A Legacy of Learning. A Future of Healing.

The landscape of medical education in the United States was rapidly evolving, marked by groundbreaking milestones. The nation’s first medical school — now the University of Pennsylvania — was established in 1765, setting the stage for formal physician training. In the decades that followed, the field slowly opened to those previously excluded: Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman admitted to medical school; David J. Peck, the first African American man to graduate (1847); and Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first Black woman to earn a medical degree (1864). The founding of the Boston Female Medical College (1848) and Howard University College of Medicine (1868), the first HBCU medical school, further expanded access. 

At the time of the founding of the first medical school, no national standards were in place for education or training. Competition among schools, many of which were profit-making ventures, meant applicant and curriculum standards met the lowest common denominator, and varying quality and the absence of regulation led to a lack of trust in the medical profession. The founding of the American Medical Association (AMA, 1847) and establishment of the National Library of Medicine (1836), combined with the increasing complexity of medical training and a fragmented system of medical schools, signaled a growing need for standards, resources, and national coordination—leading to the creation of the AAMC.

In 1876, a group of deans and faculty met at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia to discuss the state of medical education in the United States and take meaningful steps to establish a provisional association with defined educational standards for membership. They created what became the American Medical College Association (later renamed the AAMC).

Members of the newly formed association approved a motion establishing minimum standards for medical education of not less than three years of instruction. The decision proved unpopular, particularly among the more established Eastern U.S. medical schools, and significantly decreased participation in the association. Over time and with the increase in the number of medical schools in the United States, the concept of a three-year minimum requirement became less polarizing and was later bolstered by its adoption by the National Confederation of State Medical Examining and Licensing Boards.

Funded by a $7 million bequest from Baltimore merchant Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University was founded — a first-of-its-kind model incorporating a university and a hospital, linked by a school of medicine. The opening of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (1893) was momentous for American medical education because of its innovative approach to the organization and teaching of medicine. Students had to meet high entrance requirements and complete a four-year curriculum. 

Susan La Flesche Picotte, MD, became the first American Indian woman in the United States to receive a medical degree, graduating from the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania. As a child, Dr. Picotte witnessed the death of a Native American woman who was refused care by a white doctor, inspiring her to become a physician to care for the people she lived with on the Omaha Reservation. Upon her return to Nebraska, she set up a private practice, serving both white and non-white patients, and opened a hospital on the reservation in 1913. 

The National Confederation of State Medical Examining and Licensing Boards (NCSMELB) was established by delegates from states that had created medical licensing and examining boards during the late 1800s. This coalition had two main goals: to raise the quality of medical education and to create uniform methods for issuing medical practice licenses. 

Medical school leaders gathered at the AMA annual meeting to discuss medical education in the United States. The resulting report included resolutions endorsing specific requirements for membership in a national association of medical colleges, such as specifications for entrance, curriculum, examination, and instruction, aligning with early AMA recommendations. In 1891, delegates met in Washington, D.C., to adopt the constitution and bylaws for the renamed Association of American Medical Colleges.

Under the leadership of Nathan Smith Davis, MD, the AAMC set a new standard by requiring a four-year medical school curriculum, aligning with growing calls for more rigorous training. This milestone marked a key step in shaping modern medical education. 

The National Medical Association (NMA) was founded after Black physicians and health professionals were excluded from the AMA and other medical associations and societies. It became the leading voice advocating for the interests of Black physicians and patients, working to improve access to medical education and health care.

By the early 20th century, key elements of modern medical school accreditation were in place, with the AAMC, AMA, and NCSMELB setting essential standards. The final element that had yet to be implemented was a process for conducting initial and regular assessments. 

A desire for insights into the characteristics of individual medical education programs arose as the AAMC, AMA, and NCSMELB all continued their focus on the quality and rigor of medical education nationally. Both the AAMC and the AMA established committees and funds to support the visitation and inspection of U.S. medical schools. The AAMC Special Committee on By-Laws, which recommended the formation of the association's committee on visitation, also recommended a means for collaboration and conferral between the AAMC and other organizations undertaking medical school inspection, with the goal of aligning efforts in support of a consistent set of criteria for admission to and completion of medical school programs.

Abraham Flexner was commissioned by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (which acted at the invitation of the AMA Council on Medical Education) to assess the state of medical education in the United States and Canada. Flexner visited all existing 155 medical schools, issuing a detailed report in 1910 — Medical Education in the United States and Canada, also known as the Flexner report — calling for major reforms to medical education, including higher admissions standards for students, adherence to the scientific method in research and practice, and oversight by state licensure boards. 

The Flexner report is credited with standardizing and improving medical education, particularly in its insistence that rigorous scientific methods form the basis of physician education and training. The model it promoted — two years of basic science followed by two years of clinical instruction — is still utilized by many medical schools. 

But those standards came at a cost, particularly for schools lacking the resources to implement them. Within 15 years, 89 of the original 155 schools had closed, including five of the seven schools devoted to educating Black physicians. The closure of the majority of Black medical schools and many schools that had accepted higher numbers of women had a disproportionate impact on the physician workforce.

In 1912, the AAMC formally established the Executive Council, evolving from the earlier Judicial Council created in 1891. Led by W.J. Means, MD, the new body expanded its role to oversee committee appointments, membership decisions, and the association’s growing administrative responsibilities — laying the foundation for today’s AAMC Board of Directors.

Formed through a merger of the NCSMELB and the American Confederation of Reciprocating Examining and Licensing Boards, the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) sought to promote and enhance collaboration among state medical boards and foster joint initiatives between these boards and other organizations. 

The early 1910s marked an uptick in medical school inspections, stemming from the release of the Flexner report and medical school rating efforts from the AMA. The AAMC was especially interested in evaluating new member applicants and existing members with lower ratings from other assessment bodies. To remain aligned on standards, the AAMC conducted many of its inspections jointly with the AMA. Collaboration lapsed in the early 1920s, preceding a several year gap in comprehensive visits. While the period of increased inspection improved quality, it also raised concerns that stricter admissions requirements and rigid, science-heavy curricula might exclude qualified candidates and neglect other vital aspects of medical practice.

In parallel with efforts to assess undergraduate medical training programs in the United States, the AMA’s Council on Medical Education established formal standards for graduate medical education, publishing a list of hospitals approved to host internship programs in 1914. By 1927, the list encompassed residency and fellowship programs across multiple specialties, laying the groundwork for the modern system of residency standards.

In 1915, Bertha Van Hoosen, MD, founded what is now the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) to advocate for women physicians who faced exclusion from professional societies and limited training opportunities. Initially met with skepticism, the group quickly demonstrated its value through research and wartime service, sending nearly 130 women to volunteer overseas during World War I.

The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) was formed with the aim of developing a voluntary medical licensing examination that U.S. states and territories would recognize in place of their individual exams, enabling physicians to practice throughout the country and its territories. Alongside the FSMB, the establishment of the NBME signaled a desire for consistency in states' approaches to medical licensure.

Concerns about strict admissions and curriculum requirements, the increasing cost of medical education, decreasing access to general practice care, and a need to increase the workforce inspired the AAMC and other leading organizations to study essential requirements for the MD degree to propose a model for basic curriculum. The study was undertaken by the newly established Committee on Survey of Medical Education.

Led by Willard C. Rappleye, MD, and published under AAMC sponsorship, the Final Report of the Commission on Medical Education (the Rappleye Report) offered a comprehensive review of the principles guiding medical education and licensure. The report shaped national dialogue on medical training through the early 1930s.

Under the leadership of Secretary-Treasurer Fred C. Zapffe, MD, the AAMC published the first issue of the Bulletin of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Dr. Zapffe envisioned a journal “devoted wholly to furthering medical education” — the first of its kind focused on sharing perspectives on medical pedagogy.

Renamed the Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges in 1929 and later the Journal of Medical Education, the publication grew in frequency and influence, becoming a central voice in academic medicine. What began as a modest in-house quarterly has evolved over the past century into today’s Academic Medicine — an editorially independent, peer-reviewed journal and a global leader in the field.

Congress designated the National Institutes of Health (NIH) via the Ransdell Act, expanding federal support for medical research by authorizing funding for facilities and research fellowships. The origins of the NIH date to 1887 as a laboratory within the Marine Hospital Service (MHS). Responsible for offering medical treatment to merchant sailors, the MHS was tasked with inspecting incoming ship passengers for signs of infectious diseases to curb the spread of potential epidemics.

Today, the NIH is the world’s largest funder of medical research, transforming our understanding of health and disease through scientific discovery. Nearly 60% of all NIH-funded extramural research takes place within medical schools and academic health systems.

The Scholastic Aptitude Test for Medical Schools, precursor to the Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®), was offered for the first time at premedical schools across the nation on the same day, with a goal of determining the value of medical aptitude tests in selecting students for admission and predicting success in medical school. Initial pilot testing was led by Fred Moss, MD, PhD, executive secretary of the AAMC’s Committee on Aptitude Tests and later director of Medical Aptitude Tests for the AAMC, with funding support from the American Council on Education. This effort prompted a national dialogue about the most valuable and reliable criteria for evaluating prospective medical students, a conversation that continues today.

World War II placed considerable strain on U.S. medical education. Schools hastened graduation timelines to supply physicians for both military and civilian demands, while faculty shortages due to enlistment left institutions understaffed. Curriculum and facility improvements were largely paused, and despite student deferments, overall enrollment declined.

The AAMC established the Committee on Medical College Preparedness to advise federal agencies on all matters of medical education and recommend response measures across the association's membership to help meet the needs of the national emergency, including shortening the undergraduate medical curriculum from four to three years and increasing medical school enrollment by 10%.

As World War II intensified, leaders from the AAMC and AMA grew concerned that shortened courses and large class sizes risked producing underprepared physicians. To address these concerns, the two organizations formed the Liaison Committee on Medical Education(LCME®), a joint committee focused on standards and inspections.

Today, the LCME body is recognized by the Department of Education and World Federation for Medical Education as the notable group for accrediting medical education programs leading to the MD degree. Accreditation safeguards academic and professional standards in medical education, ensuring that schools meet rigorous requirements that support student success, institutional accountability, and continuous improvement.

Amid the physician shortage of World War II, the U.S. military began commissioning women as medical officers — a pivotal step toward gender equity in medicine. Following the passage of the Sparkman-Johnson Bill, Margaret D. Craighill, MD, became the first woman to receive a commission in the Army Medical Corps. She helped shape military medical policies for women and conducted global inspections to improve care and conditions for female service members. This milestone expanded opportunities for women in academic and military medicine and laid the groundwork for future inclusion across the profession.

