Our Programs and Services

The AAMC's full-time staff of more than 400 is based in Washington, D.C., and is organized in the following work units.

Office of the Executive Vice President

The Office of the Executive Vice President leads the AAMC efforts to implement its strategic plan and nurtures developing areas of strategic priority, including interprofessional education and international strategy.

Diversity Policy and Programs works to advance diversity in academic medicine. It promotes quality health care for all by helping change the face of medicine in medical education and the physician workforce. The unit also works to make the case for diversity and supports the Group on Student Affairs' Minority Affairs Section, education pipeline programs through foundation funding, and the Health Professionals for Diversity coalition.

Membership and Constituent Services maintains the association's membership database, plans and provides logistical support for meetings and conferences, operates the association's reference center and Mary H. Littlemeyer Archives, the AAMC Job Board, and manages publications ordering and fulfillment.

The Center for Workforce Studies researches and analyzes data to track and forecast the supply of and demand for physicians.

Organizational Effectiveness helps medical school deans, hospital CEOs, faculty, and administrators manage and accomplish the missions of their institutions through specially tailored forums, services, and executive and faculty development programs. The unit staffs the Group on Business Affairs, the Group on Institutional Planning, the Group on Information Resources, the Women in Medicine program, and the Group on Faculty Affairs.

Organizational and Management Studies conducts research on the organization, management,and leadership of the academic medicine enterprise.

Advocacy

AAMC's Advocacy efforts craft and disseminate messages about medical schools, teaching hospitals, and their importance to the nation's health care system.

Communications leads the AAMC's efforts to advance public understanding and support of America's medical schools and teaching hospitals and their importance to the nation's health via media and public relations, electronic and print publications, public opinion research, and advertising. The office supports the Group on Institutional Advancement and is responsible for Project Medical Education, a unique program that brings policymakers and their staff, opinion leaders and the media to AAMC-member institutions to experience the process of medical education and training.

Governmental Relations directs advocacy efforts to meet the federal legislative challenges that face medical schools and teaching hospitals on a wide range of issues, including Medicare and Medicaid funding, federal support for medical research and public health, federal student loan programs, health professions education funding, and veterans' medical care and health research. The office supports the Governmental Relations Representatives, the Medicare Special Action Committee, the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Funding, and the Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition.

Biomedical and Health Sciences Research

Biomedical and Health Sciences Research supports the scientific efforts of medical schools, teaching hospitals, and their faculty by working to create a public policy environment that facilitates the conduct and protects the integrity of medical and health sciences research; strengthening medical schools' and teaching hospitals' capacities to sustain and foster research, and promoting high standards of excellence and integrity in academic research. The unit supports the efforts of the Council of Academic Societies, the Graduate Research Education and Training Group, the Group on Research Advancement and Development, the Advisory Panel on Research, and the Fogarty International Center/Ellison Medical Foundation Awards for global health and clinical research fellowships.

Health Care Affairs

Health Care Affairs focuses on the interface between the health care delivery system and academic medicine. It provides an array of services and data that supports the unique missions of teaching hospitals, health systems, faculty practice plans, and graduate medical education programs, including educational and advocacy programs, data collection and analysis, ad hoc surveys, special reports, and individualized presentations on a variety of topics. The unit supports the Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems, the professional development groups on Resident Affairs, Faculty Practice, and Compliance; as well as the Advisory Panel on Health Care Delivery.

Academic Affairs

Academic Affairs leads and coordinates efforts across the continuum of medical education, including premedical, medical school, residency, and continuing medical education. Academic Affairs supports the Council of Deans.

Medical Education leads the AAMC's efforts to improve the quality, content, and conduct of medical education programs. The unit supports the Group on Educational Affairs and the Organization of Resident Representatives.

Medical School Affairs supports medical school efforts in the areas of admissions, academic progress and promotion, and financial aid. The unit staffs the Group on Student Affairs and the Organization of Student Representatives.

LCME and Accreditation Services serves as the AAMC Secretariat to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the nationally recognized accrediting authority for M.D. programs in the United States and Canada.

Mission Support

Mission Support oversees and coordinates major AAMC application and data services, information technology and internal financial and administrative management. This includes the three major testing and service programs sponsored by the AAMC: the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), and the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The unit also manages the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and is responsible for many of the data collections and data services that the Association sponsors.

Administrative Services manages the association's operations, finances, and business affairs, including human resources, financial planning and investments, accounting, facilities management, and publication order fulfillment.

Information Resources is responsible for the association's communications infrastructure, software development, and data warehouse, and provides a variety of IT services for AAMC staff and constituents.

