Steering Committee Demo

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American Federation for Aging Research

The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is pleased to announce that the application for the 2010 Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Program is now available!

The MSTAR Program provides medical students, early in their training, with an enriching experience in aging-related research and geriatrics, under the mentorship of top experts in the field. Students participate in an eight- to twelve-week structured research, clinical, and didactic program in geriatrics, appropriate to their level of training and interests. Students may train at a National Training Center supported by the National Institute on Aging or, for a limited number of medical schools, at their own institution.

The deadline for application is February 5, 2010. For more information and to view the application, please visit the AFAR website at www.afar.org/medstu.html.

American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR)
55 West 39th Street, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10018
tel: (212) 703-9977
fax: (212) 997-0330
e-mail: grants@afar.org
www.afar.org
www.infoaging.org

Medical Student Senior Elective in HIV Psychiatry

The American Psychiatric Association established this program in 2004, to provide an opportunity for 4^th

year minority medical students to participate in a one-month clinical or research elective in HIV psychiatry.

With improvements in HIV drug therapy, there is a burgeoning demand to treat the mental health needs of those living longer with the disease. People with HIV have a higher incidence of mental health problems than the general population and, conversely, people with serious mental illness are more at risk for contracting HIV. HIV attacks the brain, causing inflammation and tissue deterioration. Infection of the brain also can lead to clinical depression, mild or moderate thinking problems, and trouble with memory and focus. Unfortunately, the mental health needs of people living with HIV/AIDS are too often overlooked.

Undoubtedly, future physicians need to develop a working knowledge of HIV-related psychiatric and neuropsychiatric issues. The purpose of the Medical Student Elective in HIV Psychiatry is to foster the participation of medical students (particularly from racial and ethnic minorities) in HIV-related care and research and provide them with a means of obtaining essential HIV-related mental health training through an integrated approach to patient care.

Description of the Project

The Senior Elective in HIV Psychiatry begins with an intensive two-day training in Washington, DC. Topics range from neuropsychiatric complications of HIV, somatic complaints, and mood disorders to special patient populations including people with substance use disorders and/or those suffering from severe mental illnesses. Training modalities include a combination of lectures, role playing, case vignettes, and first-person accounts through interviews with HIV positive people. Students then travel to training sites for their clinical or research experience for the month of September.

To date, forty-five students have completed the full month-long elective. Sites have included: Cambridge Health Alliance/Zinberg Clinic; The New York Presbyterian Hospital at Columbia University; The New York-Presbyterian Hospital Cornell University Center for Special Studies (CSS); Emory University/Grady Infectious Disease Program; Howard University; University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; University of Cincinnati; University of Miami and the University of South Florida (for a research elective in HIV Neuroimmunology in Psychiatry.)

The application deadline is March 31, 2010 with selections to be announced in late April.

Applications are posted online at: http://psych.org/Resources/OfficeofHIVPsychiatry/HIVRelatedprofessionaleducation/MinorityMedicalStudentElectiveinHIVPsychiatry.aspx

Additional information can be obtained from Diane Pennessi by phone at (703) 907-8668 or e-mail to dpennessi@psych.org. ▪

Call for more residency slots!

I need your IMMEDIATE help TODAY in contacting your U.S. Senators to let them know you support the addition of new Medicare supported residency (GME) positions as part of health care reform to ensure that we have enough physicians and that medical students continue to have adequate residency opportunities.

Specifically, Senate amendment SA 2909 would add up to 15,000 new training slots. It is sponsored by a group of Democratic Senators including the Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

Since 1997, when Congress froze (“capped”) Medicare’s support for GME training, the nation’s medical schools and teaching hospitals have worked hard to ease those restrictions. This is the closest we have been in a dozen years to actually doing so.

We have been informed that the Senate intends to include some GME cap relief in their health care reform package. This effort is strongly supported by the American College of Physicians, the American College of Surgeons, the AMA, AOA, and several other national physician groups (see attached letter).

However, we are extremely concerned that the amendment is strongly opposed by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the Council of Academic Family Medicine (CAFM). While the Senate amendment does establish explicitly preferences for primary care and general surgery training programs (see summary below), the family medicine groups strongly oppose SA 2909 because it does not restrict residency support to primary care and it does not penalize institutions or physicians for subspecialization.

The AAMC has great respect for the key role played by each and every specialty, including family medicine, and our President, Dr. Darrell Kirch, has repeatedly highlighted the need to devote greater energy to all the dimensions of the primary care crisis. That being said, our community can ill afford having a single specialty view itself as exercising a veto card.

This fragmentation of physician voices has been a problem throughout the health care debate, and now appears to threaten something we need desperately to avert looming physician access problems.

We believe that the AAMC-supported GME language is a critical step toward increasing training positions as medical school enrollment grows and the nation faces a physician shortage. This is an historic opportunity—we are unlikely to see such strong Congressional support for expanding GME support in the future.

