A Message from the MAC Chair

Dear Minority Affairs Consortium (MAC) Members:

Here’s an update on the recent AMA Annual Meeting and other MAC news.  The House of Delegates (HOD) convened in June 2008, considering over 300 policy items and conducting a variety of timely educational sessions.  (Visit the 2008 Annual Meeting of the AMA HOD Web site for more information)  Your MAC convened its annual caucus and was an active participant throughout the meeting, i.e.:

• AMA Adopts New Health Policy from MAC-Authored Resolutions
  The MAC introduced five resolutions on behalf of the MAC, resulting in the adoption of three new policies by the HOD.   

1. Cancer and Health Care Disparities among Minority Women (509):  The resolution was adopted as amended.  The second resolve clause was substituted with a new resolve to further strengthen the need for collaboration with other organizations and emphasize that the materials that are developed and distributed must be culturally sensitive and written at the appropriate literacy level.
2. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Its Impact on Minority Health (510):  The resolution was adopted as amended.  The first resolve was amended by deletion and insertion.
3.   Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Maternal Mortality (511):  The resolution was adopted.
   

• AMA-MAC Caucus
  The caucus provided an opportunity for an open forum of policy issues and an educational session focusing on a multicultural view of mental health and health care disparities.  The presentations and discussion were lead by psychiatrist Patrice Harris, MD, member of the AMA Council of Legislation and AMA Delegate for the American Psychiatric Association; Antonio Delgado, MD, National Hispanic Medical Association representative; and Adrian Begay, MD, Association of American Indian Physicians.
• Minority Scholars Announced
  The AMA Foundation and the MAC were pleased to host nine of the twelve winners of the 2008 Minority Scholars Awards (PDF, 24KB) at the June meeting, where they were recognized at the MAC Caucus and introduced by the Speaker of the House of Delegates to the entire body.  The program in funded by the Pfizer Humanities Initiative.  

Doctors Back to School (DBTS) -  New and Exciting Updates
With involvement from the Commission to End Health Care Disparities, the MAC is continuing to promote and encourage physicians to take part in its Doctors Back to School Program (DBTS).  DBTS is a program that aims to raise awareness of the need for more minority physicians and to encourage children from underrepresented minority groups to look at medicine as a career option. Through Doctors Back to School, physicians and medical students across the country visit schools and community organizations to help young minority children realize they, too, can follow the same path. 

Many activities to enhance the Doctors Back to School program have been set into place.  These activities include a major revision of the materials associated with the program.  The current Doctors Back to School Action Kit has been reorganized into four main components:  student, school, parent, and physician, with portions of the student and parent components available in Spanish.  The Action Kit will be accessible as a downloadable online tool that will be accompanied by a training module that will assist the interested physician or medical student in planning and conducting a visit.  In addition, October as been designated as National Doctors Back to School Month, where physicians will be encouraged to conduct at least one visit during this time.

Please consider conducting a DBTS visit in your community.  More information on how to conduct a visit, including the downloadable DBTS kit, visit our DBTS Web site.

Meet the 2008-2009 MAC Governing Council
Finally, the MAC welcomed its newly elected/appointed governing council members, including Alice Coombs, MD, At-Large Representative; J. Renee Navarro Chapman , MD, At-Large Representative; Shubhada Hooli, MD, Resident and Fellow Section (RFS) Representative, and Busayo Obayan, Medical Student Section (MSS) Representative.
 

Thanks to all of our MAC members who continue to make their voice heard by being AMA members, voting in our elections and polls, and taking part in our activities and programs. 

Best regards from your MAC Governing Council,

Ada Stewart, MD, Chair