The Public Health Service Act of 1944, intended to consolidate and revise laws relating to the Public Health Service, transformed the landscape of medical research in the United States and laid the groundwork for the modern NIH. By 1946, the NIH began expanding its grants program, fueling exponential growth in funding and support for research at medical schools and teaching hospitals across the country.

The NIH awarded its first postwar research grant to University of Utah for a study on muscular dystrophy — marking a transformative federal funding system for medical research at academic institutions. This milestone reflected the NIH's evolution from an intramural research agency into the nation’s principal funder of independent, investigator-initiated research conducted at medical schools and academic health systems.

Shaped by wartime collaborations with academia, the NIH's extramural funding system emphasized scientific peer review, research independence, and infrastructure growth, laying the foundation for biomedical innovation, training programs, and academic medicine's central role as a partner in advancing health through science.

To counter growing opposition to the use of animals in biomedical research, the AAMC helped found the National Society for Medical Research (NSMR). This effort supported the continued advancement of medical science by defending ethical research practices vital to innovation, discovery, and education in academic medicine. In 1985, the NSMR merged with the Association for Biomedical Research to become the National Association for Biomedical Research.

In 1946, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the nation’s medical schools established formal affiliations through Policy Memorandum #2, creating a pioneering public-private partnership to care for returning World War II veterans. The VA oversaw patient care while medical schools led training, forming the foundation of the nation’s largest physician education system. Today, about 70% of U.S. physicians receive part of their training in VA facilities — a lasting legacy of collaboration that continues to advance care, education, and research for America’s veterans.

The passage of the Hill-Burton Act in 1946 transformed the U.S. hospital system by providing federal funding to build and modernize hospitals, especially in rural and underserved areas. It led to a significant expansion of hospital infrastructure, improving access to care across the country. However, the law also allowed for racially segregated facilities under a “separate but equal” clause, reinforcing healthcare disparities. Despite this, the Act laid the groundwork for future federal oversight, as hospitals that accepted Hill-Burton funds later became subject to civil rights enforcement tied to Medicare and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

The AAMC conferred the first Borden Award in Medical Sciences to Vincent du Vigneaud, PhD, professor of biochemistry at Cornell University Medical College, for his work on transmethylation. The Borden Company Foundation, Inc. established the award in 1945 to be administered by the AAMC and given to a member of the faculty at an AAMC-member medical school in recognition of outstanding clinical or laboratory research.

This prestigious honor highlighted the vital role of scientific discovery in medical education and established the AAMC’s enduring commitment to advancing research excellence across the academic medicine community.

In 1948, what originated as the Scholastic Aptitude Test for Medical Schools was renamed the Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®) and began to be maintained under the guidance of the AAMC by a variety of contracted testing organizations. This transition followed key revisions in 1946 reducing the test from eight sections to four — verbal ability, quantitative ability, science achievement, and understanding modern society — categories more typical of today's standardized tests.

The MCAT exam remains a key tool for medical school admissions and a defining milestone on the path to becoming a physician.

For much of its early history, the AAMC was led by part-time or volunteer administrators — it wasn’t until 1969 that the AAMC appointed its first official president. After 45 years of dedicated service, Fred Zapffe, MD, retired in 1948 as the AAMC’s secretary-treasurer, remaining editor of the Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges until 1951. Through his roles at the AAMC, Dr. Zapffe shaped the academic medicine dialogue for generations. He was succeeded by Dean F. Smiley, MD, ushering in a new era of leadership. Dr. Smiley guided the organization through nearly a decade of growth and evolution (1948-57), building on Dr. Zapffe’s legacy and helping to further professionalize the AAMC’s operations and influence.

In early 1948, 33% of U.S. medical schools refused to admit Black students — those that did, aside from HBCUs, often did so nominally.

Howard professor Dr. W. Montague Cobb suggested schools admit more students of color to ease physician shortages and that the AAMC was best positioned to make a difference. By 1954, Dr. Cobb approached the AAMC at least four times, but the AAMC declined to make a statement, citing a precedent of never having interfered with members' admission policies.

In 2007, then President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, MD, expressed the AAMC's regret for previous inaction and acknowledged historical shortcomings. Dr. Kirch affirmed a strengthened resolve to continue positive efforts to diversify the nation's workforce.

The AAMC published the first edition of Admissions Requirements of American Medical Colleges, containing official information for students on premedical preparation and the individual requirements of each medical school in the United States and Canada. The handbook supported the AAMC's objective of creating increasingly effective methods for identifying the most qualified students to pursue medical education and guiding students considering a career in medicine. Today, this publication is known as the Medical School Admissions Requirements™ (MSAR®), an online database that enables prospective medical students to compare information about U.S. and Canadian medical schools and more.

Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital took cervical cancer cells from Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman, without her permission. Unlike cells previously studied, Lacks' grew and reproduced indefinitely, forming the first immortal human cell line. Known as HeLa cells, they became instrumental in major medical breakthroughs from vaccine development to genetic research. Today, HeLa cells allow scientists to study how toxins, drugs, hormones, and viruses affect human cells without direct experimentation on people, supporting a variety of research. HeLa cells were instrumental in vaccine development for polio and COVID-19. Lacks' legacy continues to shape biomedical science, serving as a key lesson about ethics and racial inequities in health care.

The AAMC and five organizations launched the National Internship Matching Program (NIMP) — a centralized solution to the disorganized, high-pressure process of internship placement. Hospitals previously competed to recruit students with little transparency. The NIMP offered a preference-based algorithm to pair students and hospitals more fairly. Renamed the National Resident Matching Program™ (NRMP®) by 1978, it became a cornerstone of graduate medical education, including residencies and fellowships. Upon the retirement of the NRPM's executive director, the AAMC took over operations in 1989, with the organizations later separating in 2004. Today, the NRMP oversees The Match® for tens of thousands of applicants annually.

Match Day, now a rite of passage for medical students, began with the establishment of the NIMP. Students across the country open envelopes revealing where they will begin their residency training — an emotional, career-defining moment made possible by the new matching algorithm. Match Day offered more than just placements; it gave students agency and transparency in a process that had previously been rushed and opaque. What began as a reform effort quickly became one of the most iconic milestones in the continuum of medical education. 

In the early 1950s, the LCME® body provided a forum for the AMA and AAMC to discuss methods for evaluating graduates of foreign medical schools for practice stateside. A list of approved foreign medical schools was developed, though later abandoned, and a process for conducting medical school inspections abroad was deemed undesirable and unfeasible due to resource requirements and cultural differences. Following conversations between the AAMC, AMA, FSMB, NBME, and other relevant parties, interest emerged in creating a joint committee to evaluate foreign medical graduates.

The Evaluation Service for Foreign Medical Graduates, subsequently renamed the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), became operational in 1956.

The Health Research Facilities Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1956, authorized a program of matching funds to support the construction of health sciences research facilities at medical schools and other institutions involved in health sciences research. This act, administered through the NIH, played a significant role in expanding the research infrastructure in the United States from the late 1950s to 1970. 

The AAMC began longitudinal studies of medical students in 1956 intended to assess the educational environment, career choice patterns, and changes in values and interests of medical students over time, as a result of their experiences in medical school. While the study itself captured a moment in time, the exercise highlighted the value of AAMC data to its member institutions for systematic review of institutional programs and policies and foreshadowed the variety of present day data assets and analyses available to member institutions on a wide range of topics of importance to the academic medicine community. 

Following 1956 bylaws revisions, the AAMC appointed Ward Darley, MD, as its first executive director. Dr. Darley led through an era of change resulting from scientific advances and predicted physician workforce shortages and oversaw several milestones, including the founding of the NRMP, the doubling of medical school enrollments, and the establishment of the ECFMG. He was succeeded by Robert C. Berson, MD, in 1965, who held the position for four years, overseeing a period of significant restructuring.

In partnership with the AMA, the AAMC issued the landmark Functions and Structure of a Medical School document, a revised version of the AMA’s earlier Essentials of an Acceptable Medical School — now the foundation of LCME accreditation standards. This publication laid out rigorous criteria across curriculum design, faculty qualifications, institutional mission, student support, and assessment. It gave U.S. and Canadian medical schools a shared language and framework to ensure academic rigor and quality. These standards not only continue to guide medical education programs today but also serve as the basis for public trust in accredited institutions. 

The AAMC awarded the first Abraham Flexner Award for Distinguished Service to Medical Education to Joseph C. Hinsey, PhD, director of the New York Hospital at Cornell Medical Center. The award was established to recognize extraordinary individual contributions to medical schools and to the medical education community as a whole.

In 2020, reflecting on the harm caused by the Flexner report and its author’s discriminatory beliefs, the association renamed the award to the AAMC Award for Excellence in Medical Education. This renaming also emphasized the association's long-standing dedication to advancing excellence in medical education.

The Medical School-Teaching Hospital Section was formally established, creating a forum to explore the role of teaching hospitals in medical education and promote alignment between medical school administrators and teaching hospitals. 

The 1960s saw the formal establishment of two AAMC professional development groups, the Group on Student Affairs (GSA) in 1964 and the Group on Educational Affairs (GEA) in 1969, providing critical learning, leadership, and networking opportunities to medical school administrators, faculty, and professional staff.  

The AAMC hosted its first conference on research in conjunction with its annual meeting. Building on the association's commitment to advancing medical education scholarship through its journal (then in its third iteration as the Journal of Medical Education), the conference provided a venue to present and discuss education research connected to medicine and the medical sciences.

Known today as the Research in Medical Education (RIME) Program, presentation of medical education scholarship remains a hallmark of Learn Serve Lead: The AAMC Annual Meeting, providing the medical education community with timely, impactful research; encouraging collaboration and community-building; and supporting the career advancement of medical educators.

In 1962, the AAMC began systematically collecting data on medical school revenues and expenditures through the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME®) Part I-A Annual Financial Questionnaire to ensure that medical education programs had sufficient financial resources to support their education, research, and clinical care missions. This effort laid the foundation for robust financial benchmarking and long-term fiscal planning across academic medicine. Over time, the data became an essential tool for accreditation, institutional budgeting, and understanding the broader economic impact of medical schools nationwide.  

The Health Professions Educational Assistance Act of 1963 provided financial assistance to medical, dental, and other health professions schools, including grants for constructing and expanding teaching facilities, as well as loans to students pursuing health professions. This act marked a series of legislation aimed at addressing a perceived shortage of trained health care professionals, each of which was critical to the development of health care education in the United States. This legislation catalyzed the creation of 40 new medical schools by 1980, expanding the physician workforce for a growing nation. 

