AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, and Chief Public Policy Officer Danielle Turnipseed, JD, MHSA, MPP, issued the following statement upon renewal of the charter for the Congressional Academic Medicine Caucus by U.S. Representatives Greg Murphy, MD (R-N.C.) and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.):
“The AAMC thanks Dr. Murphy and Representative Castor for relaunching and serving as co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Academic Medicine Caucus for the 118th Congress. Academic medicine is inextricably connected to the health of patients, families, and communities nationwide. This caucus provides a forum for congressional members and staff to engage in a constructive and informative dialogue about the opportunities and challenges surrounding key issues that impact the academic medicine community and the patients they serve.
Created in 2009, the caucus is committed to recognizing the vital role that medical schools, teaching hospitals, and their faculty physicians play in improving the health of people everywhere. The caucus will highlight priorities such as expanding graduate medical education, including strengthening and diversifying the health care workforce; securing the health care safety net; bolstering medical research and innovation; addressing the financial pressures facing academic medicine; promoting health equity; improving patient care; and helping academic medical centers continue to serve their communities as trusted partners and vital economic engines.
We look forward to working with Reps. Murphy and Castor to grow the bipartisan membership of the caucus and highlight the patient care, health professions training, groundbreaking research, and community collaborations at medical schools and teaching hospitals across the country.”