Please call your U.S. Senators IMMEDIATELY by contacting the Capitol Hill Switchboard at (202) 224-3121; they will forward you to the appropriate Senate offices. You will also find contact information on the Senate.Gov website at: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state&Sort=ASC ).

Please tell your Senators that "I am a medical student from (Your State) and I strongly support the inclusion of SA 2909 in health care reform legislation--without it, we will face greater physician shortages than already expected."

Thanks for your urgent attention to this matter and feel free to contact me or any of my colleagues with questions. I hope that you will urge other medical students and colleagues to act as well.

Health Policy Update

It has been another busy couple of weeks for health care policy legislation as health care reform continues to be quite fluid. Here we present you with a few of the highlights that have been happening on The Hill

I. Senate Defeats Antiabortion Amendment
II. Health Care Reform looking to alter Public Option and expand Medicare
III. House approves Appropriations Package, including Global Health Programs and Food Security
IV. Senators at Odds over Drug Importation Amendment
V. Nearly $600 million being directed to community health centers and medical record conversion
VI. Recommended Reading

I. Senate Defeats Antiabortion Amendment
H.R 3962 The Senate voted 54-45 to repeal an amendment that was intended to strengthen restrictions for federal funding of abortion. Under the current bill, an insurer is not allowed to use any federal money to pay for an abortion. However, subscribers to insurance plans may themselves purchase additional coverage for the procedure or pay for the procedure out of pocket. The amendment proposed by Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) stated that no federal money could be "used to pay for any abortion or to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of abortion," except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the woman.
Senate majority leader and driving force behind government based health care reform, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), himself pro-life, commented that this bill is not intended to resolve the abortion debate, but "If we still truly value life in America — and I believe we do — if we still truly value the life of every American, we cannot turn our backs on the 14,000 of us who lose health coverage every single day of every single week of every month of every year in this country."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173543.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/us/09health.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1260367207-Znb+jFilGZhHYKrHxcuK9Q
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121229936

II. Health Care Reform looking to alter Public Option and expand Medicare
In an effort to gain more ubiquitous support, Senate Democrats are pushing proposals that would alter the public option plan by creating several national insurance policies administered by private companies but negotiated by the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees health policies for federal workers. If private firms were unable to deliver acceptable national policies, a government plan would be created. Within the Democratic party, there has been active debate as to whether a bill with a public option 'trigger' rather than a definitive government run plan represents sufficient reform.
Additionally, part of the above proposal would allow persons aged 55-64 to buy into Medicare. The buy in would have higher premiums than that for persons aged 65 and above. Proponents believe that lowering the age of Medicare is justified and could help defray some of the costs with healthier, younger persons buying into the government plan. Opponents believe the Medicare system is broken and payment is so minimal that lowering the Medicare age would hurt hospitals, doctors, and the health economy as a whole. It has also been pointed out that persons that buy into the Medicare system will likely be heavy users leading to increase cost.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/08/AR2009120804388_2.html?sid=ST2009120900068
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2009/December/09/medicare-expansion-public-option-health-bill.aspx
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/health/policy/12health.html?ref=politics
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/health/policy/11insure.html

Upon mailing of this legislative update, it appears that the above sections of health care reform are quickly shifting with Senate Democrats looking to scrap the reduction in Medicare age and coming to another impasse at the public option. Additionally, the debate over how abortion will be handled in a national health care plan will continue to influence voting both from both sides of the aisle.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/14/health.care/index.html

III. House approves Appropriations Package, including Global Health Programs and Food Security
The House approved, 221-202, a nearly $450 billion spending package including six of the seven annual appropriations bills Congress has yet to enact. The $48.7 billion State and Foreign Operations bill was included in this package. This bill provides nearly $5.7 billion for international HIV/AIDS programs, $2.4 billion towards "USAID Global Health and Child Survival Programs," $315 million to improve access to safe drinking water, and a variety of other humanitarian endeavors.
The appropriations package was opposed by all Republicans and 28 Democrats chiefly because the bill would increase foreign aid and funding for the State Department by approximately 33 percent. The bill will next move to the Senate for approval.
http://globalhealth.kff.org/Daily-Reports/2009/December/11/GH-121109-Foreign-Ops.aspx
http://globalhealth.kff.org/Daily-Reports/2009/December/10/GH-121009-Foreign-Ops.aspx

IV. Senators at Odds over Drug Importation Amendment
Voting on an amendment that would allow Americans to buy cheaper drugs from Canada and certain other countries has been delayed by a variety of Democrat and Republican leaders. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill could save the federal government $19.4 billion over the next decade by allowing the purchase of cheaper medications.
Some parties have stated concern that the amendment is not being voted on because it threatens to break an $80 billion deal between the White House and the pharmaceutical industry that was crafted in an effort to involve all groups in health care reform. However, opposition contends that drugs imported will be unsafe and not meet standards set by the FDA. Senator Dorgan (D-ND), who proposed the amendment, has stated that the "amendment includes strong safeguards to prohibit drug counterfeiting and other practices that would put the consumer at risk. It applies only to F.D.A.-approved prescription drugs produced in F.D.A.-approved plants from countries with comparable safety standards.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/health/policy/11health.html?_r=1&ref=politics
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30505.html

