The third annual Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) Policy Summit, held Oct. 21-23, was a comprehensive experiential training in Latino health policy. Three tracks were offered: Latino health, leadership and academia and health policy skills. Attendance exceeded 150 medical students, in addition to residents and physicians who attended as mentors and guest speakers. Over 20 exhibitors were featured.
The policy summit was sponsored by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) who hosted the summit, and the AMA Minority Affairs Section (AMA-MAS), which offset costs for the welcome reception. Christopher Clifford, AMA’s government relations and advocacy fellow, offered remarks during the networking event.
Featured speakers included Kenneth Dominguez, MD, MPH, a medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Karen Fischer, JD, AAMC’s chief public policy officer; Kathy Sykes, MA, MPPA, a senior advisor with the Environment Protection Agency; and a moderated panel of health policy experts in government, academia, and industry from across the U.S.
The 2-day conference serves as the primary training venue for LMSA members to learn the advocacy skills necessary to make an impact on community health and patients outcomes. During the Congress of Delegates, 17 resolutions were deliberated, which included policies to improve underrepresented minority medical education pipeline programs, support for minority women’s reproductive rights, improve language for limited-English proficient patients, and address mental health among minority medical students.
