Report 12 of the Council on Scientific Affairs (A-03)

Science, Quality, and Public Health at the American Medical Association

Read full text - Featured Report

Summary

Objective: To review recent activities and accomplishments of the Council on Scientific Affairs (CSA) and the Group on Science, Quality, and Public Health within the American Medical Association (AMA).

Results: Annually, the CSA submits approximately 20 reports to the AMA’s House of Delegates. These reports are subject to external review and include the input of relevant medical specialty societies. These reports address a broad range of public health and medical issues affecting physicians and patients. Approximately 30% of these reports are published in the peer-reviewed medical literature, and represent a rich source of recognition for the AMA. The remainder are published electronically on the AMA Web site. The CSA remains active in monitoring the clinical research enterprise and provided the impetus for the AMA’s involvement in the important domain of disaster preparedness.

The Council’s activities are supported by the staff in the Group on Science, Quality, and Public Health (SQPH). This Group is comprised of four main units (Clinical Quality Improvement; Science, Research, and Technology; Medicine and Public Health; Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response) and the special grant-funded program on Alcohol and Tobacco Policy Advocacy. SQPH maintains the core science and public health programs of the AMA. These programs position the AMA to assist in improving the quality of medical practice, advocating for patient safety, and promoting the health of the public.

Conclusion. The AMA has a long history of supporting the scientific basis of medical practice, advocating for high-quality medical care, and dedicating itself to enhancing the health of the public. Along with ethics and a dedication to service, the core programs of SQPH form the cornerstones of Professionalism. With the collaborative assistance of medical specialty societies, the CSA and the programs in SQPH will continue to offer physicians and the public credible and unbiased information on a variety of medical, quality improvement, and public health issues that affect physicians’ practice and the lives of our patients.