V. Nearly $600 million being directed to community health centers and medical record conversion
President Barack Obama pledged $509 million to repair, rebuild, and update community health centers nationwide and $88 million to health care facilities to "transfer old paper files to electronic medical records" and to upgrade technologies. The funding for these projects will come from the $787 billion stimulus package that was approved earlier in the year. Many of the details are still being hammered-out.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/09/AR2009120900774.html

VI. Recommended Reading
Can't get enough legislative affairs? Try these recommended articles covering health care reform and what it means to our medical profession and health care system:
Atul Gawande elegantly discusses how governmental involvement in the health care system can potentially curtail cost and increase efficiency
Jonathan Gruber attempts to set the record straight on health care reform
Health care lessons from Europe and the pitfalls to which America must take caution
Opinion piece on health care reform and illegal immigrants


As always, if you have any questions about these or any other legislative issues please contact your regional Legislative Affairs Representative. We are happy to hear from you!

Nathan Copeland, Southern Region

nathan.copeland@gmail.com

Amanda Mure, Central Region
amanda.mure@utoledo.edu

Ryan Padrez, Western Region
ryan.padrez@ucsf.edu

Matt Reilley, Northeast Region
reimat@gmail.com

Thure Caire, National Delegate
mcaire@health.usf.edu

Summer in Guatemala and Reproductive Health

Some of you might be interested in volunteering this summer in Guatemala. A medical student here has a long-term involvement with a site in the highlands of Guatemala not far from the city of Quetzaltenango (Xela) with a health educator and lay health promoter in several Mayan villages. Some of the projects involve promoting screening for cervical cancer and educating young women about sexual health.

There are opportunities to be involved over the coming summer. The internship is unpaid, but previous students have been able to live quite cheaply, either paying room and board to a host family or renting a room. The price of roundtrip airfare to Guatemala City depends upon how far ahead of time the tickets are purchased. Local travel is inexpensive.

There may be medical students from here and from the University of Colorado participating.
The ability to speak and understand Spanish fairly well is a requirement. A student should be self-directed and mature
An informational meeting will take place this coming week:

MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 at 12:00 PM
in CARREL G on the 6th Floor of the HSEB.

If you are unable to attend, you may want to contact the organizer, Lauren Pomerantz, through the Downstate email system.
I've worked in this area before and know Lauren well.
For the right person, this opportunity could be a terrific experience.

NIH funded Diabetes Research Center

The NIH-funded Diabetes Research Centers invite applications for the Medical Student
Research Program in Diabetes for the summer of 2010. This program is sponsored by the
National Institutes of Health through the NIDDK and allows medical students to conduct
research under the direction of an established scientist in the areas of diabetes, hormone
action, physiology, islet cell biology, clinical investigation or obesity at an institution with one of
16 NIDDK-funded Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Centers (DERC) or Diabetes
Research and Training Centers (DRTC) during the summer between the first and second year
or second and third year of medical school. Prior research experience is not required. The
program provides a stipend.

We ask that you distribute this information to your first-year and second-year medical students.
Please also include the enclosed program announcement in your school's file or notebook of
summer opportunities. This program announcement is suitable for reproduction and/or posting.

The application deadline is January 25, 2010.

Please see our website for more information about the program and for an application.

http://medicalstudentdiabetesreseach.org/

Senate Bill

In the past few weeks, we have had some exciting progress towards national health system reform. Below is a summary of some of the major legislative developments.

Senate Opens Debate on Health Care Bill

Last week, the Senate voted by a narrow margin 60-39 to open debate on the health care bill introduced by Senate Major Leader Senator Reid [D-NV]. The voting was generally along party lines, with all Republican Senators voting against opening debate on the bill. Senate Democrats have stated that they are willing and expect for the bill to change before it is brought to vote. Indeed, some moderate and conservative Democrats have stated that they will not vote for the bill in its current form - in particular because of the inclusion of a public option. On Monday, discussion began on the bill, which Reid hopes will be finished by Christmas. Senate Democrats have expressed concerns that with such a narrow margin of support for opening debate on the health care bill, it will be very challenging to pass the bill prior to the Christmas holiday.

There are numerous resources available to help elucidate the details and differences between the Senate and House bills. Here are a few good ones to help you get up to speed on HSR:

• http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/19/us/politics/1119-plan-comparison.html?ref=politics (NYTimes plan comparison)
  
• http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm (Kaiser Family Foundation comparison of all the plans on the table)
  
• http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091130/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_care_overhaul (AP/Yahoo news on Senate HSR debate)

House Passes Sustainable Growth Rate Formula Repeal

On November 19th, the House passed HB 3961, which repeals the current Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and replaces it with a Medicare economic index (MEI) update annually. The CBO estimates that H.B. 3961 would increase federal spending on a net basis by $210 billion and therefore it is widely criticized by fiscal conservatives. The bill now heads to the Senate for debate and amendment. If the SGR is not repealed or at least deferred (as it has been in prior years) before the end of the year, medicare physician payments will receive a 21.2% cut on January 1st, 2010.

