Either could save you from a costly mistake by giving you the experience you need before purchasing an expensive, high-functioning EMR.

"A lot of practices make the mistake of adopting an 18-wheeler of an electronic medical record (EMR) system when they aren't even ready to drive a sedan," said Shahid N. Shah, a health care technology strategist.

1) Review the latest AMA-IMG work force report
A newly updated discussion paper (PDF) that addresses physician shortages and misdistribution as well as statistics on IMGs is now available. The paper, International Medical Graduates in the U.S. Physician Workforce, offers information on international medical schools and recommendations for better use of the IMG work force. It is intended to spark open dialogue among IMGs and between IMGs and non-IMGs.

Contact Carolyn Carter-Ellis at (312) 464-5397 or send an e-mail with any questions.

2) Apply for a position on the AMA-IMG Section Governing Council
Candidates interested in a position on the 2009–2012 AMA-IMG Section Governing Council are encouraged to submit materials by Feb. 20. Qualified candidates must be current AMA members who are IMGs with relevant organized medicine leadership experience as well as plenty of time to commit to the group for three years.

Visit the AMA-IMG Web site to access the nomination forms.

E-mail materials for consideration. Materials should be sent no later than Feb. 20. Online elections will take place in April.

Call J. Mori Johnson at (312) 464-5678 for more information.

3) Participate in new AMA-IMG Section virtual congress
As part of the AMA-IMG Section's new virtual congress format, resolutions submitted by April 3 for consideration during the section's annual congress will be placed on the AMA-IMG Section Web site for review and online testimony submissions. This new format should increase the participation of AMA-IMG Section members and will allow the section's resolutions to be included in the AMA House of Delegates handbook.

The AMA-IMG Section Governing Council and resolutions committee will review all submitted testimony and finalize resolutions by April 27. AMA-IMG Section members will vote between April 30 and May 7 to approve or not approve each resolution in its final form.

E-mail resolutions for consideration. Resolutions are due no later than April 3.

Visit the AMA-IMG Web site to view resolution writing guidelines. Call (312) 464-5397 with questions.

Brought to you by the AMA Section on Medical Schools

1) Apply for a position on the AMA-SMS Governing Council
Candidates interested in a position on the 2009 AMA-SMS Governing Council are encouraged to submit materials by May 4. Open positions include chair-elect, three members-at-large and section liaison to the AMA Council on Medical Education.

Jackie Drake for more details and an application form. Elections will be held at the June AMA-SMS meeting.

2) AMA announces new disaster preparedness course
A new Electronic Core Disaster Life Support™ course (eCDLS™) has been released by the AMA and National Disaster Life Support Foundation Inc. The course is designed to increase emergency responder awareness of basic skills, competencies, knowledge and resources that are critical for a coordinated and effective local emergency response effort.

Funded by the Department of Homeland Security, eCDLS is an awareness-level, all-hazards course for all potential health system responders. The four-hour course comprises nine modules, a pre-test and a post-test and is available at no charge.

Visit the Web site for more information.

Those who complete the course by Sept. 30 will receive a course completion certificate, a CDLS course manual, a wallet card and the AMA virtual library CD-ROM Management of Public Health Emergencies.

Send an e-mail with questions.

Visit the Web site for a list and description of all the National Disaster Life Support™ courses.

3) February's Virtual Mentor explores professional responsibility in preventing violence, abuse
The February issue of Virtual Mentor looks at abuse and violence in their many forms. The article surmises that while violence and abuse represent a significant public health problem, "we are less likely to know about the mistreatment of doctors-in-training and its possible consequence, or to consider how physicians can aid in identifying and treating school children who may pose a threat to their teachers and peers."

4) Step 3 Examination moves to new software for computer-based USMLE
A new version of the software used to deliver the computer-based United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) was introduced in August 2008. The Step 3 Examination is scheduled to migrate to the new version in March.

The migration is expected to begin at a small number of test centers on March 9 and will then be phased in at remaining test centers during the week of March 16.

View the announcement.

1) Get ready for Cover the Uninsured Week
The AMA-MSS will join a number of influential organizations as a national supporter of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's seventh annual Cover the Uninsured Week, March 22–28.

This involvement is part of the AMA-MSS's National Service Project and its ongoing dedication to covering the uninsured and protecting access to care. Last year more than 40 AMA-MSS chapters participated in Cover the Uninsured Week events, and local chapters are encouraged to participate this year.