The Group on Student Affairs (GSA) focused on medical school admissions and issues specific to medical students and was instrumental in the creation of several AAMC student services, including the Medical School Admissions Requirements™ (MSAR®), the American Medical College Application Service® (AMCAS®), and the Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®). Today, the GSA advances medical education and represents the interests of medical schools and medical students in the areas of admissions, student affairs, financial aid, and student records. 

The AAMC launched the Faculty Salary Survey and corresponding report, a survey of compensation of faculty at U.S. medical schools with LCME accreditation, establishing national benchmarks for academic medicine faculty. Through the following decade, the survey continued to provide AAMC-member institutions with reliable data to attract and retain faculty and support research and policy efforts at the local and national levels. The survey and report, which continue today, also assist faculty in compensation negotiations.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 greatly influenced the medical field and medical education by prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in programs receiving federal funding. As a result, hospitals and medical schools were desegregated, creating greater access and opportunities for underrepresented groups in health care training and practice. 

By the mid-1960s, medicine was clinically based, and medical students needed more hospital-based training. In 1965, Congress enacted the Social Security Amendments of 1965. Profound changes to graduate medical education (GME) occurred with the passing of Titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act, creating Medicare and Medicaid. This legislation reimbursed hospitals for care to the poor, the disabled, and those over age 65. This expanded access to health care led to the need for more physicians.  Medicare provided funds for and influenced the expansion of GME.  

Faced with a growing shortage of physicians able to care for the expanding population and its increased life expectancy, medical education was in a state of crisis. Understanding these issues, the AAMC formed a committee to research and write a report on the problems and proposed future of both medical education and the AAMC. Chaired by Lowell T. Coggeshall, MD, the committee submitted their final report, Planning for Medical Progress Through Education (the Coggeshall report), which suggested that the organization should move its focus away from the deans of medical schools and establish new councils within the organization to represent all members of the medical education community. 

As a result of the Coggeshall report, the Medical School-Teaching Hospital Section was officially rebranded as the Council of Teaching Hospitals (COTH) at the 1965 annual meeting. The council's early concerns share several themes in common with today's Council of Academic Health System Executives (CAHSE): clinical teaching, internship and residency, research, medical care and related costs, community relationships, research in hospital and health services, medical center administration, and dean-hospital administrator relations.

The inauguration of Medicare played a pivotal role in desegregating U.S. hospitals, including residency programs, by tying federal funding to compliance with the Civil Rights Act. While the act outlawed discrimination in federally funded institutions, enforcement was weak until Medicare required hospitals to prove integration to receive payments. Faced with the loss of substantial federal funds, hospitals rapidly desegregated, and a coordinated federal inspection effort ensured compliance — transforming many previously segregated facilities into integrated ones within just a few months. This shift opened doors for underrepresented physicians, expanding access to graduate medical education and helping to diversify the medical workforce.

The AAMC began a comprehensive, national database tracking faculty members at LCME-accredited medical schools. The Faculty Roster enabled consistent tracking of faculty demographics, appointments, promotions, and departures. Today, the Faculty Roster includes records on more than 200,000 active, full-time faculty and 300,000-plus inactive records, providing a longitudinal view of faculty careers. These data support the annual U.S. Medical School Faculty Report and provide schools with dashboards to track retention, promotion, and faculty demographics, helping institutions and policymakers understand and strengthen the academic medicine workforce.

Another result of the Coggeshall report was the creation of the Council of Academic Societies (CAS) to help the AAMC represent the spectrum of medical education. Throughout its existence, CAS strove to support faculty in their responsibilities of research, education, and patient care. CAS served as a forum for discussing issues such as biomedical research policies, graduate medical education, the physician shortage, and the lack of diversity among specialties.

In 2013, CAS was replaced with the Council of Faculty and Academic Societies (CFAS), with representatives from both medical schools and academic societies, to better represent medical school faculty as a whole.

From 1966-67, the GSA discussed the potential for a centralized application service to reduce paperwork and provide better data for future research and policy recommendations. The concept gained enough support that forms and systems were developed, and a trial of the new system was conducted in 1968-69, with a small percentage of applicants to seven medical schools participating. By 1970-71 all applicants to 56 medical schools had participated. Today, the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) is the AAMC's centralized medical school application processing service. Most U.S. medical schools use the AMCAS program as the primary application method for their first-year entering classes. 

Since its founding, medical school deans were a primary constituency of the AAMC. Even as the AAMC grew and expanded its representation, the primary role of medical school deans in its activities led to the AAMC's characterization as an unofficial organization of deans. Changes in the dean's role and the expansion of faculty and student bodies led the AAMC to seek greater balance between deans and other institutional representatives. Following the formation of COTH and CAS, the AAMC created the Council of Deans (COD) to ensure deans' influence would remain central and well-recognized. Today, the COD plays a critical role in providing deans with the knowledge, skills, and tools to achieve the individual missions of their institutions.

Another result of changes recommended in the influential Coggeshall report was the creation of the role of AAMC president, a shift from the previous position of executive director. John A.D. Cooper, MD, became the AAMC’s first full-time, salaried president. A physician, scientist, and global medical educator, Dr. Cooper brought a bold vision that helped elevate the AAMC’s national profile. His leadership led to the organization’s move to Washington, D.C., expanded federal engagement, and earned him recognition as one of the most influential figures in medical education. 

The AAMC reorganization sparked by the Coggeshall report resulted in increased representation of roles across the continuum of medical education and expanded the influence of teaching hospitals and academic societies within the AAMC's governance structure. The three councils established as part of these changes — COTH, CAS, and the COD — formed the basis of the AAMC Assembly, the constitutional governing body of the association representing all members. First convened in 1968, the Assembly meets as necessary to address issues affecting AAMC policy and membership. In addition to forming the basis for the Assembly, the councils play an integral role in the governance of the AAMC, with representation on the Board of Directors.

The Group on Educational Affairs (GEA) was initially established as the Group on Medical Education but subsequently renamed in 1988 to prevent confusion. The GEA is focused on the continuum of education and has been instrumental in the association's support of medical education research and scholarship through its coordination of the Research in Medical Education (RIME) Program. Group participants advance medical education and the faculty and professional staff working in the fields of faculty development, curriculum development, education research and scholarship, and assessment in undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education. 

The AAMC received a grant from the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity to expand access to health professions education for students from historically underrepresented socioeconomic backgrounds. The funding supported various initiatives, including establishment of the AAMC Office of Minority Affairs, research on selection methods for minority applicants, development of a national registry for minority medical school candidates, and publications on efforts to matriculate racial and ethnic minorities. Most of the grant was allocated to regional and local institutions focused on enhancing the recruitment, admission, education, and training of underrepresented students, as well as piloting innovative approaches that could inform future efforts.

For several years following the establishment of its headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, the AAMC also rented office space in Washington, D.C., to inform its membership of federal activities impacting medical education. As the activities of the Washington offices increased, the AAMC Executive Council discussed the advantages of relocating the organization, officially doing so in 1969. The move positioned the AAMC at the heart of national policy and advocacy efforts for academic medicine, allowing the association to engage with lawmakers, federal agencies, other higher education associations, and more to ensure that the voices of medical schools, teaching hospitals, and learners were included in critical health care policy discussions. 

The 1970s marked a pivotal decade of expansion for the AAMC’s professional development network, with the formal establishment of three influential groups that helped strengthen the operational, strategic, and advancement functions of academic medicine institutions: the Group on Institutional Planning (GIP), the Group on Institutional Advancement (GIA), and the Group on Business Affairs were all established in 1972. 

The AAMC began publishing a Weekly Activities Report describing association activities, national developments, and federal legislation and regulation impacting academic medicine. By 1979, the report reached more than 9,000 subscribers. Today, the AAMC disseminates a range of regular communications targeted to specific roles and issues across education, research, clinical care, and community collaboration.

The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education issued Higher Education and the Nation’s Health: Policies for Medical and Dental Education, warning of a critical national shortage of health professionals. The report called for expanding and restructuring medical and dental education, creating a network of geographically distributed Area Health Education Centers, shortening physician training, and increasing preparation of allied health professionals. The AAMC supported the report’s central recommendations around increasing medical school capacity, expanding federal funding, and promoting community-based training and backed related legislation like the Health Manpower Act of 1971, which aimed to increase medical school enrollment by 50%. 

The AAMC endorsed the creation of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) as a valuable public service alternative to military service for physicians. The NHSC presented a way to address physician shortages in rural and urban underserved areas while exposing health professionals to service in such communities. Hower, the AAMC urged Congress to clarify its relationship to military obligations, ensure service counted in lieu of conscription, and strengthen funding to match the scale of the nation’s health care needs.

Today, the NHSC connects over 17,000 primary care clinicians with communities facing severe shortages of health providers, expanding access to high-quality care and offering scholarships and loan repayment as key incentives.

Prompted by the AAMC, the Inter-Association Committee on Expanding Educational Opportunities in Medicine for Black and Other Minority Students was established with membership from the American Hospital Association, the AMA, the National Medical Association, and the AAMC. The resulting report, endorsed by all committee members, inspired public and private organizations to launch or expand initiatives focused on increasing access to medical education for those historically underrepresented in medicine. The report urged raising minority enrollment in medical schools to 12% by 1975-76 through stronger retention efforts, coordinated financial aid, expanded recruitment via regional centers, and an enhanced AAMC Office for Minority Student Affair

In the late 1960s, students began pushing for a greater voice in academic medicine. Following high-profile protests—most notably disruption of a 1969 COD meeting—students called for reforms in underrepresented admissions, participation in governance, and attention to the social aspects of health. The AAMC formed the Organization of Student Representatives (OSR), comprised of one student from each AAMC-member medical school, as a national forum for student concerns, an official voice within the AAMC, and a platform for student action on key health care issues. Student leadership remains a critical aspect of the association's governance today: as part of the AAMC's bylaws, the Board of Directors includes a student among its at-large members.

The Group on Institutional Planning (GIP) was established in 1972 following its early work as the Planning Coordinators Group. GIP members led efforts in strategic, facilities, academic, and clinical planning at academic medical centers. The group expanded its scope to include hospital planners in the 1980s and has since fostered collaboration across disciplines through joint meetings with other AAMC groups like the GBA and GIR. The GIP remains a key convener for those shaping the physical and strategic futures of academic medicine institutions. 

The AAMC Executive Council formally recognized the Group on Institutional Advancement (GIA) — originally established as the Group on Public Relations, then renamed the Group on Public Affairs in 1981, and ultimately adopting its current name in 1993 to reflect its broad and integrated focus on advancement disciplines. The group had evolved from informal public relations gatherings dating back to the 1950s and gradually expanded its mission and membership to include alumni relations, fundraising, marketing, communications, and public affairs professionals.  