As always, if you have any questions about these or any other legislative issues please contact your regional Legislative Affairs Representative. We are happy to hear from you!

Nathan Copeland, Southern Region

nathan.copeland@gmail.com

Amanda Mure, Central Region
amanda.mure@utoledo.edu

Ryan Padrez, Western Region
ryan.padrez@ucsf.edu

Matt Reilley, Northeast Region
reimat@gmail.com

Thure Caire, National Delegate
mcaire@health.usf.edu

Doctors for America

Join Doctors for America http://www.drsforamerica.org/

• "a grassroots group that works to convey the ideas and experiences of physicians and medical students to achieve healthcare reform. Doctors for America supports reform that will make coverage more affordable, expand access to care, increase quality of care, and support practice environments that allow physicians to focus on patient care."
• Browse the website for good synopses & videos about various aspects of health reform. For instance, here's a very readable description of all the "issues and solutions in health reform so that you can be an informed advocate for the reform that you and your patients need." http://www.drsforamerica.org/learnmore.php

Eye Website from orbit lecture

http://cim.ucdavis.edu/EyeRelease/Interface/TopFrame.htm

Medical Student Debt

Medical student debt continues to be a hot topic. So what can you do? First, educate yourself on the subject by taking a look at these five key updates from the Committee on Student Financial Aid (COSFA) for November 2009. You can click on key words below to take you to sites with more information!:

1. FIRST - Financial Information , Resources, Services, and Tools - COSFA continues work with the FIRST team to update financial information geared towards medical students and applicants. Visit FIRST, check out FIRST Facts, become a fan of FIRST on Facebook, and link to the FIRST podcast. M.D. Economics presents "Dr. Median" and common repayment strategies encountered during residency.
2. Upcoming FIRST Tools - As requested by OSR, loan calculators that crunch numbers regarding repayment from data in the loan worksheet are now included under FIRST tools. Development continues on a student loan worksheet application that will store user-generated information about student loans and be used beginning the first day of medical school. Look for a beta version in 2010.
3. Medical Student Debt Facts - The Debt Fact Card contains updated stats on medical student debt, revealing that on average medical students graduate from medical school with $160,000 of debt.
4. New FIRST Fact Sheets - COSFA continues the campaign to increase financial information available to students, with several FIRST Fact sheets in the development pipeline. Recent additions include Loan Forgiveness for Public Service, Income Based Repayment, Cost of Applying to Residency, and Choosing a Specialty. Have other ideas? Let me know.
5. Loan Repayment/Forgiveness Programs - Medical students have numerous options to alleviate loan debt with 100+ programs at the federal and state level. Check out the online listings, and federal programs at the NIH, NHSC, HRSA, and Military for more information.

Online updates from the AAMC national meeting for COSFA, and other GSA Committees, are now online. Should you have questions or ideas about financial assistance issues and the OSR, please feel free to contact me as the liaison to the GSA Committee on Student Financial Assistance.

Great Videos for Anatomy

University of Wisconson Videos to watch before lab:

http://www.anatomy.wisc.edu/courses/gross

Please also check out academic development videos to review afterwards

Great Cranial Nerve site

Here is something given by a classmate. Great site to learn types of fibers involved in cranial nerves. Good luck!

http://wiki.cns.org/wiki/index.php/Cranial_nerves

Community Service Opportunities at Downstate

The objective of Downstate's Community Service Project; is to form a partnership with community-based agencies servicing marginalized and groups in underserved communities who would benefit from health presentations and workshops providing currently and timely information. The community services that students and faculty provide through health workshops, presentations, and other volunteer opportunities are a stabilizing element that helps improve the mental, physical and spiritual health of the communities served by SUNY Downstate Medical Center. Downstate's CSP currently works with over fifty community-based organizations, focusing on churches, civic groups, social service agencies, environmental groups, and schools, introducing students, faculty and employees to diverse populations, by drawing connections between community service and the classroom experiences.

The Community Service Program gives highly motivated students an opportunity to work with community-based organizations, churches, civic groups, social service agencies, environmental groups and schools. CSP gives students an opportunity to work with members of the Brooklyn community, helping them better understand the health issues which affect their community.

We actively plan and develop projects addressing community identified needs, enabling students to integrate their skills, knowledge, and interests effectively. And finally, CSP is involved in projects that will increase the student’s awareness of community residents and their lives, through social action projects designed to support and enhance the strength of Brooklyn communities.

Through service initiated programs, students are given an opportunity to interact with the community on a first hand basis, while gaining valuable insight into Brooklyn’s cultural diversity, and issues that impact the lives of its residents.

