Medical students will, by definition, shape the future of medicine. The upcoming AMA Medical Student Advocacy Conference (MAC) is a venue in which they can amplify their collective voice and create a brighter tomorrow for physicians and patients.
The conference offers physicians-in-training the opportunity to improve their skills as advocates before they start practicing medicine as well as the unique opportunity to meet face to face with members of Congress and their staffers to advocate on issues directly affecting physicians and patients.
The conference, which takes place March 5–6 in Washington, gives medical students a remarkable opportunity to advocate for the future of medicine by:
- Attending training sessions on how to be an effective health care advocate.
- Learning about issues affecting medical students.
- Meeting with their local legislators on Capitol Hill.
Learn more and register now for the 2026 AMA Medical Student Advocacy Conference.
Here are four other big reasons why medical students should head to Washington to attend the conference.
Face time and networking
The in-person event allows medical students to meet face to face with members of Congress and their staffers.
Jessica McAllister, MD, attended the conference several times. In 2024, she did so as the AMA Government Relations Advocacy Fellow (GRAF), a position which is instrumental in planning the meeting.
“Meeting with your members of Congress during MAC is a great way for students to start building those relationships with their lawmakers to further their future advocacy,” said Dr. McAllister, now an ob-gyn resident in New Mexico.
McAllister added that “MAC serves as a great opportunity for medical students who are passionate about advocacy and public health to come together and foster meaningful relationships with other like-minded medical students.”
Grow as an advocate
Ahead of their visits with the nation’s lawmakers, the AMA Medical Student Advocacy Conference will feature sessions that help hone their ability to advocate and lobby effectively.
Formerly the GRAF, Kylee Borger, MD, MPH, attended the conference several times. For Dr. Borger, the work she did at MAC set the work for her continued growth in organized medicine. She is now a delegate for the AMA Resident and Fellow Section.
“Attending MAC helps you grow as an advocate by giving you the tools on what to say and how to say it to be the most effective when you meet with your representatives,” said Dr. Borger, now an internal medicine-emergency medicine resident in New York.”
Some key tips for those interactions with lawmakers (PDF) include understanding where your expertise as an advocate lies and seeking guidance from physicians who have worked as physician lobbyists.
Target key issues
As has been the case in previous versions of the event, medical students attending the 2025 AMA Medical Student Advocacy Conference will have a few key issues on their radar.
Medical students will be advocating for physicians, patients and their communities by focusing on issues that impact key arenas of the health care landscape. In the past these advocacy efforts have focused on areas such as medical education, improving outcomes and making the delivery of care more efficient.
As part of the training, medical students are armed with education and policy briefs that help them improve their knowledge in an effort to effectively lobby.
The system needs fixing
The challenges facing health care’s future make advocacy less of an optional endeavor, according to Borger.
“Students should attend MAC because advocacy is essential to improving patient care and access,” Dr. Borger said. “If we do not incorporate advocacy into our medical practice, as medical students and as future physicians, we can only work within the broken health care system as it exists—and are ignoring the possibility of fixing it to improve patient access, health care affordability, health equity and limitless facets of the art and science of medicine.”