The Group on Business Affairs (GBA) was officially established in 1972, building on its origins as the Business Officers Section (BOS) of the Council of Deans. Created by AAMC staff member Augustus J. Carroll and six founding members, the GBA brought together administrators responsible for clinical research, institutional operations, and financial planning. The group continues to serve as a vital forum for sharing business intelligence, offering resources like GBAnalytics to support fiscal strategy and operational excellence across academic health centers. 

Developed by the AAMC’s Division of Operational Studies, the Institutional Profile System (IPS) was designed to collect and compare comprehensive data on U.S. medical schools. The IPS produced annual and departmental reports covering student enrollment, faculty composition, finances, research funding, and institutional missions, enabling benchmarking across schools. First issued in print in 1972, IPS reports later transitioned to an online platform now known as the Medical School Profile System (MSPS). Today, MSPS enables users to view and create benchmarking reports, access surveys, and download data at their convenience. Topics for popular reports include revenues and expenditures, student and faculty counts, and debt and financial aid. 

Between 1960 and 1970, the proportion of incoming medical students who were women more than doubled. Congress passed the 1972 Title IX Education Amendment banning gender discrimination at federally funded institutions, and the second wave of feminism spurred women to demand equal rights. The resulting shift was striking: from 1930 to 1970, about 14,000 women graduated from medical school; from 1970 to 1980, more than 20,000 did.

In 1971, Phyllis Bodell, MD, surveyed Yale School of Medicine women graduates about challenges and successes and led a committee to address women’s issues. In 1975, Yale opened the first Office for Women in Medicine, offering job referrals, support groups, and a library of materials focused on women in medicine.

The Management Advancement Program, launched by the AAMC in partnership with the MIT Sloan School of Management, was designed to train new medical school deans in management through seminars and hands-on institutional projects. In the 1980s, the program was replaced by the AAMC's Executive Development Seminar for Deans, now offered annually. National experts lead newly appointed interim, acting, and permanent deans in discussions about issues critical to academic medicine and the achievement of institutional missions, including financial and mission sustainability, reputation management, accreditation, and working with key institutional roles within the dean's office or broader university setting.

In the late 1950s, the LCME® group began discussing its potential involvement in accrediting graduate medical education in response to a growing need for national oversight and consistency in post-medical school training across specialties. These conversations ultimately resulted in the creation of the Liaison Committee on Graduate Medical Education (LCGME) — modeled on but separate from the LCME body. The new committee was jointly sponsored by the AMA, AAMC, and other key organizations to coordinate and standardize the accreditation of residency training programs. In 1981, the LCGME became the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and began operating independently from the LCME body and its sponsoring organizations.

In response to the growing presence of women in medicine and the ongoing momentum of the civil rights and women’s liberation movements, the AAMC formally launched the Women in Medicine (WIM) program in 1976 to identify barriers and develop strategies to increase the number of women entering medicine and to support them in their education and career advancement. An early innovation was the creation of a national network of Women Liaison Officers across institutions to foster professional development and culture change.

The WIM program laid the foundation for the Group on Women in Medicine and Science, launched in 2009, reflecting a broader commitment to supporting the full participation of women across the academic medicine continuum.

A fully revised Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®) was launched to more effectively evaluate applicants’ knowledge in premedical sciences and their problem-solving abilities — critical skills for future physicians. The new exam structure reflected the evolving demands of modern medicine and medical education. 

In Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the use of race as one factor in college admissions, affirming diversity’s educational value but striking down racial quotas. The ruling shaped admissions policies for decades. In 2023, the court reversed course in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC, finding race-conscious admissions unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause and effectively ending affirmative action, prompting a nationwide reassessment of diversity efforts. 

The 1980s brought continued growth to the AAMC’s professional development network with the launch of two influential groups that addressed emerging challenges in the clinical and policy arenas of academic medicine: the Group on Faculty Practice (GFP) and the Government Relations Representatives (GRR) were both established in 1987. 

Academic Information in the Academic Health Sciences Center: Roles for the Library in Information Management—led by principal investigator Nina W. Matheson and sponsored by the National Library of Medicine—reimagined how academic health sciences libraries could advance medical education, research, and patient care. The report indicated that libraries were no longer just repositories of books and journals but critical hubs for managing and integrating the growing complexity of biomedical information. Its recommendations called for libraries to lead in digital innovation, information technology integration, and interdisciplinary collaboration, shaping how academic health centers would organize, access, and apply knowledge for decades to come. 

The AAMC launched the Graduate Medical Education (GME) Tracking Survey to confirm where medical school graduates enter residency and fellowship programs at U.S. teaching hospitals. This initiative marks a critical step in tracking the physician workforce pathway — from graduation to residency and eventual practice — and lays the foundation for today’s GME Track® (which officially launched in 2000). 

The AAMC formed the Panel on the General Professional Education of the Physician and College Preparation for Medicine to examine whether medical education was meeting the needs of an evolving society and medical practice. Supported by a grant from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, the panel conducted a three-year review of medical education culminating in Physicians for the Twenty-First Century, a landmark report. The report called for a unified foundation of knowledge, skills, and values for all physicians; greater curriculum integration and active learning; stronger communication and interpersonal skills; expanded faculty development; improved career counseling; and undergraduate preparation combining science with the humanities. 

With support from a grant, the AAMC launched a new database to capture key operational and financial data from member teaching hospitals — a resource that would evolve into the COTH Annual Survey of Hospitals’ Financial and General Operating Data and later the Annual Survey of Hospital Operations and Financial Performance (OpFin).

By collecting metrics such as the Total Case Mix Index (CMI), OpFin has revealed trends like the steady rise in patient complexity over time. This benchmarking data supports hospitals in sustaining their clinical care, education, and research missions, while also equipping the AAMC with critical information for national advocacy on behalf of academic medicine.

In response to inconsistent lending and funding challenges, the AAMC launched the MedLoans program as the first loan program designed specifically for medical students. Developed with input from financial aid officers, the program emphasized stability, borrower benefits, and personalized service to support learners throughout their medical education journey. The MedLoans tool provided a single, reliable source for federal and private educational loans, expanding over time to include products for costs beyond federal limits, residency interview and relocation expenses, a Federal Consolidation Loan, and additional debt management resources. Due to changes in the student loan market and federal law, the AAMC ended the program in 2008.

Virginia V. Weldon, MD, deputy vice chancellor for medical affairs and vice president of Washington University Medical Center, became the first woman elected chair of the AAMC. A pediatric endocrinologist, professor, and academic leader, Dr. Weldon was recognized as an administrative trailblazer and known for quick, reasoned decision-making. Dr. Weldon also chaired the Council of Academic Societies and served on the AAMC Executive Council, crediting her success to strong mentorship and becoming a role model for generations of women in medicine and science. Her election marked a historic milestone for the AAMC, paving the way for greater representation of women in top leadership roles across academic medicine. 

In 1985, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME®) — the accrediting body for MD degree programs in the United States and Canada — issued a landmark revision of Functions and Structure of a Medical School, first published in 1957. These updated standards set a stronger foundation for excellence in medical education, emphasizing clear institutional missions, effective governance, robust faculty qualifications, adequate resources, integrated and comprehensive curricula, and supportive learning environments. This revision strengthened how medical schools prepared future physicians, ensuring graduates could meet the evolving needs of patients, the profession, and society.

Renowned physician, educator, and infectious disease expert Robert J. Petersdorf, MD, became the second president of the AAMC. Bringing decades of leadership in academic medicine, Dr. Petersdorf championed reforms that shaped the profession for years to come. During his tenure (1986-94), he advocated for limiting residents’ on-duty hours, expanding diversity in the medical workforce, and increasing the number of primary care physicians to meet public health needs. Known for his remarkable memory and ability to connect with people from all backgrounds, Dr. Petersdorf left a lasting imprint on medical education and health care policy.

The Group on Faculty Practice (GFP), officially established in 1987 after originating as an ad hoc committee in 1985, responded to the growing influence of managed care on academic medicine. Bringing together physicians and executives from faculty practice plans, the GFP became a key voice on organizational models, cost management, and payment reform, producing influential resources like the Faculty Practice Plans report. Today, the GFP continues to guide academic medicine through health care transformation, organizational change, and sustainability planning. 

The Government Relations Representatives (GRR) group created a national forum for federal advocacy professionals at medical schools, academic health systems and teaching hospitals, and academic societies. The GRR has played a vital role in shaping legislative strategies, connecting members with policymakers, and advancing the policy priorities of academic medicine. Today, the GRR remains central to advancing the policy priorities of the academic medicine community. 

Nearly 20 years after the move to Washington, D.C., and three years prior to the construction of a new office downtown, the AAMC established its first Office of Government Relations. Prior to 1987, each division within the AAMC was responsible for its own activities related to the federal government, including tracking of federal legislative efforts and advocacy around funding for medical education and research. AAMC President Dr. Robert Petersdorf centralized the advocacy activities and appointed Richard Knapp, PhD, to oversee all government relations work in an effort to represent the AAMC and its members to the federal government more effectively. 

To address the persistent underrepresentation of minorities in medicine and strengthen the educational pathway, the AAMC established the Division for Minority Health, Education, and Prevention, led by Herbert W. Nickens, MD. The division focused on improving recruitment, retention, and advancement of underrepresented students and faculty, while also expanding the AAMC’s engagement in disease prevention and public health — particularly for underserved populations. By coordinating efforts across the educational continuum and fostering collaboration between academic medicine and the broader health community, the division aimed to create lasting change in both workforce diversity and health outcomes.

In 1988, the AAMC Executive Council adopted a new mission statement for the organization that began, "The [AAMC] has as its purpose the improvement of the nation's health through the advancement of academic medicine." Since the adoption of this statement, the phrase “academic medicine,” which refers to the generation of new knowledge, shaping of sound policies, and refining of effective approaches that strengthen research and learning in the health sciences, all with the aim of promoting better health outcomes for people and populations, has remained a cornerstone of the AAMC's mission.

In 1988, the Alpha Omega Alpha Society presented its first Distinguished Teacher Award — now known as the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Awards in honor of Robert J. Glaser, MD, long-time executive secretary of the society. The awards recognized faculty members who distinguished themselves in medical student education and nominations were managed by the AAMC. The AAMC still manages nominations for these awards today, which are presented to winners annually at Learn Serve Lead: The AAMC Annual Meeting, alongside several other presidential awards recognizing and celebrating members of the academic medicine community who are making significant advances across the mission areas.

Arnold P. Gold, MD, a distinguished pediatric neurologist and professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, founded the Arnold P. Gold Foundation together with his wife, Sandra O. Gold, MS, EdD, to promote humanism throughout health care. The foundation's initiatives, such as the White Coat Ceremony and Gold Humanism Honor Society, have been adopted by nearly every U.S. medical school today. The foundation partners with the AAMC on an annual award, the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award (created in 1999), as well as programming at Learn Serve Lead on the topics of humanism and compassionate care. 