CSP makes every effort to tailor volunteer projects, health presentation and workshops, to meet both the student’s interest and the community’s need.

Currently, CSP develops programs, workshops and presentations focusing on smoking cessation, HIV/AIDS awareness, nutrition, healthy eating, diabetes awareness, women’s health issues, violence prevention, prostate cancer, stress management, substance abuse, personal development, health screenings, and career exploration tours and programs for middle and high school-age students. In addition, the CSP takes part in planning and facilitating drives (health, clothing, and food) and fund-raising activities that enable community-based agencies to appropriate resources to critical service areas, while providing concrete services to the under-serviced of this borough and the city.

(1) The Community Service Program is a partnership of Downstate students and faculty, actively reaching out to community-based agencies to address health needs through on-going and short-term educational service projects and presentations.

(2) Medical students are enthusiastic teachers and ambassadors for social good and positive cultural exchange.

(3) CSP gives students an opportunity to work with members of the underserved and marginalized communities and better understand the health issues that impact those communities. Students are involved in projects that enable them to integrate and develop their skills and interest effectively.

(4) CSP strives to make a difference in the lives of Brooklyn residents, through social action projects that support and enhance the strengths of communities. Under the guidance of faculty advisors, students work with a variety of community-based organizations, churches, civic groups, social service agencies and schools.

(5) Since its inception the CSP has linked hundreds of Downstate students from the College of Medicine, College of Nursing, and College of Health Related Professions with Community organizations throughout Central Brooklyn.

(6) Incorporated as part of Dr. LaRosa’s strategic part, CSP objective is to expand Downstate’s community involvement and response to community-identified health information requests and needs.

(7) CSP has active partnership with over fifty community-based agencies.

(8) CSP mission:

*provide health services and information to hard to reach populations.

*give practical experiences beyond the classroom.

*familiarize students and faculty with local agencies, how services are delivered and the service environments.

*facilitate community and student/faculty projects.

*promote students as role models for community youth.

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM SITES

URBAN STRATEGIES, INC

LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES, INC

BLACK VETERANS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

YMCA (FLATBUSH AND BEDFORD-STUYVESANT BRANCHES)

GIRLS FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN SPORTS

MIDDLE SCHOOL #2

HIGH SCHOOL FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

PIPELINE ACCESS TO HEALTH CAREERS

H-PREP

CONSORTIUM FOR HAITIAN EMPOWERMENT

KITCHEN FOR HIRE (DIABETES PROGRAM)

CHURCH WOMEN UNITED

BROOKLYN CONGREGATIONS TOGETHER

CHURCH AVENUE BLOCK AND MERCHANT ASSOCIATION

PS 235

LENOX ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH

COUNCIL FOR ALL PEOPLES ORGANIZATION

CLARA BARTON HIGH SCHOOL

BROOKLYN PERINATAL NETWORK

BEDFORD ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL

CENTER FOR NURSING AND REHABILITATION

EAST NEW YORK URBAN YOUTH CORPS.

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION

BOND STREET DROP-IN CENTER

NYC MEALS ON WHEELS

BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY

COALITION OF CONCERNED MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

CHINESE AMERICAN PLANNING COUNCIL

BIG BROTHERS AND BIG SISTERS OF NYC/EAST NEW YORK

BROOKLYN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

DOWNSTATE CHILDLIFE CENTER

DOWNSTATE OFFICE OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

COMMUNITY BOARD #17

FIRST QUINCY STREET GREEN THUMB GARDEN

If you are interested please contact Mr. Harrell at Michael.Harrell@downstate.edu

Health Care Reform

House Passes Health Care Reform:

The House of Representatives Nov. 7 passed (220-215) its version of health care reform, the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962). The House version of the bill will extend insurance coverage to approximately 96% of Americans by 2013, restructure private insurance, and add incentives to primary care. It would not eliminate the scheduled 21.2% reduction in Medicare’s physician fees, nor would it allow coverage of abortion except in cases of rape or incest by any plan, public or private, which is purchased with the help of federal subsidies.

In the Senate, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and Finance committees have been working to merge their respective health care reform bills. Senate Republicans are expected to uniformly oppose whatever version of the Health Care Reform bill is brought forward. Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut has indicated he will participate in filibustering any reform bill which includes a public option. Democrats have suggested the reform bill may pass by the end of the year.

House to Vote on Sustainable Growth Rate Formula Repeal

H.R. 3961, the “Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009,” is currently scheduled to be voted on by the House of Representatives next week. This legislation would permanently repeal the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula that calls for annual cuts in Medicare physician payments.

The many physician advocacy groups have been critical of the SGR formula and support the passage of H.R. 3961. In a press release, American Medical Association President Dr. Rohack, said “We must pass H.R. 3961 as an essential element of health reform and to fulfill Congress’ obligations to current and future Medicare patients.” Under the SGR formula, Medicare payments to physicians would fall 21.5% in 2010 and approximately 40% in the next five years. Opponents of H.R. 3961 argue that repealing the SGR may cost the Federal government $210 billion.If you have any questions about these or any other legislative issues, please contact your regional Legislative Affairs Representative. We would be happy to hear from you!

