The AAMC’s Impact: Leading and Serving Academic Medicine
For decades, the AAMC has proudly:
- Supported medical schools, academic health systems, and teaching hospitals in developing the physician workforce, caring for patients and communities, and advancing medical knowledge.
- Supported the mission-focused people who lead these institutions.
- Served as the national voice and advocate for academic medicine.
As a 501(c)(3), purpose-driven organization, we reinvest our revenue back into programs, products, and services that support the entire academic medicine community and the health of people everywhere.
Speaking and Advocating for Academic Medicine
The AAMC is the leading voice and advocate for medical schools, academic health systems and teaching hospitals, and academic societies.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded only approximately 56,600 grants in fiscal year (FY) 2026, down from just under 58,500 in FY 2025 and approximately 64,000 in FY 2024, according to a new AAMC analysis. The AAMC maintains a dashboard to monitor NIH funding delays and policy disruptions.
Throughout 237 congressional and executive branch meetings in 2025 — including 46 with members of Congress, senior congressional staff, and executive branch leaders — the AAMC represented the concerns and contributions of academic medicine.
936 national, regional, and trade media outlets (print, online, and broadcast) cited the AAMC in 2025.
Serving as the Professional Home for Academic Medicine
AAMC resources support purpose-driven careers in academic medicine through professional and leadership development, peer communities, and member engagement.
Nearly 14,000 constituents participated in 11 new AAMC affinity groups, which provide professional development, networking, and engagement opportunities and are collaborative, easy to navigate, and well-aligned with the priorities of the AAMC and its member institutions.
More than 5,000 job opportunities in academic medicine are posted each year on AAMC CareerConnect, along with career guidance for job seekers.
More than 47,000 people registered for at least one of the AAMC’s professional development workshops, conferences, and webinars in 2025, including the 3,600 attendees at Learn Serve Lead 2025: The AAMC Annual Meeting.
The AAMC Holistic Student Support Framework, developed in collaboration with constituents, provides a foundation for student affairs and medical education professionals to build and sustain systems that help learners thrive.
Developing the Workforce of the Future
The AAMC supports aspiring medical students in their journeys to becoming doctors, providing the tools that institutions and educators need to select, educate, and train America’s medical workforce.
10,000+ residency and fellowship programs across more than 2,000 institutions used resources from the AAMC Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) and Thalamus during the 2025-26 residency recruitment season.
Responding to significant reductions in federal student loan availability and a fragmented private lending market, the AAMC and ELFI developed the MedLoans™ borrower benefit program for medical students facing urgent education funding gaps.
$31 million granted in reduced or waived fees to aspiring medical students in 2025 through the AAMC Fee Assistance Program.
100,000 medical students were enrolled in 2025 — a record-high according to AAMC data — reflecting strong interest in medicine as a career.
Improving the Health of All
Biomedical researchers develop treatments and cures, and advance our knowledge of human health. Academic health systems and teaching hospitals make patient care safer, more affordable, and more accessible. The AAMC supports institutions in these lifesaving missions.
The AAMC Community Impact Tracker provides academic health systems and their community partners with one centralized tracking tool to increase resource efficiency, share progress transparently, and quantify the scope of work for reporting purposes.
Leaders from 43 health systems convened to explore successful practices in digital health and artificial intelligence (AI) implementation through the Digital Health and AI Collaborative.
Academic health systems are using AAMC resources — from evidence and policy to practical tools and peer learning opportunities — to help strengthen integrated behavioral health care programs. The guidance ranges from care delivery, digital infrastructure, workforce development, community partnerships, and financial and operational sustainability.
An AAMC analysis highlights critical health care access issues in rural communities, including physician shortages, financial challenges, hospital closures, and transportation barriers, and shares how AAMC-member institutions are implementing creative solutions.