Following the establishment of the Office of Government Relations, the AAMC began weekly publication of Washington Highlights, a newsletter dedicated to AAMC activity regarding federal legislation and regulation. The weekly format allowed for time-sensitive coverage of legislative and regulatory issues impacting AAMC-member institutions. Today, Washington Highlights reaches over 4,600 subscribers with updates on issues impacting medical schools, academic health systems, and patients and communities.

The 1990s saw the AAMC expand its professional development network to address emerging challenges in compliance, graduate education, residency training, and technology. In 1996, the Compliance Officers' Forum (COF), the Group on Graduate Research, Education, and Training (GREAT), and the Group on Resident Affairs (GRA) were established. And in 1998, the Group on Information Resources (GIR) was formalized. Together, these groups reflected the AAMC’s commitment to supporting its members as the landscape of academic medicine grew more complex and interconnected. 

The AAMC established the Organization of Resident Representatives (ORR) to ensure that resident physicians had a formal voice in shaping association policy and advancing the quality of medical education. The ORR’s mission is to improve resident education and training as a means of improving patient care.

Designed as both a leadership opportunity and a platform for professional development, the ORR enables residents interested in academic medicine to participate directly in policy discussions, serve as liaisons to AAMC committees and affinity groups, and contribute to the future of graduate medical education. In addition to the ORR, the AAMC Board of Directors includes a resident among its at-large members as part of the AAMC's bylaws.

The AAMC Reporter, published monthly, replaced the AAMC Weekly Activities Report as the association’s main nongovernmental news outlet. Early focus areas included primary care training, women in academic medicine, access to care and health coverage, curriculum reform, Medicare reimbursement, and increased participation of underrepresented populations in medicine. The Reporter also shared updates from within the AAMC community, aiming to provide more substantial, contextual communication while maintaining weekly engagement through other channels. Published from September 1991 through May/June 2016, the Reporter was refashioned into the AAMCNews site, which went live on Sept. 30, 2016.

One of the major initiatives of the Division of Minority Health, Education, and Prevention under Herbert W. Nickens, MD, was Project 3000 by 2000, a landmark national initiative to address the persistent underrepresentation of students of all backgrounds in medicine. The project set an ambitious goal: increase the number of underrepresented students entering U.S. medical schools from roughly 1,600 to 3,000 annually by the year 2000. Supported in part by partnerships with foundations and medical schools across the country, the initiative spurred mentoring, pathway, and academic support programs designed to expand opportunities for students from historically excluded groups. 

In the early 1990s, as national debate over health care reform intensified, the AAMC convened leaders from across academic medicine to form the Advisory Panel on Health Care Reform. The group produced Avenues to Access: A Resource Guide to Health Care Reform (1992), helping policymakers and educators navigate competing reform proposals as more than 37 million Americans remained uninsured. Through its work, the AAMC emphasized academic medicine’s essential role in expanding primary care, sustaining research investment, and shaping equitable policy — solidifying its reputation as a trusted convener in national health reform.

After years of discussion about moving away from a paper-driven residency application process, the AAMC’s Group on Student Affairs (GSA) advanced the idea, inspired by a 1992 Academic Medicine article demonstrating support for a centralized electronic system among program directors. The AAMC formed an advisory committee in fall 1992 and a final report recommending implementation was delivered in 1994. The first ERAS pilot launched in OB-GYN programs in 1995-96, and in 2000, the ERAS program introduced the MyERAS® system, a fully web-based app that eliminated software distribution and eased burdens on medical schools. Today, the ERAS service helps 138 residency and fellowship specialties find their future workforce. 

The AAMC published Assessing Change in Medical Education — The Road to Implementation (ACME-TRI), evaluating how U.S. medical schools were implementing key recommendations from the 1980s aimed at improving undergraduate medical education. The report assessed progress across curriculum management, faculty development, student evaluation, educational strategies, and information management. ACME-TRI provided guidance to schools on strategies to foster sustainable curricular and instructional reform. The report laid the groundwork for the AAMC’s later efforts in competency-based medical education and curriculum transformation.

On the heels of Project 3000 by 2000, the AAMC created the national program office of the Minority Medical Education Program (known today as the Summer Health Professions Education Program, or SHPEP), a free summer enrichment program designed to support college students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds as they prepare for careers in the health professions. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the program was founded to address trends in decreasing medical school applications of candidates from underrepresented backgrounds. As program office, the AAMC provides national coordination, evaluation, and support for participating medical, dental, and health professions schools, helping thousands of students each year.

In 1993, the AAMC presented its first Award for Outstanding Community Service to the University of Miami School of Medicine, honoring its deep commitment to underserved communities in South Florida. Established to recognize institutions that go beyond traditional academic medicine to address community health needs, the award underscored service as a core mission of academic medicine. In 2007, it was renamed the Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Engagement, honoring Spencer “Spike” Foreman, MD, who created the award to celebrate leadership, compassion, and social responsibility across academic health institutions. 

Recognizing the critical importance of federal workforce programs to the future of health care, the AAMC joined peer organizations in 1993 to found the Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC). The coalition quickly became the leading national voice advocating for continued funding support for the health professions and nursing workforce development programs authorized under Titles VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Act and administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration. More than 30 years later, the AAMC Office of Government Relations continues to lead the HPNEC, guiding its leadership and direction. 

In November 1993, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, head of the Clinton administration’s health care task force, delivered a keynote address at the AAMC annual meeting. Drawing from comments her husband President Bill Clinton previously shared, she underscored the urgent need for reform in a system she described as too expensive, too bureaucratic, and too wasteful and called on academic medicine and health professionals to help break the gridlock that had stalled progress for decades. Although the legislation ultimately failed in 1994, the moment marked a high-profile recognition of the AAMC as a key stakeholder in shaping the future of health care policy. 

In 1993, the Arnold P. Gold Foundation helped launch White Coat Ceremonies as a national tradition in U.S. medical schools, beginning with Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. The first ceremony of its kind was held in 1989 at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Rooted in a centuries-old tradition where the white garment symbolizes candor, professionalism, and trust, the ceremony marks a medical student’s formal entrance into the profession. The White Coat Ceremony is now a rite of passage at nearly every medical school in the United States — honoring humanism in medicine and reinforcing the physician’s role as a compassionate healer from day one of training. 

In 1994, nephrologist, former medical school dean, and member of the National Academy of Medicine Jordan J. Cohen, MD, became the third president of the AAMC and remains president emeritus today. During his tenure, Dr. Cohen launched new initiatives in each of the association's mission areas; expanded and modernized the AAMC's services for applicants, medical students, residents, and constituents; strengthened AAMC communications, advocacy, and data gathering efforts; and established initiatives for improving medical education and clinical care. Dr. Cohen spoke extensively on the need to promote representation in medicine, to uphold professional and scientific values, and to transform the nation's health care system.

The AAMC developed a strategic plan providing recommendations on governance, strategic priorities, and programs. While the overall governance structure remained sound, the plan called for better engagement of faculty, society leaders, multi-hospital systems, and CEOs leading both medical schools and clinical enterprises. AAMC groups were reviewed with the intent to leverage their efforts and participants more effectively. Major initiatives included establishing a Center for Innovations in Academic Medicine, aligning the physician workforce with societal needs, updating medical education and training models, forming strategic alliances with professional and private organizations, and enhancing advocacy, diversity, and operational services.

The launch of aamc.org in 1995 ushered academic medicine into the digital era. Before this moment, most AAMC resources — from the ERAS program and MCAT® exam information to data reports and policy updates — were only available in print or through direct outreach. The website transformed how members, learners, and the public connected with the AAMC, providing instant access to data, resources, and services. It also expanded the association’s visibility to policymakers and the public, setting the stage for today’s digital-first engagement strategies. Today, approximately 1.06 million users visit the aamc.org website monthly. 

In 1995, the AAMC and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation presented the first David E. Rogers Award, honoring medical school faculty whose work transforms public health and health care. The inaugural award went to Diane M. Becker, MPH, ScD, a trailblazing nurse scientist at Johns Hopkins, whose research on cardiovascular disease prevention and deep commitment to community partnerships set a powerful precedent. Nearly three decades later, the Rogers Award is still presented annually, carrying forward Dr. Rogers’ vision of academic medicine’s responsibility to serve the public.  

The Compliance Officers’ Forum (COF), launched in 1996, created a national community for compliance leaders navigating regulatory issues from billing and privacy to research oversight and HIPAA. 

The Group on Graduate Research, Education, and Training (GREAT) was established to strengthen PhD and postdoctoral education, addressing workforce development, representation, and mentoring in biomedical research. 

The Group on Resident Affairs (GRA) emerged to guide institutional leaders of graduate medical education, with a focus on quality, accreditation, and financing. 

Launched in 1996 following Assessing Change in Medical Education, the AAMC’s Medical School Objectives Project (MSOP) defined the essential knowledge, skills, and values all medical graduates should possess. Its first report (1998) united educators around competencies emphasizing not only scientific expertise but also professionalism, empathy, and patient-centered care. The MSOP became the foundation for curriculum reform and inspired the ACGME’s six core competencies, advancing a national shift toward outcomes-based, humanistic medical education that continues to shape physician training today. 

The 1997 Balanced Budget Act reshaped graduate medical education by capping Medicare-funded residency slots at 1996 levels — effectively halting workforce growth for decades. While the law stabilized Medicare spending and expanded payment eligibility for managed care, it also restricted residency expansion amid rising health care demand. The AAMC advocated strongly during its passage, warning of long-term physician shortages. This landmark moment sparked a decades-long AAMC campaign to expand GME funding, culminating in new federally supported residency slots under the 2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

The Group on Information Resources (GIR) was formalized in 1998 to advance the role of information technology in academic medicine, uniting chief information officers, IT leaders, and librarians around innovation, data, and privacy.  

In 1999, the AAMC and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation established the Humanism in Medicine Award, recognizing a physician faculty member who exemplifies compassion, empathy, and mentorship in the education of medical students. The initial version of the award was supported by Pfizer, Inc. from 1999-2008. The first awardee, Andrew Hsi, MD, MPH, of the University of New Mexico, was honored for his deep commitment to pediatrics, family medicine, and advocacy for children and families facing adversity.

Still presented annually through the Organization of Student Representatives (OSR), the award reinforces the importance of humanistic qualities in both medical education and patient care.