Some Great Websites for learning Anatomy

Here is a compiled list of great sites passed on by fellow classmates and upper years. Please feel free to add to this list.

To study the foramen of the skull
http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://musom.marshall.edu/anatomy/grosshom/z_foramina.html

Anatomy and Radiology
http://web.mac.com/rlivingston/RAAViewer/

To prepare for lab: "Human Anatomy Dissector"- http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/index.htm

Histology:
http://www.downstate.edu/histology_lab_manual/

Muscle Atlas
http://www.rad.washington.edu/academics/academic-sections/msk/muscle-atlas

Musculoskeletal Radiology
http://www.rad.washington.edu/academics/academic-sections/msk/teaching-materials/radiology-anatomy-teaching-modules

Old Practice Questions:
http://francoverde.com

Howard Huges Medical Institute and Foundation Fighting Blindness

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) are pleased to announce a partnership to fund medical students doing research in ophthalmology, particularly those investigating inherited retinal degenerative diseases. We would appreciate your publicizing the new initiative to your faculty members and medical students as quickly as possible. The deadline for applications is January 11, 2010.

FFB will fund up to four research fellowships for medical students through the HHMI Research Training Fellowships for Medical Students Program. The purpose of the initiative is to foster the development of physician-scientists conducting research in inherited retinal disorders. The year-long fellowships will begin in the summer of 2010 and students may apply during any year of medical school. Applicants in the last year of medical school must defer graduation until completion of the fellowship.

The HHMI Research Training Fellowships for Medical Students Program (Medical Fellows Program) enables medical, dental, and veterinary students from U.S. schools to spend a year conducting basic, translational, or applied biomedical research at any school or nonprofit research institution in the United States, except at the NIH in Bethesda, MD. For the 2010-2011 program year, Fellows will receive a stipend of $27,000, a fellow’s allowance of $5,500 that may be used for health care and other expenses, and a $5,500 research allowance.

The application deadline is January 11, 2010. For further information, visit: www.hhmi.org/medfellowships

Doctors without borders paid internships

Some of you may be interested in applying for a paid internship at the NY office of Doctors Without Borders. In addition, their office does accept unpaid volunteers, too; and that opportunity may be more flexible in terms of scheduling.

For more information, please review the website thoroughly and speak with your faculty advisor before applying.
http://doctorswithoutborders.org/work/office/internshipshttp://doctorswithoutborders.org/work/office/volunteer.cfm?ref=main-menu

International summer program for minority medical students

The Summer Program
The Mount Sinai International Exchange Program for
Minority Students invites current undergraduate, master
and doctoral degree students or recent graduates to
participate in an exciting and unique international
exchange program.
Interns will work on research projects under the
guidance of prominent international scientists in one of six
countries in Latin America, Europe, or Africa.

For more information see: http://www.mssm.edu/cpm/education/iep_minority/

Reserach Traiing fellowships program

HHMI Research training Fellowships Program:

Application deadline: jan 11

Research at academic or non-profit organization

Further information:

Website: www.hhmi.org/medfellowships
email: medfellows@hhmi.org

Research Scholars Program

HHMI-NIH Research Scholars Program

Research conducted at NIH one year full time reseach

Application Deadline Jan 10
website: www.hhmi.org/cloister
wmail: research_scholars@hhmi.org

Summer Program in Biomedical research

Clinical research Traiing at the National Institutes fo Health:

Please check out http://www.training.nih.gov/student/sip/

Department of health and human services
National Institutes of Health
NIH Clinical Center

Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Reaseach Training Fellowships for Medical Students

Program Benefits:
-Conduct a year of research in an academci or nonprofit insititution in the United States of Abroad
-Select your basic, translation, or applied research project form a variety of research fields
-Travel to Washington D.C. are twice during the year to share your to share our reasearch and network.

Financial support:
Annual stipend of $27,000
Research allowance of $5,500 for computer and related expericences
Fellow's allowance of $5,500.

Timeline:
Applications due Jan 11
-Program year starts in the summer

For further information and to access the online application, visit www.hhmi.org/med/sp2

If you have any questions please email:
medfellows@hhmi.org or call 1-800-424-9924

Spirituality in Health

There is a Spirituality in health Care Summer Institute sponsored by the George Washington University Medical Center. It runs from July 12-16, 2010.

For more information please see www.GWish.org to download an application form.

For additional information, contact Jan Bull at caring@GWish.org or (202) 994-6220

International Rotation Opportunities

Hey guys,

We listened to an amazing speaker who is currently working on building the healthcare system in Afghanistan.

He is an amazing contact to have if you are interested in international rotations. Here is his contact information:

C. James Holliman
Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine
Program Manager, Afghanistan Medical Reachback Project
Professor of Military and Emergency Medicine, USUHS
email: jholliman@cdham.org

If you are interested in doing a emergency medicine rotation abroad please check out www.acep.org

Good luck!

