ASCP Residents Take Part in Shaping Policy at AMA Resident and Fellow Section Annual Meeting

ASCP Resident Council member Kendall Brewer, MD, and Guofeng Gao, MD, got a firsthand account of how healthcare policies are shaped at the American Medical Association’s Resident and Fellow Section (RFS) meeting in Chicago. Both attended the 2019 RFS Annual Meeting, June 6-8, as representatives of ASCP.

“Networking and seeing representatives from three different pathology organizations all working together for the pathology profession was amazing,” says Dr. Brewer. “It opened my eyes as to how the American Medical Association represents physicians, how they adopt resolutions, and how different specialties argue for or against a resolution. You get to see multiple sides of an issue.”

The AMA provides various opportunities for its members to become involved. One of the best ways for residents and fellows to participate and network is to attend RFS meetings where its members influence policy on key resident and fellow issues, hear from nationally recognized leaders and attend education sessions. Resident and fellow members represent various constituencies such as state and specialty medical societies.

“It was fascinating to think about the far-reaching impact that their policies have on the pathology profession and on patient care,” Dr. Gao said.

A highlight was an address by the U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, who discussed key public health issues including the opioid crisis, the use of e-cigarettes among adolescents, the rapid pace of marijuana legalization and the lack of evidence-based research to support medicinal use.

The RFS held two dynamic education sessions centered around key resident topics. The Public Health Practice: Becoming a More Involved Physician session featured a panel of public health experts discussing how to incorporate public health practice into an existing career. In another session, Back in the Black: Personal Finance for the Young Physician, panelists addressed the difficulty for residents and medical students juggling loan repayments on top of other financial concerns. They provided advice on repayment strategies, insurance, sustainable budgeting, retirement planning and more.