The AAMC launched Project Medical Education (PME) to give policymakers an inside look at how doctors are trained and why federal support is essential to sustaining academic medicine. Developed with Duke University Medical Center, PME used immersive, campus-based experiences to help leaders understand the interconnected missions of education, research, and patient care — a model that continues to inform AAMC advocacy today. PME has also since expanded to highlight the research enterprise, giving participants a look at the entire process from the lab bench to patient care.   

Building on the 1983 GME Tracking Survey, the AAMC and the AMA introduced GME Track®, a modern, centralized resident database and tracking system housing the National GME Census. By streamlining data collection and replacing duplicative reporting, GME Track provides vital insight into where physicians train, in what specialties, and how the workforce evolves over time.

The 2000s saw the formation of new professional development groups that reflected academic medicine’s expanding scope in research, education, faculty development, and clinical care. The Group on Regional Medical Campuses (GRMC) and the Group on Research Advancement and Development (GRAND) launched in 2002, followed by the Group on Faculty Affairs (GFA) and the Chief Medical Officers Group (CMOG) in 2006. Later in the decade, the Forum on Conflict of Interest in Academe® (2007) and the Group on Diversity and Inclusion (2009, now GCEC), and the Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS, 2009) reinforced the field’s growing commitment to integrity and inclusion. 

In 2000, the AAMC created the Herbert W. Nickens Awards to honor Dr. Nickens’ groundbreaking leadership in advancing excellence and justice in medicine. The three awards — the Presidential Award, Faculty Fellowship, and Medical Student Scholarships — celebrate individuals who work to eliminate inequities and expand opportunity in medical education and health care. Named for the AAMC’s first director of minority programs and the inaugural head of the federal Office of Minority Health, these honors have recognized over 100 leaders whose efforts continue to shape a more compassionate academic medicine community where everyone is valued for their contributions.

For 23 years (from October 2000 to June 2023), the AAMC partnered with the CDC to bridge academic medicine and public health, preparing future physicians to improve population health and address health disparities. This collaboration supported innovative programs, hands-on community experiences, and workforce development, including training public health researchers, expanding MD-MPH programs, and fostering excellence in medical education. With $73 million in funding, more than 70 institutions delivered over 137 projects that strengthened public health integration, built community partnerships, and equipped learners with the skills to protect and improve the health of populations nationwide.

The AAMC joined six nonprofit partners to form the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP). Using a voluntary, peer-driven model, AAHRPP set rigorous standards to ensure the safety and rights of research participants. Today, AAHRPP accreditation is the gold seal for organizations worldwide committed to high-quality, ethical research.  

In 2001, the AAMC strengthened its support for students and residents navigating their career journeys by launching and refining key programs. The Careers in Medicine® program — originally piloted as MedCAREERS in partnership with the AMA in 1998 — was renamed and fully brought under the AAMC, providing medical students and advisors with tools to assess their interests, explore specialties, and make informed decisions about residency. That same year, the AAMC introduced the FindAResident™ tool, a year-round search and matching service designed to help fill open residency and fellowship positions.

The Group on Regional Medical Campuses (GRMC), formally established in 2002, matured into a central forum for regional campus leaders navigating the complexities of delivering substantial portions of medical education away from main campuses. The GRMC fostered mentoring and innovation, spotlighting the unique strengths of distributed campuses and elevating them as critical contributors to the physician workforce pathway.

The Group on Research Advancement and Development (GRAND) was created to bring together medical school research deans. GRAND gave leaders a national voice to address challenges in sustaining biomedical research, from funding gaps to regulatory requirements. GRAND has produced influential reports, toolkits, and surveys on topics ranging from stem cell research oversight to institutional bridge funding strategies. 

In the early 2000s, the Jung v. AAMC antitrust lawsuit challenged the fairness of the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®), alleging it suppressed resident wages and mobility. In response, Congress passed legislation in 2004 affirming The Match® as an essential, pro-competition process for medical education, effectively ending the lawsuit. Shortly thereafter, the NRMP became an independent nonprofit after more than 50 years under the AAMC, a move that strengthened its governance, expanded services, and reinforced public trust in the system that continues to guide every U.S. physician’s training journey. 

The AAMC launched the Student Records System (SRS), a secure, online platform that for the first time centralized enrollment data on every student at LCME®-accredited U.S. medical schools. The SRS tracks learners from matriculation through graduation, giving medical schools a powerful tool to meet accreditation requirements, benchmark retention and graduation trends, and compare data nationally. By creating a single, authoritative record of U.S. medical students, the SRS strengthened accountability, streamlined reporting, and enabled richer insights into the medical education pathway.  

In a pair of landmark cases involving the University of Michigan, the U.S. Supreme Court issued rulings that shaped affirmative action in higher education. In Grutter v. Bollinger, the court upheld the use of race as one factor in a holistic admissions process, affirming diversity as a compelling interest in education. At the same time, in Gratz v. Bollinger, the court struck down a point-based system that automatically awarded admission “bonus points” to underrepresented applicants. These decisions reaffirmed that institutions could consider race in admissions — if done thoughtfully and individually — while rejecting rigid quota-like systems. 

To better understand and prepare for the nation’s physician workforce needs, the AAMC launched the Center for Workforce Studies in 2004. Its creation reflected the growing recognition that long-term planning for medical education and health care delivery required robust, evidence-based data on physician supply, demand, and distribution.

Today, Workforce Studies' work is indispensable to policymakers, academic medicine leaders, and the public. Through tools like the U.S. Physician Workforce Data Dashboard and analyses of medical education debt and repayment trends, the center provides critical insights that shape national debates on access, equity, and the future of the health care workforce.

Donald E. Wilson, MD, dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, made history as the first African American chair of the AAMC. A trailblazer in academic medicine, he expanded faculty and student representation, tripling underrepresented faculty and increasing women faculty by 75%. Under his leadership, research funding grew from $77 million to $341 million, curriculum reforms emphasized hands-on learning, and new medical facilities were built. Dr. Wilson also championed health equity, founding the Center for Health Disparities and the Association for Academic Minority Physicians, leaving a lasting legacy of inclusion, innovation, and excellence in medical education.

After exploring participation in the Healthcare Education Assets Library (HEAL), Chris Candler, MD, EdD, an associate dean at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, and AAMC staff proposed creating a new platform to formally recognize and publish the work of medical education faculty. With strong support from the Group on Educational Affairs (GEA), the AAMC launched MedEdPORTAL (Medical Education: Providing Online Resources To Advance Learning) in April 2005 as a diamond open-access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to teaching scholarship.

When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in August 2005, medical schools and teaching hospitals were among the hardest hit. The AAMC worked quickly to support member institutions, helping coordinate the relocation of displaced students and residents so their training could continue.

This response set a precedent: in the years since, the AAMC has mobilized in partnership with schools and teaching hospitals after major natural disasters — from Harvey and Irma to Maria — ensuring continuity of medical education and reinforcing academic medicine’s vital role in community resilience.

The Group on Faculty Affairs (GFA), launched in 2006, grew into a vital professional home for academic medicine by supporting faculty affairs leaders across medical schools and teaching hospitals. The GFA advanced promotion and tenure policy, professional development, and faculty vitality. Its conferences, webinars, and scholarship reinforced the idea that strong faculty support is inseparable from academic excellence. 

The Chief Medical Officers Group (CMOG) gave clinical leaders a national network to strengthen patient care and clinical operations within academic health systems. From its annual professional development conference to the launch of a CMO Leadership Academy in 2016, CMOG shaped the next generation of physician-executives guiding teaching hospitals through rapid changes in health care delivery. 

In 2006, Darrell G. Kirch, MD, became president and CEO of the AAMC, a role he held until 2019. A psychiatrist, educator, and national leader, Dr. Kirch championed transformation across medical education, research, and health care, with a special focus on clinician well-being and resilience. Under his leadership, the AAMC strengthened its role as a convener, advocate, and thought leader for academic medicine. He was later elected to the National Academy of Medicine and continues to serve as president emeritus for the AAMC.  

In October 2006, the AAMC launched AspiringDocs.org, a national campaign to increase pathways to medicine by encouraging students from all backgrounds to consider medical careers. The free online resource provided information on medical career options, the MCAT® exam, applications, financial aid, and deadlines, while also fostering an online community through features like Ask the Experts and Hot Topics. Early outreach efforts included advertising in college newspapers, social media platforms, and targeted campaigns at historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribal colleges. 

Congress passed the NIH Reform Act of 2006 (signed Jan. 15, 2007), the first major reauthorization in over a decade. The law established the NIH Common Fund to support cross-institute research, strengthened strategic planning and transparency, and required regular portfolio reviews while preserving the NIH’s decentralized institute structure.

The AAMC, through testimony and coalition work, advocated for protecting peer review and investigator-initiated research, safeguarding institutes’ autonomy, and supporting balanced mechanisms for collaborative science. The final law reflected much of this advocacy, creating new coordination tools without undermining institute strengths.

In 2006, the AAMC charged a special Task Force on Industry Funding of Medical Education with forging consensus principles to guide the AAMC and the leaders of medical schools and teaching hospitals in developing policies and procedures to manage industry gifting practices and financial support of their programs of medical education for students, trainees, faculty, and community physicians. The task force's work was published in a June 2008 report, Industry Funding of Medical Education, which offered recommendations for how medical schools and teaching hospitals should govern student and faculty interactions with industry, with the goal of preventing conflicts of interest that can distort therapeutic judgments and decision-making.

The Forum on Conflict of Interest in Academe® (FOCI Academe®) became the national space for compliance officers, legal experts, and administrators navigating complex issues of research and institutional integrity. FOCI Academe supported members through major federal regulatory changes in 2010-12, publishing metrics and reports that continue to inform oversight today. 

In January 2007, the MCAT exam transitioned to being offered exclusively via computer. Changing the administration format reduced the number of test questions, shortened the testing day, and increased the number of annual offerings.  

In September 2007, the AAMC Executive Council approved Learn, Serve, Lead — The Mission, Vision, and Strategic Priorities of the AAMC, the result of a yearlong strategic thinking and positioning process. Over 400 constituents from governance, membership, staff, and external stakeholders contributed to shaping the association’s direction. The new mission, “The AAMC serves and leads the academic medicine community to improve the health of all,” and nine strategic priorities built on prior commitments while expanding focus to include representation across all backgrounds, member services, leadership, and organizational culture.

Spurred by Supreme Court decisions in Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger, the AAMC created the Holistic Review Project to improve medical student recruitment by providing schools with resources and guidance to align admissions processes with institutional missions and goals. It grew out of long-standing AAMC efforts to encourage admissions committees to consider applicants’ personal characteristics and attributes alongside other important factors. This body of work has expanded to include student support under Mission-Aligned Selection and Retention, a program providing frameworks and resources for strengthening the policies and processes used to select and support learners capable of advancing programs' unique missions.