Longitudinal Care Program/ Research

In September 2009, the OSR-Med Ed team surveyed OSR reps about longitudinal care programs available at their respective institutions. For thissurvey, longitudinal care programs involved “students following a family, patient, provider, or clinical site over time.” The results from the 33schools that responded are summarized below, with descriptions of programs and school-by-school responses listed on the following pages.Further information and contact information can be found at: http://aamc.org/members/osr/reports/mededucation.htm .

Literature in Medicine Conference

Examined Life: Writing and the Art of Medicine 2010: Featured Presenters and Call for Presentations

We're very excited to welcome our featured presenters to the 2010 conference at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City. They are Lan Samantha Chang, MFA, fiction writer and director of the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop; Sayantani DasGupta, MD, memoirist and core faculty of the Program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University; and Nick Flynn, MFA, poet.

Please visit the website at http://www.medicine.uiowa.edu/osac/examinedlife/bio.htm to find out more about them.

We've just released the Call for Presentations, available from our website at http://www.medicine.uiowa.edu/osac/examinedlife/. Click on the Call for Presentations tab at the top of the page. We're interested in any presentations that explore the intersections between creative or reflective writing and medicine-to get an idea of the breadth and range of past successful submissions, visit the archive page and the previous years' programs listed there.

The deadline for submissions is Monday, December 7, 2009. Registration will open in January.

Current Legislation

I. Health Reform:
CongressOn October 13, the Senate Finance Committee passed Sen. Max Baucus’ (D-MT) “America’s Healthy Future Act” (S. 1796) on a largely party-line vote of 14-9, with Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine representing the only Republican to vote in favor of the legislation. The leading Senate reform effort weighs in at over 1,500 pages, will cost $829 billion over the next decade and includes the following notable features:
· Increases the number of legal residents with insurance coverage from the current 83 percent to about 94 percent
· Subsidizes the purchase of health insurance for families and individuals with incomes between 133 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level
· Imposes a 40% tax on “Cadillac” employer-sponsored health plans—those costing more than $8,000 annually for individuals and $21,000 for families
· Does not contain a public option provision

While the current rendition of the bill does not contain language calling for a “public option,” Sen. Baucus has not ruled out the possibility of incorporating such a provision into the bill before it is brought to a floor vote.

Last week, Sen. Debbie Ann Stabenow (D-MI) introduced the "Medicare Physicians Fairness Act of 2009" (S. 1776) in order to address Medicare physician reimbursement shortfalls (including a 21% reduction looming this year). Current physician underpayments are attributable to a 1997 amendment that established a complex Medicare payment formulary based on anticipated future growth in costs. Unfortunately, this formulary has not kept pace with doctors’ costs. Senate leadership announced that the bill will eliminate the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) and lay the foundation for establishing a new Medicare physician payment update system through health system reform or other legislation. The bill could reach the Senate floor for a vote as early as this week.

Reform efforts on the House side have been slower. Most recently, house leaders held several meetings with rank-and-file members on key issues that need to be resolved before three separate versions of H.R. 3200, the “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act,” can be merged into a single bill for consideration on the House floor. One of the more contentious issues yet to be resolved pertains to the structure of a government-run plan provision (aka “public option”)– based on either Medicare rates or negotiated rates—and whether or not such a provision should contain a “trigger” clause (if the current reform package fails to achieve cost-saving and coverage goals within a certain time frame, this clause would allow Congress and/or the President to introduce amendments that better achieve those goals). At least one additional meeting of the full Democratic Caucus is expected this week before a merged bill is finalized and sent to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for scoring.

According to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the House floor debate on health reform will begin no earlier than the week of October 26th. Hoyer said that House members would be given 72 hours to review any proposal before it goes to the floor. In keeping with President Obama’s desire to sign reform legislation no later than December 2009, Hoyer also stated that he will do everything possible to ensure that Congress finishes its work by the second week of December.

A side-by-side comparison of the America’s Healthy Future Act and leading House proposals can be found at http://www.kff.org/.

II. Health Reform: Policy Analysis
On October 7, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued its preliminary analysis of the “America’s Healthy Future Act,” as amended by the Senate Finance Committee during its recent markup. CBO estimates that under this bill, the percentage of legal non-elderly residents covered by health insurance would increase from the current 83 percent to about 94 percent by the year 2019. CBO further estimates that the bill’s coverage provisions would cost $829 billion over ten years. This includes $345 billion in increased spending in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), $461 billion for premium subsidies provided through the proposed health insurance exchanges and related spending, and $23 billion for small employer tax credits.

These costs would be offset by increased tax revenues and spending cuts in other areas, resulting in a net reduction in the federal budget deficit of approximately $81 billion over ten years. The bill’s offsets include: $201 billion from the high-cost health plan tax; $117 billion from changes to Medicare Advantage payments; $106 billion from changes to Medicare hospital payments; $23 billion from penalty payments by employers; and $4 billion from penalty payments by individuals.

