Medical students enter medical school with the goal of becoming well-rounded physicians. Much of the development toward that aim is done in the clinical arena. But the best physicians are not simply encyclopedias of medical knowledge.
Leadership is a key area of medical student development. Growing as a leader is often done outside the formal curriculum of medical school and accomplished through extracurricular activities.
Leadership experience can also be a key factor in helping a medical student land a residency position when the time comes. In a 2026 survey of residency program directors conducted by the National Resident Matching Program, leadership qualities were the 12th-most cited factor—from a group of 43 total factors—in determining which residency applicants to interview. Cited by 68% of responding program directors as a factor in interview invitations, it was considered similarly to class rank (65%) and grades in required clerkships (69%).
Three experts well-positioned to know—a faculty member, a resident physician and a chief medical officer—shared valuable perspective on how medical students can find leadership opportunities that allow them to grow. Here are some of their key insights.
Look to organized medicine
Getting involved in organized medicine with physician organizations such as the AMA can start with a leadership role in your campus chapter and ladder up to more opportunity from there.
Charles Lopresto, DO, is the chief medical officer of a post-acute care facility and internal medicine hospitalist in Queens, New York. As a medical student, Dr. Lopresto served as chapter president for his medical school’s chapter of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association. From there, he was elected to the organization’s board of directors, where he served as national research director for two years.
Dr. Lopresto highlighted that medical students can also look beyond campus for local leadership opportunities.
“Look for leadership opportunities at the county medical societies, state medical societies and of course at the American Medical Association,” said Dr. Lopresto, an AMA member. “You would be surprised to know that many of the medical student positions at these organizations go unfilled, especially at the state and national levels.”
“Being excited by the opportunities to advance my career in both the medical policy and research avenues at an early time in my medical education was critical for me deciding to continue to be involved in these organizations as an attending,” he said. “And it's been very rewarding to remain involved and know that I can make a difference.”
The 2026 AMA Advocacy in Action Workshop, taking place virtually Oct. 5–7, is an opportunity for medical students to receive virtual grassroots advocacy skills training that will equip them to become effective advocates and leaders in medicine. Learn more and register now.
Start small
The first year of medical school, in particular, can be daunting from a coursework perspective. Because of that, overcommitting to any extracurricular activity is a potential misstep.
Michael Kavan, PhD, is associate dean for student affairs at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska. In an interview with the AMA, he advised first- and second-year medical students to start gaining leadership experience through organizations on campus.
“One easy way to get involved with leadership early in medical school is to seek out lower-level student government positions,” Kavan said. “It doesn't have to be a vice president or president position. Instead, students could gain valuable leadership experience by becoming a class representative for the school’s advancement or promotions committee, still an important role but requiring a more limited time commitment.”
Medical students have a place in shaping the future of medicine through the AMA. For medical students looking to hone their leadership skills, the AMA offers the chance to distinguish yourself through more than 1,000 leadership opportunities and skill building through online training modules, project-based learning and more.
Consider your interests
AMA member Addison Shenk, DO, advises medical students to let passion guide their extracurricular activity participation.
Dr. Shenk joined her medical school’s overdose-prevention task force as a first-year medical student, eventually serving in a leadership position in the group. She sought to work with the overdose-prevention task force because its mission was meaningful and personal to her.
“As a medical student, you have to value your time and pick and choose what you do,” Dr. Shenk said. “When opportunities come up that play into your personal passions, you have to take them by the horns. You can find the time to do the things you love.”
In Dr. Shenk’s case, she championed a project to improve how medical students differentiate between opioid and nonopioid overdoses. The work she led earned the top prize at the 2025 AMA Research Challenge, standing out from an initial field of more than 1,400 submissions. But publication and plaudits were never part of the plan.
“I’m a proponent of saying yes to a lot of different opportunities,” Dr. Shenk said. “That’s hugely important, especially your first two years of medical school. Even if you don't know how things are going to pan out. What this project became was not something I even considered possible as an M1.”
For medical students interested in exploring the scholarly work of peers, the AMA Research Challenge virtual poster symposium and semifinals, set for Oct. 13–15, will feature research from more than 1,000 medical students, residents and international medical graduates. AMA members can help judge semifinal posters and score the research that will determine the five finalists. Click here to register.
Look to lead through service
Community service is a major selling point for medical students looking to distinguish themselves with residency programs and it has much crossover with leadership. Medical schools have student-run community service organizations that help connect students with opportunities in the community. Working as a chair or vice chair of that type of organization is one option. Another is to pursue a leadership role at a student-run clinic.
“As a medical student, I did a lot of work in the community because the student-led clubs and organizations made those opportunities possible for me,” said Dr. Lopresto. “Taking a leadership role in those types of community service activities shows you have an interest in the public health of your community, and residency programs will notice.”
The AMA Medical Student Leadership Learning Series offers practical education to help medical students lead effectively. These 20-minute, interactive modules offer advice, realistic scenarios and printable resources to help medical students become skilled in core competencies of leadership. This series is an AMA members-only resource.