The AAMC transformed the visiting student experience with the Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS®), the first online platform to simplify elective applications across medical schools. Replacing a cumbersome paper process, the VSAS program streamlined submissions and tracking for students, registrars, and host institutions. Its success inspired the Global Health Learning Opportunities (GHLO®) program in 2013, which connected U.S. and international learners for global health rotations. In 2015, these merged to form Visiting Student Learning Opportunities™ (VSLO®), a unified system supporting short-term learning experiences in medicine and public health worldwide. 

Following his appointment as AAMC president and CEO in 2006, Dr. Darrell Kirch led a comprehensive review of the association’s governance structure to make it more effective and representative. Guided by recommendations from the Governance Working Group, the AAMC replaced its Executive Council and Executive Committee with a 17-member Board of Directors selected for their skills and expertise rather than group representation. The new structure also included a Nominating Committee, Mission Panels, and a Leadership Forum. The first Board of Directors convened Dec. 10, 2008. 

Recognizing that medical students, residents, and early-career physicians were facing rising tuition costs, heavy student debt, and little access to structured financial education, while financial aid officers struggled to navigate complex regulations and provide consistent guidance, the AAMC launched the Financial Information, Resources, Services, and Tools (FIRST) program in 2008. Designed to provide comprehensive resources and guidance on financial planning and management, the program offers educational tools, personalized financial counseling, and access to expert advice on topics such as budgeting, student loan management, repayment strategies, investment planning, and career-related financial decisions.

In the mid-2000s, the AAMC launched the fifth comprehensive review of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) — the first such effort in 15 years. A 21-member panel of deans, admissions leaders, faculty, prehealth advisors, and medical students, known as the MR5 Committee, was convened to ensure the exam kept pace with changes in medical education, practice, and society. The committee sought broad input from medical schools and the prehealth community while examining the test’s fairness, scope, and alignment with the qualities needed in future physicians. The 2008 MR5 process laid the foundation for a new version of the MCAT exam, which launched in the spring of 2015.

The Group on Diversity and Inclusion (GDI) launched in 2009, building on decades of AAMC work to advance equity for historically underrepresented groups. The GDI broadened the scope of institutional diversity work, creating a professional community for faculty and administrators committed to increasing representation, supporting learners and faculty, and reducing health disparities. In 2025, the GDI was renamed the Group on Collaboration, Engagement, and Community (GCEC). 

The Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) was established, evolving from the Women in Medicine program that began in the 1970s. GWIMS became the first AAMC professional group focused explicitly on gender equity, faculty advancement, and leadership development for women across academic medicine. Its annual conferences, professional development seminars, and leadership pathway initiatives continue to advance the careers of women faculty and leaders nationwide. 

The AAMC’s Faculty Forward initiative sought to strengthen faculty satisfaction and engagement at academic medical centers through a comprehensive job satisfaction survey and benchmarking report that helped schools assess, compare, and improve faculty experiences while offering structured support. Twenty-three medical schools joined the first cohort, creating the largest-ever database on faculty satisfaction in academic medicine. Renamed StandPoint™ Surveys in 2017, the program now offers research-validated engagement surveys for faculty and staff and uses its robust national database to identify key drivers, evaluate institutional practices, and recommend evidence-based strategies to enhance satisfaction, engagement, and retention.   

The AAMC was a founding member of the Coalition for Physician Accountability, a consortium created to strengthen collaboration among national organizations responsible for physician education, training, licensure, and certification. What began in 2009 as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-sponsored summit grew into a formal alliance by 2011, providing a unified space for leaders to coordinate on issues of physician accountability and lifelong learning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the coalition’s role became even more action-oriented, developing key recommendations to support medical students and trainees navigating unprecedented disruptions in their education and training. 

President Barak Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010, expanding health care coverage to 32 million Americans and including measures such as strengthening Medicare Part D, boosting primary care payments, and funding new delivery models through the $10 billion Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. Throughout the legislative process, the AAMC provided recommendations via federal correspondence to ensure the interests of medical schools, teaching hospitals, and the communities they serve were represented in the conversations. The AAMC and medical school leaders hailed insurance expansion as a moral imperative. 

The AAMC and partner organizations played a significant role in preventing proposed cuts to Medicare-funded GME during federal deficit reduction efforts led by the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction in 2011. The committee was tasked with reducing the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion over ten years. One of the proposed measures included cuts to Medicare, which would have affected GME funding. In response, the AAMC mobilized its network to advocate against the proposed cuts, including direct communication with lawmakers, public statements, and collaboration with other health care organizations. GME funding was largely preserved due to the AAMC's successful advocacy.

The AAMC partnered with the White House’s Joining Forces initiative, launched by first lady Michelle Obama and second lady Jill Biden, EdD, to advance the health and wellness of service members, veterans, and their families. AAMC members integrated military cultural competency into medical education, strengthened research on conditions like PTSD and traumatic brain injury, and collaborated with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense to enhance care for military communities. This partnership highlighted academic medicine’s commitment to serving those who serve, improving health outcomes, expanding physician expertise, and reinforcing a nationwide support network for military families. 

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, established in 2012 under the Obama administration, provided temporary relief from deportation and work authorization to undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children. Prior to DACA, many undocumented individuals faced significant barriers to entering medical education and practice due to legal restrictions. With the implementation of DACA, these individuals gained access to work permits and, in many cases, the ability to obtain medical licenses and participate in residency programs. The AAMC continues to advocate for their lasting protection.

The AAMC and five other national health professions associations — representing nursing, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, and public health — joined to formally create the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), a national organization focused on integrating and coordinating the education of the full patient care team. The IPEC formalized the 2011 Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice report and continues to provide leadership on interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives, share best practices, and promote team-based care models. The AAMC, as an IPEC partner, secured Macy Foundation funding to launch an IPE portal — an interprofessional extension of MedEdPORTAL. 

In 2013, the AAMC broke ground on new headquarters located in the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., representing one of the most significant redevelopment investments in the long-underserved location. Completed in 2014, The new center of operations brought more than 600 employees together in one space uniquely designed to foster collaboration, provide room for growth, and allow the AAMC to better serve its members. The move also allowed for the construction of the AAMC Learning Center, a space to host meetings with constituents and other learning opportunities.

In response to national challenges, including federal budget pressures and an impending physician workforce shortage, the AAMC restructured its Council of Academic Societies (CAS) to ensure a stronger faculty voice within the organization. On July 1, 2013, CAS officially became the Council of Faculty and Academic Societies (CFAS). Under the new structure, each AAMC-member medical school appoints two faculty members — one early- or mid-career and one senior leader — who join representatives from academic and scientific societies.

In 2014, the AAMC published The State of Women in Academic Medicine: 2013-2014, actionable guidance for recruiting, retaining, and advancing women in academic medicine. Based on survey responses from 117 U.S. medical schools, research by prominent scholars, and insights from institutions across the country, the report provided in-depth data on the status of women in academic medicine and recommended essential supports, such as mentoring and ensuring more equitable distribution of resources. 

By the mid-2010s, evidence from the AAMC Graduation Questionnaire revealed widespread mistreatment and unprofessional conduct in medical education, prompting national concern. The AAMC Council of Deans identified the issue as a top priority, recognizing that isolated efforts were inadequate to create lasting change. In response, the AAMC Board approved a Statement on the Learning Environment, uniting schools and teaching hospitals around shared accountability for respect, integrity, and well-being. This marked a pivotal shift toward a culture of professionalism and collective responsibility for fostering supportive, inclusive learning environments. 

As the Ebola outbreak intensified in West Africa in 2014, the AAMC and its member institutions mobilized to support both the global and domestic response. Academic medical centers provided expertise in infectious disease, coordinated training for frontline health workers, and established protocols to protect patients and staff in the United States. The AAMC worked closely with federal partners, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services, to share guidance and resources across the academic medicine community. 

The AAMC introduced the redesigned Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®) in spring 2015, the first major overhaul of the exam in more than two decades, which began its review process in 2008. Reflecting national movements in science education reform and the evolving needs of medical education, the new exam emphasized both natural and social sciences. It added content in biochemistry, psychology, and sociology, as well as a new section testing critical analysis and reasoning across the humanities and social sciences. 

The AAMC released Altering the Course: Black Males in Medicine, a groundbreaking report revealing that the number of Black men applying to medical school had fallen since the late 1970s, despite overall growth in college graduation rates. The report identified systemic barriers — ranging from unequal K-12 education and financial constraints to limited mentorship and persistent bias — and called for medical schools and partners to take coordinated action. Its findings galvanized new initiatives, including the AAMC-National Medical Association Action Collaborative for Black Men in Medicine, to expand pathways, mentorship, and institutional accountability. 

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the American Osteopathic Association, and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine began a five-year transition to a single accreditation system for U.S. graduate medical education, completed in June 2020. The unified system established consistent standards across all residency and fellowship programs, improving transparency and efficiency. It expanded opportunities for residents and fellows to train in any ACGME-accredited program and streamlined accreditation by eliminating duplication and aligning evaluation through common competency frameworks.

On Sept. 30, 2016, the AAMC retired its long-running print publication the AAMC Reporter and launched AAMCNews, the association’s first all-digital news and multimedia platform. Created to meet the evolving needs of members and the broader health care community, AAMCNews delivers timely articles, viewpoints, videos, and infographics on issues shaping academic medicine — from medical education and biomedical research to health equity, policy, and health system challenges. By moving to a dynamic digital platform, the AAMC expanded its reach and deepened its role as a trusted source of news and insights for medical schools, biomedical researchers, and health leaders nationwide.

In 2016, the AAMC launched the Convey® system for financial interest disclosure. Developed in response to the Institute of Medicine’s call for clearer, more consistent disclosure standards, the Convey program replaced the patchwork of duplicative forms and processes that physicians, scientists, and researchers once had to navigate dozens of times a year. By offering a single, secure repository for disclosure information, the Convey database reduced administrative burden, improved accuracy, and increased trust across academic medicine. The Convey disclosure system marked a step in expanding the AAMC’s role as a service provider not only for learners and institutions, but also for scholarly societies, publishers, and journals worldwide.

For the first time in history, women entering U.S. medical schools outnumbered men — and that trend has continued every year since. Though the margin isn’t large, with women making up just over half of all matriculants, observers say increasing the ranks of women physicians offers numerous benefits. Research suggests that, on average, women physicians provide more preventive care, are more likely to follow clinical guidelines, and have better surgical outcomes than men, for example. In addition, they tend to use more patient-centered communication and are likely to spend more time with their patients. In 2023-24, women accounted for 54.6% of medical school students. 