In stark contrast to the CBO report, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)—the lobbying organization representing private health insurers—released a PricewaterhouseCoopers analysis of America’s Healthy Future Act forecasting significant premium increases resulting from the current Senate proposal. The report predicts private insurance premium increases of 40 percent between 2009 and 2013 and 73 percent between now and 2016 (compared to increases of 26 percent (2009-2013) and 50 percent (2009-2016) if health care spending trends remain unchanged). The report attributes these increases to four provisions within the Senate bill: 1) requirements on carriers to sell coverage coupled with “weak coverage requirements” on consumers along with rating reforms, 2) taxes on so-called “Cadillac” plans, 3) cost-shifting resulting from $400 billion in cuts to Medicare, and 4) taxes on insurance companies, medical device manufacturers and other health care sectors. The report can be found at http://tennessee.watchdog.org/files/2009/10/Health-Insurance-Industry-Report-on-Reform-Bill.pdf.

III: Just for Fun
On October 6, Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) and Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-Ohio) established the Congressional Academic Medicine Caucus in the House of Representatives. The new caucus, a bipartisan group of congressional members dedicated to maintaining and strengthening the nation's medical schools and teaching hospitals, “will strive to educate other members on the unique health care, research, and training missions of teaching hospitals and medical schools."


Please email us with any questions or let us know how we can best serve you. Also, feel free to forward this to your classmates.
--OSR Legislative Affairs Committee
David Friedlander, Southern Regionmailto:Regiondavid.f.friedlander@vanderbilt.edu
Amanda Mure, Central Regionmailto:Regionamanda.mure@utoledo.edu
Ryan Padrez, Western Regionmailto:Regionryan.padrez@ucsf.edu
Matt Reilley, Northeast Regionmailto:Regionreimat@gmail.com
Bryan Harris, National Delegatebryan.d.harris@gmail.com

Fogarty International Research

An exciting clinical research training experience for doctoral-level U.S. students in the health professions,the Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars Program. The FICRS program offers a one-year clinical research training experience toadvanced standing students in U.S. schools of medicine, public health,osteopathy, dentistry, nursing, veterinary medicine, optometry,nutrition and pharmacy.

Now entering its 7th year, FICRS is an opportunity for highly motivated individuals to experience mentored research training at top-ranked NIH-funded research centers in developing countries throughout Africa,Asia, South America, and the Caribbean.

FICRS is sponsored by the NIH's Fogarty International Center (FIC) inpartnership with 15 NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices. FICRS isadministered by the FICRS-F Support Center at Vanderbilt University, theAssociation of American Medical Colleges, and the Association of Schoolsof Public Health.

contact Fogarty directly scholars@fogartyscholars.org

The deadline to apply for the program is December 3, 2009.
To learn more and to obtain an application, please visithttp://www.fogartyscholars.org/scholars, or contactscholars@fogartyscholars.org with questions.

Who is my OSR Representative?

THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR YOUR CLASS IS:

Class of 2010: David Stern
Class of 2011: Daniel Parry
Class of 2012: Rachael Maciasz
Class of 2013: Alinea Noronha

The purpose of this blog is for your representatives to share with you opportunities that will help enhance your medical education.

We have compiled a list of research opportunities, international rotations, scholarship opportunities, financial aid resources, as well as websites that will supplement your medical education.

We hope that you also add to this list and encourage you to share them with your classmates.

In addition we hope that this blog serve as a way for you to communicate with us.
Please feel free to email your representative with any questions or concerns.

What is OSR?

Organization of Student Representatives (OSR)

OSR Mission Statement

The Organization of Student Representatives (OSR) fulfills a unique role among medical student organizations. As part of the AAMC, it provides all United States allopathic medical students with a voice in the nation's largest association dedicated solely to the advancement of academic medicine. The OSR provides medical students with an active role in achieving AAMC's mission to improve the nation's health through the advancement of academic medicine. Additionally, the OSR seeks to assure that students actively participate in directing their educations, preserving their rights, and delineating their professional responsibilities. To this end, the OSR provides medical students with a voice in academic medicine at a national level and strives to foster student involvement and awareness in this arena at a local level.

OSR Strategic Goals

• To Provide medical student input on issues addressed by the AAMC and state and federal governments that will impact student education, quality of life, or professional development.
• To Develop and Implement OSR initiatives and aid in the development and implementation of AAMC initiatives.
• To Facilitate communication between student bodies of different medical schools and between medical student organizations regarding issues relevant to medical student life and education.
• To Encourage education techniques and objectives that provide medical students with the intellectual skills, professional standards, and knowledge required to meet the needs of an evolving health care system.
• To Assure a safe, supportive learning environment free of abuse, unreasonable health risks, bias, and inequities.
• To Assure that all medical students possess equal freedom and opportunity to pursue the career directions of their choice.