Chapter involvement grants (CIGs) are available to AMA-MSS chapters to offset the costs of Cover the Uninsured Week events and to help pay for other student projects and recruitment events. Chapters are eligible for up to $1,000 per academic year, with a maximum of $500 per event.

Visit the Web site to apply for a CIG at least 30 days before your event.

Visit the Web site to read about last year's events and to learn how to get involved this year.

2) Take advantage of AMA health policy opportunities for medical students
Through the Government Relations Internship Program (GRIP), the AMA Department of Medical Student Services offers assistance to students seeking to increase their involvement and education in national health policy and in the national legislative activities of organized medicine.

The GRIP is an opportunity for medical student members of the AMA to enhance their medical education through work in health care policy. Students must arrange their own six- to eight-week internships in advance, between June and August. The deadline to apply for the GRIP is Feb. 15.

3) Apply by Feb. 15 for Joan F. Giambalvo Memorial Scholarship
Researchers interested in exploring issues concerning women physicians are encouraged to apply for a 2009 Joan F. Giambalvo Memorial Scholarship by Feb. 15. Established by the AMA Foundation in conjunction with the AMA Women Physicians Congress, the scholarship provides funding to help researchers advance the progress of women in the medical profession and identify and address the needs of women physicians and medical students.

Visit the AMA-WPC Web site to learn more and apply for up to $10,000 in funding.

4) AMA announces new disaster preparedness course
A new Electronic Core Disaster Life Support™ course (eCDLS™) has been released by the AMA and National Disaster Life Support Foundation Inc. The course is designed to increase emergency responder awareness of basic skills, competencies, knowledge and resources that are critical for a coordinated and effective local emergency response effort.

Funded by the Department of Homeland Security, eCDLS is an awareness-level, all-hazards course for all potential health system responders. The four-hour course comprises nine modules, a pre-test and a post-test and is available at no charge.

Visit the Web site for more information.

Those who complete the course by Sept. 30 will receive a course completion certificate, a CDLS course manual, a wallet card and the AMA virtual library CD-ROM Management of Public Health Emergencies.

Send an e-mail with questions.

5) Mark your calendars for upcoming AMA-MSS Region meetings
AMA-MSS Regions 2, 5, 6 and 7 have upcoming meetings, and you're invited to attend.

• The AMA-MSS Region 2 meeting, "Forensics in medicine," will be held April 3–4 at the Kansas City University of Medicine in Kansas City, Mo.
• The AMA-MSS Region 5 meeting, "Together toward tomorrow," will be held Feb. 27 at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
• The AMA-MSS Region 6 meeting, "Understanding how actions of lawmakers and policymakers will impact our lives as physicians," will be held March 7–8 at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C.
• The AMA-MSS Region 7 meeting, "Surviving and thriving during medical school and residency," will be held Feb. 7 at the Massachusetts Medical Society in Waltham, Mass.

Visit the Web site for more information about these meetings, a list of states in each region and to learn more about organizing a region meeting.

6) Participate in exciting media rotation with Discovery Health
Medical students are encouraged to apply for the AMA/Discovery Health internship, a four-week program during which one AMA medical student member will help develop a medical education program that will air on the Discovery Health Channel.

Available only to AMA medical student and resident and fellow members, this exciting opportunity provides hands-on experience in translating scientific data into an entertaining and informational program. The selected student will work primarily at Discovery Communications headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., and travel to relevant on-site and studio shoots for the program. A stipend of $3,000 will be provided to cover living expenses. Dates and length of the rotation are flexible. Applications are due April 17.

Visit the Web site for more information and to apply.

Brought to you by the AMA Minority Affairs Consortium

1) Apply for the Minority Scholars Program
The Minority Scholars Award, presented in association with the AMA Minority Affairs Consortium, offers $10,000 awards for students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in the medical profession. Two first- or second-year medical students from each medical school may be nominated to receive one of 12 scholarships available. Nominations are due April 15.

Eligible students of minority background include African American/black, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native and Hispanic/Latino. Each medical school is invited to submit up to two nominees annually.

For application materials, contact the dean's office at your medical school.

Visit the Web site or call Dina Lindenberg at (312) 464-4193 for more information.

2) Conduct a Doctors Back To School visit in your community
In an effort to demonstrate the importance of increasing diversity in medicine, physicians, residents and medical students are encouraged to participate in Doctors Back to School (DBTS) program visits in their communities. The program show kids of all ages, particularly those from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, that medicine is an attainable career option for everyone.

