USA Medical Students Attend AMSA Leadership Conference

USA medical students, from left: William Harvey, Bliss Cook, Blake Tennant and Sean Carter

Several members of the University of South Alabama American Medical Student Association (AMSA) recently attended the organization's fall leadership conference - also known as the AMSA Training Ground - at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C.

"We attended the conference to learn more and to make connections with other AMSA chapters to get ideas on how to grow our chapter and make it stronger," said Bliss Cook, treasurer of USA’s AMSA chapter and a second-year medical student at USA.

The conference was focused on encouraging student advocacy in public and global health with lectures on gender inequalities in health care, effective volunteerism in underserved areas, and the importance of research in global health initiatives.

"The speakers helped us realize the interconnectedness of health care throughout the world’s population and what we can do as students to improve the delivery and outcome of the global health system,” said Blake Tennant, president of USA’s AMSA chapter and a second-year medical student at USA. “We learned that in order to spark national or even international change in health practices, we must first start with effective advocacy at the local or community level,” he said.

One of the big things the students took away from the conference was the importance of taking action - no matter how big or small that action may be. “You have to start somewhere,” said Cook. “If you have a goal or a desire to bring about change in something, then make a plan and stick to that plan.”

The AMSA Conference is an intensive weekend conference designed to help students acquire, practice, and hone the knowledge and skills necessary for student-led action.