2006 Interim Meeting

MSS Interim Meeting
Nov. 9-11, 2006
Las Vegas, Nev.

The MSS held its 29th Interim Meeting on November 9–11 at the Las Vegas Flamingo. A record number - over 900 – medical students attended the meeting, which ofered over forty educational programs on a range of topics including covering the uninsured, debt management, international medicine, and even veterinary medicine! See the meeting agenda (PDF, 120KB) for the full listing of programs.

The keynote address, “Leadership Lessons in the Wake of Hurrican Katrina” was presented by Jeffrey G. Wiese, MD, Associate Professor and the Associate Chairman of Medicine at the Tulane University Health Sciences Center. Dr. Wiese presented this inspirational keynote address on leadership in the face of an emergency to a full room of medical students.

The Fifth Annual Research Poster Symposium was held in conjunction with the Resident and Fellow Section, with an educational grant from Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative. The event was a great success with over 100 student posters presented and judged by members of the AMA Council on Science and Public Health and faculty from the University of Nevada. The MSS awarded winners in the following eight categories:

Biochemistry/Cell Biology—William Wang, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Cancer Biology—Stacy Rowenhorst, Sanford School of Medicine of The University of South Dakota
Cardiology/Vascular Biology—Seth Bechis, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
Clinical/Epidemiological/Health Care—Kavita Shah, Jefferson Medical College
Immunology/Microbiology—Javaneh Abbasian, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago
Neurobiology/Neuroscience—Anshu Shukla, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Radiology/Imaging—Jason Curry, Medical University of South Carolina, College of Medicine
Surgery—Faramarz Edalat, Boston University School of Medicine

The Overall Winner was William Wang, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who receives a trip to the 2007 MSS Annual Meeting in Chicago on June 21-23. Congratulations to these winners and all who participated for their impressive research.

The MSS is pleased to announce the election of the MSS Chair-elect, Rana Yehia, University of Florida College of Medicine, and the re-election of Trustee, Chris DeRienzo, Duke University School of Medicine, whose terms commence after the 2007 Annual Meeting.

Covering the Uninsured and Protecting Access to Care
The AMA-MSS kicked-off its National Service Project, “Covering the Uninsured and Protecting Access to Care” on Friday, November 10, with an event at the local Head Start facility. Over 50 student volunteers provided well-child health screenings for over 100 children enrolled in this early childhood development program. The students also engaged the children in games and activities focused on their health. The children took away healthy snacks and new books, thanks to the Reach Out and Read Program. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on the successful event at http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Nov-11-Sat-2006/news/10760652.html
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MSS policy highlights from the Interim Meeting
The MSS Assembly considered 25 items of business, including 19 resolutions and 6 reports. Issues considered were wide-ranging and included medical education, public health, legislation, and a number of internal MSS issues. Eighteen of these items were adopted, ten of which will be forwarded to the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) for consideration at the 2007 Annual Meeting in Chicago. Six items were referred for report, upon which the MSS Governing Council and MSS Standing Committees will soon begin work.

One item of particular interest: an MSS resolution asking the AMA to oppose funding cuts for the Health Careers Opportunity Program and Centers of Excellence program, both of which seek to increase diversity in American medicine, was adopted and, due to its urgent nature, immediately forwarded to the AMA HOD. The aims of this MSS-sponsored resolution were incorporated into the recommendations of a Council on Medical Education report that was subsequently adopted. Thanks in part to the efforts of the MSS, the AMA will now work to ensure that these important programs remain fully funded.

Final actions (PDF, 159KB) from the 2006 MSS Interim Meeting