Busayo Obayan, a medical student and member of the AMA-MAC Governing Council, is working to arrange recurring DBTS visits at several Boston-area schools. Obayan recently visited Timilty Middle School in Roxbury, Mass., on a DBTS visit with an eighth-grade class.

"We spoke with them about the different classes they needed to take in order to get into medical school, different colleges to attend, different types of physicians, and personal experiences that initiated our interest in medicine," said Obayan. "The students were excited to learn about physician pay and asked many questions about the different specialties and length of time to get the degree. Many students were interested in volunteering in hospitals to get more exposure to medical fields."

Send an e-mail if you are interesting in participating as a volunteer in the DBTS program.

Visit the Web site for additional resources including an action kit which can be downloaded from the AMA's Web site.

1) Save the date: 2009 AMA-OMSS Annual Meeting in Chicago
The AMA-OMSS assembly meeting will be held June 11–13 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Look for more information to come shortly in regard to this meeting.

Visit the AMA-OMSS Web site to view the full 2008 AMA-OMSS Interim Assembly Meeting summary and PowerPoint presentation for the AMA 2008 Interim meeting, as well as its disposition of actions.

2) Download free copy of AMA-OMSS presentation for medical staffs, hospital boards
The AMA-OMSS developed two PowerPoint presentations—one for medical staffs and another for hospital boards—to provide information on the section and its mission, duties and past actions.

AMA members can visit the AMA-OMSS Web site to view and download these presentations free of charge.

3) AMA Annual Meeting webcasts added to archives
The AMA-OMSS is offering four 90-minute educational webcasts: "Transitioning to an improved hospital discharge," "Keys to the successful implementation of the revised Joint Commission Medical Staff Bylaws Standard MS.1.20," "Creating a new future for a new day with a revamped organized medical staff structure" and "Physician hospitals of America: Reclaiming quality patient care through physician leadership."

Three of these programs provide AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Access these programs and learn more about each one.

Accreditation statement
The American Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Designation statement
The American Medical Association designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

4) Align your bylaws with Joint Commission standards
Because medical staff bylaws are considered a contract and are legally binding in most states, it is extremely important that they are well-designed and well-written. The fourth edition of the "Physician's guide to medical staff organization bylaws" contains practical guidance on bylaws development, model bylaw language, information on emerging issues and recent trends in medical staff re-engineering. The guide will be especially helpful to medical staffs as they update their bylaws to align with Joint Commission standards.

AMA members can download the guide (PDF) at no charge.

5) Resource helps strengthen physician-hospital relationship
A printable version of the "Principles for strengthening the physician-hospital relationship," developed by the AMA-OMSS and adopted by the AMA House of Delegates, is available online. These principles are designed to improve the working relationship between physicians and hospitals and ultimately foster better patient care and improve patient safety.

View and download these guidelines (PDF).

Send an e-mail to order a poster of the principles for your medical staff lounge.

1) Apply by Feb. 15 for Joan F. Giambalvo Memorial Scholarship
Researchers interested in exploring issues concerning women physicians are encouraged to apply for a 2009 Joan F. Giambalvo Memorial Scholarship by Feb. 15. Established by the AMA Foundation in conjunction with the AMA Women Physicians Congress, the scholarship provides funding to help researchers advance the progress of women in the medical profession and identify and address the needs of women physicians and medical students.

Visit the AMA-WPC Web site to learn more and apply for up to $10,000 in funding.

2) New Graduate Medical Education Directory coming soon
The 2009–2010 version of the Graduate Medical Education Directory, also referred to as the "Green Book," will be available in April. The directory is the only complete printed list of all residency/fellowship programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and will include:

• Contact information for more than 8,794 ACGME-accredited and combined specialty programs and 2,055 GME teaching institutions
• Descriptions and data for specialties and subspecialties
• American Board Medical Specialty certification requirements
• Medical licensure information
• Glossary of commonly used GME terms
• Lists of programs that are newly accredited and withdrawn

Also, this edition includes four disciplines that now have accredited programs for the first time:

• Hospice and palliative medicine
• Medical biochemical genetics (medical genetics)
• Pediatric transplant hepatology (pediatrics)
• Endovascular surgical neuroradiology (neurology)

Visit the AMA Bookstore for more information.

