Wayne State University School of Medicine medical students traveled to Atlanta last month to share their collective voices with the Interim Meetings of the American Medical Association's Medical Student Section Nov. 12-14 and House of Delegates Nov. 14-17.
The House of Delegates is the principal legislative and policy-making body of the AMA, composed of elected representatives and others. The democratic forum represents the views and interests of a diverse group of member physicians who meet twice a year to establish broad policy on health, medical, professionals and governance matters. The House includes more than 500 voting delegates and an equal number of alternate delegates, all members of the AMA who have been selected by the organizations they represent. The WSU students and alumni who attended represented the Michigan State Medical Society.
The Michigan Delegation allows students and residents to run for delegate positions. Second-year medical student Brenton Kinker was elected to represent the state at a meeting of the MSMS.
"You get to vote and have a voice in establishing policy," Kinker said. "This is an amazing thing students can do, and an amazing opportunity for students to network and see some of the biggest movers and shakers around."
In Atlanta, he was joined in voting by first-year medical student Katelyn Dobesh, who was quickly credentialed to vote with the Michigan Delegation after the meeting continued longer than planned, forcing a voting physician to leave the conference early due to schedule conflicts. Both students hold law degrees.
"Along with my other delegates, we voted on a number of controversial issues, such as the AMA's stance on defunding reproductive health centers - the AMA stands firmly against this - and the ability of drug manufacturers to market directly to consumers - the AMA stands against this as well," Kinker said.
Dobesh, a first-year medical student, became one of the youngest members to vote with the Michigan Delegation, confirmed MSMS Senior Director of Federation Relations David Fox.
"Many physicians serve as alternate delegates for their state societies for years before becoming a full delegate and voting on the House of Delegates floor. Wayne State should be honored to have such a student," Kinker added.
A substantial delegation from the School of Medicine attended the AMA's Medical Student Section meeting, including School of Medicine chapter President Preeya Prakash, Vice President Sasha Stine, Treasurer Henry Kwon, Secretary Jay Jarodiya, AMA-MSS Representative Blake Sanford, M1 Liaisons Dobesh, Eric Walton and Diane Wang, and Region 5 MSS President Jay Llaniguez. Kinker also voted as a representative of WSU for the student delegation.
The student group advocated for access to mental health care for medical students and access to state benefits for people with substance use disorders.
A poster presentation competition was also held at the meeting, and Kinker and School of Medicine Class of 2015 alumna Sarah Gorgis, M.D., now a first-year Internal Medicine resident with Henry Ford Health System, shared "Contiguous Spread of Haemophilus Influenzae Meningitis in an Adult," which dealt with a case of meningitis from a non-typable strain of H. influenza in a female patient with a thin cribriform plate in the nasal cavities and empty sella, a condition in which the pituitary gland shrinks or becomes flattened.