Application Services is responsible for AMCAS and related medical school application services; for the Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS), which facilitates the application of medical students for senior electives; for ERAS, which supports applications to both residency and fellowship programs; and for FindAResident, a supplementary Web-based service that allows candidates and residency programs to search for, and fill, unfilled residency and fellowship positions.

Applicant Assessment Services is responsible for the MCAT program and related services to assist schools in their selection of applicants to medical school.

Resident Matching Services provides staff and infrastructure support, under contract, to the NRMP in its conduct of the national residency match and various subspecialty matches.

Data Resources and Studies houses many of the AAMC databases on medical schools, medical school faculties, and medical students. It conducts studies and issues reports that support medical school accreditation, strengthen medical school management, and inform policy.

Services and Data

The AAMC sponsors and operates a number of programs, services, and resources to strengthen and support our members:

CurrMIT, an online database to help medical schools organize, manage, and report on their curriculum.

The Faculty Practice Solutions Center, a collaborative effort with University HealthSystems Consortium, that expands and enhances clinical productivity benchmarking tools for faculty practice plans.

Faculty Roster, an online database of full-time faculty with appointments at U.S. medical schools, supported by the National Institutes of Health.

GME Track, a Web-based graduate medical education resource and resident and program database.

Medical School Profile System, a data system containing information on U.S. medical school revenues and expenditures, faculty counts, curricula, student enrollment, and student financial aid.

Project Medical Education, a unique model program that brings policymakers and opinion leaders to medical schools and teaching hospitals to experience the process of medical education and see first-hand how academic medicine benefits society.

The AAMC offers programs and services for future physicians, including:

American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), a nonprofit, Internet-based application service for first-year applicants to U.S. medical schools.

Careers in Medicine, a print and Web-based career planning program that helps medical students understand options in choosing a specialty and identifying residency programs that meet individual career objectives.

Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), an Internet-based service that enables medical students and graduates to transmit applications, transcripts, recommendations, and other credentials to U.S. residency program directors.

FindAResident, a Web-based service that allows candidates and residency programs to search for, and fill, unfilled residency and fellowship positions.

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), the national standardized test used to assess medical school applicants' science knowledge, reasoning, and communications skills.

Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS), a new AAMC service that enables medical students to apply for senior electives at other U.S. medical schools.

Professional Development Groups

AAMC professional development groups foster the growth and leadership skills of faculty and administrators at medical schools and teaching hospitals, as well as provide opportunities for networking and information sharing. These include:

Group on Business Affairs (GBA)
Group on Education Affairs (GEA)
Group on Faculty Affairs (GFA)
Group on Faculty Practice (GFP)
Governmental Relations Representatives (GRR)
Graduate, Research, Education, and Training Group (GREAT)
Group on Information Resources (GIR)
Group on Institutional Advancement (GIA)
Group on Institutional Planning (GIP)
Group on Regional Medical Campuses (GRMC)
Group on Research Advancement and Development (GRAND)
Group on Resident Affairs (GRA)
Group on Student Affairs (GSA)
Group on Student Affairs/Minority Affairs Section (GSA-MAS)
Women in Medicine (WIM)

Advisory Panels and Committees

AAMC members also participate in a number of advisory panels, task forces and special committees, including:

Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Funding
Advisory Panel on Health Care
Advisory Panel on Research
Medicare Special Action Committee
VA/Deans Liaison Committee

Meetings

AAMC members also connect through more than 60 meetings sponsored each year by various AAMC professional development groups, advisory panels, and special-issue task forces. The AAMC annual meeting, held each fall, continues to be the largest regular gathering of the leadership of academic medicine.

Publications

Academic Medicine is the most widely cited journal in its field. Academic Medicine publishes articles on the pressing challenges facing the leaders of medical schools and teaching hospitals today.

Directory of Medical Education (DAME), the AAMC's annual compendium of U.S. and Canadian medical schools and teaching hospitals, as well as their key staff.

Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR), a comprehensive guide featuring the most up-to-date information about medical school entrance requirements, curriculum features, first-year expenses, financial aid, and application procedures.

Reporter, the AAMC's monthly news publication, covering major programs and initiatives at the AAMC and member institutions, as well as broader issues that affect the academic medicine community.

STAT (Short, Topical and Timely), a weekly electronic newsletter featuring brief and immediate news bites about AAMC activities, as well as policy developments, initiatives and data important to the academic medicine community.

Washington Highlights, a weekly electronic newsletter focused on key federal legislative and regulatory developments.

For a full listing of AAMC publications, visit AAMC Publications.