The AMSA Foundation Challenges Student Leaders to Take A Closer Look at Rural Health

During its history, AMSA’s Foundation has developed a renowned reputation for designing and conducting quality and innovative programming. It has managed over $50 million of grant and contract funds.

Today, following the interest of students and establishing new trends in medical education, the AMSA Foundation continues its work on health professional development through new programs, many related to primary care and community health.

A recent program of the AMSA Foundation, the Rural Health Scholar’s Program, was held in 2008 at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

In addition to providing a rich interdisciplinary training experience for 25 medical, dental, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant students, student leaders gained an increased ability to not only educate their classmates about rural health principles but also gained a deeper understanding about the importance of being primary care, rural health practitioners themselves.

During the week-long program, student participants attended a wide array of programming that addressed a number of different issues immediate to the central theme of The Rural Health Challenge: Unique Needs and Opportunities with additional sessions that centered on issues related to advocacy/health policy, leadership skills, interdisciplinary work, and mentoring.  The program included sessions on rural mental health, at-risk populations in rural health, rural health delivery system issues, and a rural health provider panel.  Participants spent one morning at a local farm learning about agricultural emergencies and traumas and spent one whole day visiting migrant farm camps and touring Kalona, IA in order to learn more about the different populations that live within rural Iowa and their health care needs.

This student-initiated program was sponsored by the AMSA Foundation and supported by the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, the University of Iowa Office of the Provost, and the National Association of Community Health Centers. 

End of Life Fellowship

The End of Life Education Fellowship Program is a six-week summer experience designed to introduce up to twelve medical students to end of life care issues. The program combines an orientation to end of life care with weekly seminars by an educational partner and field placements at local hospices, nursing homes and inpatient hospice units. Students learn to be part of interdisciplinary hospice teams. Students research and develop end of life curricula to implement at their medical schools and to be shared with medical schools across the nation.

Find out more about the EOL program and how to apply.