History of the AMA Foundation

AMA Foundation Timeline

1950s: Support for the Nation’s Medical Schools

While post-war America experienced an economic boom, the nation’s medical schools faced a serious crisis: the costs of training young physicians had skyrocketed, new medical technology made nearly all their equipment obsolete, and most were operating at a $10,000,000+ deficit -something needed to be done.

The AMA heard the call for help and responded swiftly by establishing the American Medical Education Foundation (AMEF) in 1950 to raise money for the country’s struggling medical schools. In 1955, the Foundation forged its partnership with the AMA Auxiliary (now named the AMA Alliance), a nationwide network of chapters comprised of physicians’ spouses committed to promoting the AMA’s mission.

In a letter to the AMA from President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the country’s gratitude was made clear: "It would be impossible for me to exaggerate the vital importance of the Foundation to the national welfare. I wish you and your associates great success and assure you of my wholehearted support."

<<As of 2002, the AMA Alliance and the AMA Foundation have contributed more than $88,000,000 to medical schools throughout America.>>

1960s: Help for Future Physicians

In 1962, AMEF decided to extend its support to aspiring doctors by establishing the Student Loan Guarantee Program. The SLGP provided low-cost loans to medical students, interns and residents - in just one year the program was helping one in every seven medical trainees in the US!

<<By the time the program closed in 1980, more than $95,000,000 in discounted educational loans were guaranteed with Foundation funds.>>

Philip Burns, MD comments on the importance that the Foundation’s Student Loan Guarantee Program played in his life: "I was the eldest of five children and my parents couldn’t afford to pay my way through medical school. If it weren’t for the loan program, my father would have had to mortgage our farm to help me out." Today, Dr. Burns is Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine at Chattanooga.

Also in 1962, AMEF merged with the American Medical Research Foundation, which was founded in 1957 to support research programs throughout the country. The resulting organization was called the AMA Education and Research Foundation, or AMA-ERF.

The first accomplishment by the new foundation was its Program on Tobacco and Health, initiated in 1963. The program collaborated with hundreds of researchers and produced nearly 800 publications and reports over the next 11 years detailing the pharmacology of tobacco and its adverse effects on health.

The Foundation’s annual sponsorship of the National and Regional Student Research Forums also began in the ‘60s. Medical, graduate, MD/PhD students, and resident physicians from across the country convene to present original basic science and clinical research in multiple biomedical fields.

<<Since 1963, the AMA Foundation has been a major sponsor of these important conferences, contributing more than $1,500,000 in total funding.>>

1970s: Expanding Scholarship and Research

Change defined the medical profession in the ‘70’s. To support that progress, the AMA-ERF provided support for a wide-range of conferences and symposia, from topics such as biomedical ethics to leadership seminars for women in medicine.

Foundation donors continued to play a crucial role in the Foundation’s success. For example, several endowed scholarships were established at the Foundation to support outstanding medical students:

• The Rock Sleyster, MD Memorial Scholarship for students interested in the field of psychiatry;
• The Florence Carter Fellowship for students researching a cure for leukemia;
• The Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Scholarship for students pursuing careers in science communications.

The Foundation’s Program on Tobacco and Health peaked in 1978 with the release of Tobacco and Health, an in-depth publication provided free by the Foundation to every library in America. Tobacco and Health summarized the program’s 11 years of research linking smoking and poor health.

1980s: Addressing the Changing Needs of American Medicine

New medical discoveries and growing costs shaped health care in the 1980s - and the AMA-ERF adapted its programs to advance its mission. Following is a brief list of some of the issues that the Foundation tackled during this pivotal time in history:

• clinical nutrition
• occupational and environmental medicine
• the role of diet and exercise in health
• the needs of seniors and people with disabilities
• patient medication instruction and compliance
• adverse effects of drug therapy
• medical education
• ethics of rationing health care
• medical malpractice
• use of animals in health care research

Higher inflation drove up the costs of medical training. To strengthen its efforts in medical education, the AMA-ERF established the Medical Student Assistance Program (now named the Scholars Fund) in 1983. A special feature of the program allowed donors to designate which medical school they would like their contribution directed toward. From the start, the program received enormous support from the AMA Alliance and continues to be one of the Foundation’s cornerstone programs.

In 1986, the Foundation added the Award For Health Education to its recognition program thanks to generous funding from the McGovern Foundation. This award honors physicians who have distinguished themselves as health educators. Some past recipients include former Surgeon Generals C. Everett Koop, MD and Julius B. Richmond, MD.

1990s: A New Focus on Service

In keeping with its strong tradition, the AMA-ERF continued supporting ground-breaking research and educational initiatives throughout the 1990s: genetic medicine, domestic violence, reproductive rights and children’s health were just a few of the topics spearheaded by the Foundation. Meanwhile, however, the Foundation saw an opportunity to start a new tradition - service.

AMA members have always been involved in community service, and this added focus enabled the Foundation to support its members’ meaningful pursuits on a local and national level.

Spurred by this new development, the Foundation began an ambitious revitalization in 1998. The AMA-ERF was renamed as the AMA Foundation, the Web site was launched, programs were enhanced, and a solid long-term strategy was forged.

The Next Century: Full Steam Ahead!

In 2000, the AMA Foundation celebrated fifty years of making a difference in the world of health care. Thousands of lives have been helped thanks to the many donors who have committed their energy and resources to fulfilling the Foundation’s mission and we are grateful for their generosity.

The AMA Foundation now stands poised to make an even greater impact through increased participation among AMA members, and organizations and individuals throughout the country. We hope you will partner in our efforts - get involved today!