The AAMC launched FRAHME, a dedicated initiative to integrate the arts and humanities into medical education. This effort, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, recognized that art, literature, music, and history help physicians and trainees become sharper observers, more empathetic communicators, and stronger team members. FRAHME quickly fostered a national community of practice, partnered with funders and institutions, and elevated the role of humanism in medicine.   

Congressional leaders and the Trump administration mounted a high-profile effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Proposals such as the American Health Care Act and the Better Care Reconciliation Act threatened to roll back coverage for millions of Americans and destabilize the health care system. The AAMC strongly opposed these efforts, warning that repeal without a comprehensive and workable alternative would reverse coverage gains, increase the number of uninsured, and weaken support for patients and providers. 

MedEdPORTAL was indexed in MEDLINE, the National Library of Medicine’s premier bibliographic database and a primary component of PubMed, solidifying its status as a prominent journal publishing innovations in health professions education. At a time when access to high-quality educational resources is critical, MedEdPORTAL continues to bridge gaps by providing free, peer-reviewed teaching materials that address pressing clinical, educational, and societal needs. 

The AAMC deepened its commitment to furthering representation with the release of Reshaping the Journey: American Indians and Alaska Natives in Medicine. This landmark report shed light on the barriers Native students face in pursuing medical careers while also highlighting successful institutional strategies and programs that support their path to becoming physicians. The report amplified Native voices, provided actionable recommendations, and inspired schools to build stronger pathways rooted in cultural respect and mentorship.

In July 2019, David J. Skorton, MD, began his tenure as the AAMC’s president and CEO, bringing decades of experience in medicine, higher education, and public service. Under his leadership, the association launched a bold new strategic plan that sharpened its mission and vision and aligned resources around education, clinical care, research, and community collaboration. His presidency continues to guide the AAMC toward its ultimate goal: improving the health of people everywhere.  

The AAMC released its first national report on faculty salary equity, using comprehensive data from U.S. medical schools to examine differences in compensation by gender. Promising Practices for Understanding and Addressing Salary Equity at U.S. Medical Schools revealed important trends and offered promising practices for institutions to identify inequities and begin local, comprehensive efforts to address them. The report spurred medical schools across the country to launch their own salary equity reviews, recognizing that compensation equity is essential to retaining talented faculty and achieving institutional missions.

The MedBiquitous® standards became an AAMC program in 2018, continuing its mission to advance data standards, technology, and innovation for the global health professions education community. Through its pillars of community, innovation, and standards and guidelines, the MedBiquitous program fosters collaboration, sparks new ideas, and enhances data quality and interoperability across medical education. By providing practical resources and an engaged network, the program strengthens the ability of academic medicine to solve complex challenges, drive innovation, and ensure high-quality, accessible education for health professions learners worldwide.  

The AAMC joined more than 100 inaugural scientific, engineering, medical, and higher education societies to launch the Societies Consortium on Sexual Harassment in STEMM. Guided by the 2018 National Academies report on sexual harassment, the consortium was created to advance equity, excellence, and integrity in STEMM by eradicating harassment and fostering inclusive, respectful environments where all talent can thrive. As a founding member, the AAMC helped establish this collective leadership effort to set standards of professional and ethical conduct across STEMM fields and model cultures of equity and accountability in academic medicine.  

Beginning in early 2020, the AAMC led a coordinated national response to the COVID-19 pandemic, issuing urgent guidance to pause in-person medical training and support virtual learning while helping academic health centers align on clinical guidance and practice to optimize patient care. The association released a Road Map to Reset the Nation’s Approach to the Pandemic and later testing recommendations to guide federal and state action. Through advocacy, data dashboards, and reports, the AAMC highlighted health inequities, tracked institutional challenges, and promoted innovations in education and care — laying groundwork for future preparedness and resilience.

The AAMC issued a comprehensive national strategy outlining immediate and long-term actions to control COVID-19 and strengthen U.S. preparedness. The road map called for dramatically expanding diagnostic and surveillance testing, ensuring reliable supplies of PPE and critical equipment, establishing clear national standards for masking and physical distancing, coordinating federal and state responses, and investing in public health infrastructure. It emphasized the need for transparent data, equitable access to care and testing, and long-range planning to prevent future health crises, positioning academic medicine as a key partner in shaping national policy and recovery. 

The AAMC and the National Medical Association (NMA) established the Action Collaborative for Black Men in Medicine to address the persistent underrepresentation of Black men in the medical profession. Building on the AAMC’s 2015 report Altering the Course: Black Males in Medicine, the initiative focuses on strategies to improve recruitment, retention, and advancement of Black men in medicine, engaging the K-12 education, higher education, and academic medicine communities alongside community organizations. The collaborative supports systemic change to build a more representative medical workforce, ultimately improving health outcomes for all communities. 

The AAMC unveiled a comprehensive strategic plan with ten action plans to strengthen medical education, research, and health care delivery and to ensure all communities have an equal opportunity to thrive. Developed over a year of member engagement and accelerated by lessons from COVID-19, the plan introduced a revised mission (“to improve the health of people everywhere”) and created two new entities: the AAMC Research and Action Institute to expand policy research and the AAMC Center for Health Justice (officially launched in September 2021) to promote equity in health and reduce structural barriers to care.

The AAMC commended the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which authorized the first increase in Medicare-supported graduate medical education (GME) positions since the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. This legislation allocated 1,000 new residency slots, marking a significant policy advancement for academic medicine. The AAMC advocated for this expansion to address the growing physician workforce shortage and to enhance access to care, particularly in underserved areas. The act also introduced reforms to the Rural Training Track program, facilitating greater flexibility for rural and urban hospitals to collaborate in residency training, thereby strengthening the nation's health care infrastructure. 

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium, in collaboration with the AAMC, the Association of American Indian Physicians, the Association of Native American Medical Students, and the Indian Health Service, launched the Indigenous Health, Education, and Resources Taskforce (IHEART) to expand pathways for American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students. This AIAN-led initiative connects educators, learners, and community members to strengthen Indigenous health by developing regional infrastructure, mapping resources, and tracking outcomes to improve AIAN representation and health in Indigenous communities. 

The AAMC Center for Health Justice introduced the Principles of Trustworthiness Toolkit to assist organizations in establishing and maintaining authentic, community-centered partnerships. Developed in collaboration with 30 community members from diverse U.S. regions, the toolkit emphasizes a four-phase cycle — Listen, Reflect, Act, Revisit — and outlines 10 interconnected principles, including humility, authenticity, and long-term commitment. Designed to address historical mistrust, the toolkit provides practical resources to guide institutions in becoming trustworthy partners, fostering transparency, accountability, and sustained community engagement. 

As part of its strategic plan, “A Healthier Future for All,” the AAMC launched the Center for Health Justice to address systemic health inequities and promote community-centered health. The Center aims to expand the role of academic medicine beyond traditional education, research, and clinical care by fostering multisector collaborations that prioritize community needs. The Center develops tools, policies, and resources to support authentic community engagement, guided by the Principles of Trustworthiness. Through original research and partnerships, the Center seeks to create systemic change that ensures equitable opportunities for all communities to thrive. 

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, authorized 200 new Medicare-supported graduate medical education (GME) positions — the second such increase since 1997 — building on the 2021 expansion to address physician shortages and strengthen training capacity. The AAMC, a key advocate for sustained GME growth, worked with congressional partners to secure this provision and continues to press for further investments, including passage of the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act to meet the nation’s long-term workforce needs.

The AAMC Holistic Student Support (HSS) Working Group was launched in 2022 in response to increasing awareness across the academic medicine community that siloed approaches to student support often fail to meet the needs of learners. The working group was convened to bring together institutional leaders, educators, student affairs professionals, and learners to co-create a vision and framework for integrated, student-centered support across the medical education continuum. By helping institutions operationalize more integrated, student-centered approaches, the HSS promotes learner resilience and a stronger future physician workforce. 

Effective April 1, 2022, the AAMC and the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC) merged to unify their memberships and programs under the AAMC. The merger strengthened the collective voice of academic medicine, enhanced collaboration across health professions, and expanded system-level impact. AAHCI (Alliance of Academic Health Centers International) became a wholly owned AAMC subsidiary, extending global reach to 60-plus international centers. The AAMC also acquired the AAHC’s Sullivan Alliance to advance representation in the nation’s health workforce.

The AAMC launched the Council of Academic Health System Executives (CAHSE) to reflect the evolution of academic health systems from traditional teaching hospitals to integrated, multi-hospital, outpatient, and community-based networks. This change ensures that the AAMC continues to support leaders across complex health care systems.

The AAMC intensified its role as a leading advocate for medical research amid significant policy challenges. The association secured a permanent nationwide injunction blocking unlawful NIH grant terminations and cuts to indirect cost rates and filed amicus briefs opposing abrupt funding actions. The AAMC also engaged Congress to promote stable NIH funding and modernized research regulations, released data-driven reports on funding declines and impact, and elevated the value of research through public statements, media engagement, and patient-centered storytelling. 

The AAMC announced a major evolution of its affinity groups to be even more collaborative, easier to navigate, and better aligned with the priorities of our constituents and the broader academic medicine community. Beginning in July 2026, the association will transition to a new set of 11 affinity groups that will provide a fresh approach and bring together broader groups to address challenges and opportunities facing academic medicine. This update preserves the community and traditions built over decades while creating a modern foundation for connection, leadership development, and shared learning across the continuum of medical education, medical research, clinical care, and community collaboration.

Amid national discourse on the role of nutrition in preventing, managing, and treating chronic disease, the AAMC reaffirmed its commitment to supporting medical schools in integrating targeted and longitudinal nutrition training throughout the continuum. Building on a decade of engagement, the AAMC called on medical school leaders to evaluate institutional practices and identify opportunities to further integrate nutrition within their curricula, providing data and resources to support these efforts. The AAMC also collaborated on convenings alongside partners like the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative and Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, expanding national efforts to identify strategies for competency-based education in nutrition.

Coinciding with the journal’s 100th anniversary, Academic Medicine instituted several changes to support modernization and reinforce its position as a leading forum for scholarly exchange. The journal began a publishing partnership with Oxford University Press, aligning with its mission of advancing excellence in research, scholarship, and education and presenting opportunities to strengthen its international presence. Additionally, the journal undertook efforts to better serve readers, authors, and reviewers, including targeted improvements to the author experience and shifting to online-only publication, expanding access to vital research.

The AAMC marks its 150th anniversary, celebrating a century and a half of advancing academic medicine through leadership in medical education, clinical care, biomedical research, and community collaborations to improve the health of people everywhere.