3) Apply for legislative awareness internship in Washington, D.C.
The AMA-RFS, in conjunction with the AMA's Washington, D.C., office, is sponsoring a two-week legislative internship program this spring. The program provides residents and fellows the opportunity to participate in the political process of organized medicine at the national level. Applications are due Feb. 27.

4) Study: A brief pre-op warm-up may improve surgical skills
A study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons found that adding a 15- to 20-minute warm-up led to a 33 percent reduction in errors on a series of simulated surgical skill exercises.

The researchers recruited 46 surgeons of varying specialties and experience levels and found that the warm-up session reduced time needed to complete the tasks and the number of cognitive errors, and increased gesture proficiency, smoothness of hand and tool movement.

The journal acknowledged, however, that the results are preliminary and should be confirmed in extensive future studies.

1) Older Americans advised on risks of cold temperatures
According to an article on HealthDay, seniors 65 and older were hospitalized for incidents related to cold weather almost seven times more than people ages 18 to 44, and three times more than those 45 to 64.

Older adults often have complicated medical conditions or take medications that can affect their ability to gauge how cold they really are. The ability to endure long periods of exposure of cold weather lessens with age, increasing the risk for hypothermia.

Visit the Web site for more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on hypothermia.

2) Senior physician liaison meeting planned for AMA Annual Meeting
The AMA-SPG Governing Council is seeking representation from each state on senior-oriented programs that can be presented for discussion at both the Annual and Interim meetings of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD).

These meetings are attended by an increasing number of senior physicians from the AMA-HOD, a third of which are members of the AMA-SPG, so representation can enhance the effectiveness of the group and promote sharing of concerns with other delegates.

William Jacott, MD, AMA-SPG Governing Council chair is looking forward to meeting with the liaison group, as the first meeting was lively and informative. He encourages states that did not send a representative to do so.

"Your feedback is needed as we all approach the many opportunities and issues involving senior physicians," said Dr. Jacott.

The next meeting is scheduled for June 12 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

E-mail Alice Reed to provide suggestions or to confirm your state liaison at the meeting.

Brought to you by the AMA Women Physicians Congress

1) Apply for a position on the AMA-WPC Governing Council
Slotted positions and two at-large positions on the AMA-WPC Governing Council will become available this spring.

The AMA-WPC Governing Council includes four elected at-large positions, one appointed position by the American Medical Women's Association and three appointed representatives from various AMA sections.

Interested candidates should visit the AMA-WPC Web site for more information and to download an application. Nominations are due Feb. 16.

2) Become an advocacy ambassador for Women in Ophthalmology
The Women in Ophthalmology (WIO) association is seeking nominations for advocacy ambassadors who will focus on issues of Medicare, insurance profiling, scope-of-practice issues and other matters related to the profession. Recipients will have a unique opportunity to be paired with more seasoned ophthalmologists to visit legislators and key care staff on Capitol Hill.

To nominate an advocacy ambassador and learn more about the program, please complete the form and forward it to the nominee for their completion. Forms are due to the WIO executive office by Feb. 23.

Send an e-mail for a nomination form and for more information.

1) Apply by Feb. 15 for Joan F. Giambalvo Memorial Scholarship
Researchers interested in exploring issues concerning women physicians are encouraged to apply for a 2009 Joan F. Giambalvo Memorial Scholarship by Feb. 15. Established by the AMA Foundation in conjunction with the AMA Women Physicians Congress, the scholarship provides funding to help researchers advance the progress of women in the medical profession and identify and address the needs of women physicians and medical students.

Visit the AMA-WPC Web site to learn more and apply for up to $10,000 in funding.

2) Make your voice heard at the National Advocacy Conference
Join your colleagues and stand as advocates for patients, physicians and the future of medicine at the National Advocacy Conference, March 10–11 at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C. The cutoff date for room reservations is today, Feb. 12.

The conference features a Capitol Hill briefing, health system reform sessions, the Dr. Nathan Davis Awards for Outstanding Government Service program, the AMA Foundation Excellence in Medicine Awards dinner and the AMA Alliance Capitol Conference, winter session.

Visit the Web site for more information.

3) February's Virtual Mentor explores professional responsibility in preventing violence, abuse
The February issue of Virtual Mentor looks at abuse and violence in their many forms. The article surmises that while violence and abuse represent a significant public health problem, "we are less likely to know about the mistreatment of doctors-in-training and its possible consequence, or to consider how physicians can aid in identifying and treating school children who may pose a threat to their teachers and peers."