International involvement

Humanitarian efforts

Health issues

AMA as an ambassador

History of the AMA's international involvement

• The AMA Office of International Medicine (OIM) was established in 1978 as a focal point for coordinating a wide variety of activities stemming from the Association's longstanding involvement in international health.
  

• The purpose of the AMA's international involvement is to position the Association as one of the leaders in international health, to provide a global perspective for AMA health policy development, to enable the Association to influence international health policy, and to improve the level and quality of health care worldwide.

• The AMA receives numerous requests annually from international organizations and non-US physicians wishing to visit the Association for discussions and meetings.

• The Office welcomes approximately 12 non-US delegations annually, and also assists in arranging foreign travel to international medical meetings for AMA members.

• The OIM helps to develop health care programs and to intervene in cases of human rights violations, especially those involving physicians and other health care workers, and collaborates with many international organizations to strengthen quality of care, professional freedom, and preventive health care.

• The OIM refers AMA member physicians to opportunities for voluntary service in areas in crisis and gives lists of voluntary organizations that accept donations of time, money, and supplies.

Humanitarian efforts

Through its membership in the World Medical Association (WMA), the AMA has taken an active role in human rights issues. Recent efforts have involved the Federation in letter-writing campaigns and have secured the release of several physicians from around the world who had been wrongly imprisoned. Human rights violations are monitored closely through organizations such as Amnesty International and Physicians for Human Rights.

Health issues

The AMA Delegation to the WMA has played a major role in drafting policy on many important issues. Recent topics addressed by the WMA include:

• Biological weapons

• Reducing the global impact of alcohol on health and society

• Obesity

• Medical liability reform

• Avian and pandemic influenza

• Medical education

AMA as an ambassador

Participation in international organizations gives the AMA an opportunity to exercise our professional obligation to share knowledge with our colleagues and, in turn, strengthen our organization by finding solutions to common problems. Join the AMA and help us to advance our vision of professionalism, humanitarian assistance, and optimal health for all the world's people.

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