American Medical Student Association/Foundation

The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), with a half-century history of medical student activism, is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States.

Today, AMSA is a student-governed, national organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. With a membership of more than 68,000 medical students, premedical students, interns, residents and practicing physicians from across the country, AMSA continues its commitment to improving medical training and the nation's health.

The AMSA Foundation is dedicated to addressing the concerns of physicians-in-training and other health professional students related to the social and health problems existing in America and the world community. AMSA Foundation programs are geared toward offering non-traditional learning experiences and quality technical services to physicians-in-training who work on issues concerning underserved communities, institutional change, and the development of human potential.

For more than half a century, AMSA has represented the voice of physicians-in-training in their efforts to best serve the public. AMSA is dedicated to allocating time, energy and resources toward fulfilling our goals within these priorities.

Fighting for Universal Health Care AMSA mobilizes students in advocating for quality, affordable health care for all. AMSA works through state and national coalitions to advocate for a healthcare reform process that involves sequential reform and a single-payer universal healthcare system.

Eliminating Health Disparities AMSA strives to empower students with knowledge about domestic and global health disparities and provide opportunities for students to take action to eliminate health disparities on the local, state, national, and international levels.

Advocating for Diversity in Medicine AMSA members work to improve the recruitment and retention of under-represented minorities into medicine while increasing the diversity of its own leadership, in order to create a tolerant, accepting and culturally diverse physician workforce, which can effectively serve our multicultural society.

Transforming the Culture of Medical Education AMSA advocates for changes in medical education to create a humane and cooperative learning environment and develop physicians worthy of the public trust. There are many ways that AMSA is working toward reform in medical education; these include resident work hour reform, efforts toward medical student well-being, AMSA's PharmFree campaign, and revitalizing professionalism in the medical field.

AMSA represents a diverse constituency of members who work on important and diverse issues including:

Career Development Community and Public Health Complementary and Alternative Medicine Creative Expression Disability and Medical Students Diversity in Medicine Domestic Violence Global Environment and Health Global Health Health and Human Rights Eliminating Health Disparities Health Equity Campaign Health Policy HIV/AIDS Humanistic Medicine Global Health Global Warming Legislative Action Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health Medical Education Medical Malpractice Medical Student Debt Medical Student Well-Being Minority Health National Resident Matching Program, Obesity, Open Access to the Scientific Literature Pharmaceutical Industry Influence PharmFree Initiative Physician Workforce Diversity Primary Care Public Health Education Resident Work Hours Revitalizing Professionalism Standardized Patient Exam Substance Abuse Mental Health Teaching Skills and Leadership Development Tobacco, Universal Health Care Women's Health