2008 MSS Region 1 Meeting
“Health Care for the Underserved: How Will We Achieve Our Goals?”

Register by Dec. 22, 2007, by e-mailing your name, school, phone, and time of arrival/departure to: register4conference@yahoo.com

Area hotels (PDF, 17KB)

January 18

Reception for the AMA MSS representatives at the Oregon Health & Science University campus

January 19

Meeting at the Oregon Medical Association

• Keynote speaker: John Kitzhaber, MD, former Governor of Oregon; Founder, Archimedes Movement; Author, Oregon Health Plan
• Breakout sessions facilitated by health policy experts and idea generators. Proposed facilitators include:
  • Dr. James Reuler
  • Dr. John Santa
  • Dr. Richard Grazer
  • Steve Greg
• Special AMA MSS guest speakers, including:
• MSS Governing Council Speaker
• COLA representative
• AMPAC representative
• Government Relations & Advocacy Fellow
• Formation of working groups, generation of contact lists, and explanation of short-term and long-term working group goals.

January 20

• Community service project - Facility painting and repair for the seven most utilized free clinics of Portland, coordinated by the AMA MSS Region 1 Community Service Liaison

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 2007 MSS Region 1 Meeting
"The Well Rounded Physician: Health Care Disparities and Alternative Approaches"

Register now!

Bally's Hotel
Las Vegas, Nev.
Jan. 20, 2007

The conference will bring together interested medical students from around the region to an interactive program, including break-out sessions, educational seminars, and networking opportunities. Most medical students are only aware of their unique social and medical environment in which they live. One of the primary goals of the conference is to educate others about the strengths and weaknesses of different practicing environments, in an effort to make a more well-rounded physician. We plan to focus on rural and alternative medicine which tends to be lacking in most medical school curriculums. Invited speakers include: Dr. David Redding from Western University to present on alternative medicine and personal health, and Dr. Chris Cochran from UNLV to speak on public health. Download the flyer (PDF, 70KB) for more information.

Registration is free for AMA members, $10 for non-members. For more information, contact Evan Tobin, Region 1 Chair.

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2005 MSS Region 1 Meeting
"Patients, Physicians, and Providers: A Three-Pronged Approach to Identifying and Improving Problems in Health Care"

University Medical Center
Las Vegas, Nevada
Saturday, Jan. 15, 2005

Registration is free for AMA members, $10 for non-members. For hotel reservations for January 14-17, 2005, please call (888) 696-2121 and state you are with AMA-Medical Student Section Region I Conference. Contact your AMA chapter representative for registration forms, or e-mail Paul Veldhouse, Vice-Chair of Region 1 for more information.

The agenda for the meeting is as follows:

8:30 – 9 a.m.        Registration and Breakfast

9:00 – 9:10        Greetings from the Regional Chair and Vice Chair

9:10 – 10:00      CMA-MSS Immediate Past Vice-Chair, Alex Ding

10:00 – 10:10    Break

10:10 – 11:00    Health Care Financing and Policy Administrator, Charles Duarte

11:00 – 11:10    Break

11:10 – 12:00    Medical Director, Aetna Health, Inc. (Arizonza/Nevada), Richard Jones, MD

12:00 – 1:00      Lunch and Discussion:  Interesting law suits against physicians and how they turned sour or sweet

1:00 – 1:50        Pediatrician, Stephen Tarzynski, MD & Urologist, Vito Imbasciani, MD

1:50 – 2:00        Break

2:00 – 2:50        Trial Lawyer of the Year, Nevada, Gerald I. Gillock, JD

2:50 – 3:00        Break

3:00 – 5:00        Discuss ideas for resolutions, participation on committees, membership retention, how to get involed; meeting adjourned

5:00 – 9:00        Free Time

9:00pm             Social Event, TBA

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2004 MSS Region 1 Meeting
"Medicine in the Western States"

University Medical Center
Las Vegas, Nevada
Saturday, Jan. 17, 2004

On January 17, 2004, Region 1, comprising the 15 western states, held their annual conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The focus of the conference was “Medicine in the Western States.” Joe McDonald, AMA-MSS Chair, opened the day with a lecture on the role of the MSS in the AMA and how students can become involved. Adam Levine, AMA-MSS Delegate, followed with a lecture on health economics and what students should know before entering a residency program. The morning was rounded-out with an interactive presentation by Dr. Don Havins on the history of medical malpractice reforms and how they have affected the current state of our healthcare system.

During lunch, the attendees were able to discuss student debt management with Ms. Ann Diggins, Director of Recruitment and Student Services and the University of Nevada School of Medicine. The afternoon activities included a panel discussion on working in underserved communities. Guests included Dr. Carl Heard, Chief Medical Officer of the Nevada Rural Health Centers; Mr. Ed Ruttan, Director of Disaster Services for the Nevada Chapter of the Red Cross; Marcia Evans, RN; Shoshannah Stone, RN; Mr. Del Emerling of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe Health Services; and Dr. Joe Hardy, a family practitioner and state assemblyman. Aside from discussing experiences working in Indian healthcare, small town and rural medicine, and homeless healthcare, a number of the panelists shared their experience volunteering overseas in underserved communities.

The conference ended with a panel of doctors from the University Medical Center working in Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Family Practice, Surgery, OBGYN, and Anesthesiology. The panelists discussed their experiences in choosing a residency program, the ways in which the new resident work hours had affected the programs, and how they were able to balance residency with having a personal life.

Fifty students attended the conference from Nevada, California (8 universities), Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Washington. From the AMA-MSS Governing Council, Joe McDonald, Chair, Sean Liston, Speaker, Adam Levine, Delegate, Samantha Cramoy, Alternate Delegate, and David Rosman, Trustee attended the meeting. The University of Nevada School of Medicine hosted the event at the University Medical Center, donating the space, equipment, and lunch for the attendees. Furthermore, all speakers graciously donated their time, allowing the region to use the allotted money from the AMA-MSS to pay for breakfast and dinner for the attendees, as well as assisting in the cost of travel for all attending students.

As a final note for future regional conferences, most people are very willing to forgo any form of payment if they know that the money will be used to help medical students attend the meeting. Also, most universities have money budgeted to provide assistance to medical students for such an event, including food, space for the meeting, and student-hosted housing.

Conference Agenda:

8:30 – 9:00 a.m.	Registration and Breakfast
9:00 – 9:15 a.m.	Greetings from the Regional Chair and Vice Chair
9:15 – 9:50 a.m.	AMA-MSS Chair, Joe McDonald
9:50 – 10:00 a.m.	Break
10:00 – 10:50 a.m.	Health Economics for Medical Students, Adam Levine
10:50 – 11:00 a.m.	Break
11:00 – 11:50 a.m.	Medical Malpractice: Update on Current Issues, Dr. Don Havins
11:50 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Lunch: Options for student debt repayment
12:00 – 2:50 p.m.	Panel on experiences working in underserved communities
2:50 – 3:00 p.m.	Break
3:00 – 4:50 p.m.	Panel discussion on residency: Choosing a residency
4:50 – 5:15 p.m.	Discuss ideas for resolutions, participating with committees, and candidates for the annual meeting
5:15 – 9:00 p.m.	Free Time
9:00 p.m.	Social Event