Ģ����Ƶ Abortion Care & Reproductive Justice Institutes – Summer 2026

Four In-person Learning Opportunities the Summer in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, NC!

Summer 2026 – Applications Open Now – Seats Limited!

Four Date Options in Summer 2026:
May 14 – 17 (Summer A)
June 11 – 14 (Summer B)
July 30 – August 2 (Summer C)
August 20 – 23 (Summer D)

No cost for selected applicants – Scholarships cover ALL expenses
Apply Today!

If YOU are a medical student based in the U.S., an Ģ����Ƶ member* and YOU, like Ģ����Ƶ, believe:

• reproductive health services, including abortion care, are essential to comprehensive health care,
• legal, safe, voluntary abortions should be available to all who need them, regardless of how much they earn, who they work for, or what state they live in, and
• both Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) and Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs should offer abortion education and training.

If YOU uphold the fundamental principles of reproductive justice:**

• the right to have children,
• the right to not have children, and
• the right to nurture the children we have in a safe and healthy environment.

If YOU are interested in becoming part of a diverse physician workforce that includes highly skilled, culturally sensitive physicians prepared to provide abortion services to those who need them in various health care workplaces.

And, YOU are available ANY of these four date options:

• May 14 – 17 (Summer A)
• June 11 – 14 (Summer B)
• July 30 – August 2 (Summer C)
• August 20 – 23 (Summer D)

READ ON!

The Ģ����Ƶ Abortion Care & Reproductive Health Project is excited to host 4 in-person Abortion Care & Reproductive Justice Institutes this summer.
Each Institute will engage 10 U.S. based medical students in thought-provoking, dynamic conversations, as well as issue education, and hands-on clinical skill-building, with key experts working in abortion care, reproductive health and education, research, or reproductive and social justice.

Our retreat-like setting is a beautiful private location nestled deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Institutes are designed to provide deep dive opportunities to build knowledge, skills, and connections in a supportive, nurturing and Love-centered community, with a focus on finding and connecting with joy as we work on challenging issues facing our communities and future practice as physicians.

Clinical skill-building sessions will include a MVA “papaya” workshop and values-clarification training.

We will explore the impact of the Dobbs decision on reproductive health access, practice and policies at the state level, as well as medication abortion and self-managed abortion. Learning opportunities will also include:

• effective messaging communications
• networking and advocacy training
• building power and your circles of influence
• identifying and engaging reproductive freedom champions in your state
• values-based research and using data to make change.

The Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Project provides resources and on-going support to organize local education and skill-building sessions for future physicians around the United States.
Institute participants will be encouraged and supported to share the knowledge and skills they will gain through research project posters, journal articles, blog posts, social media, or organizing local events during the 2025-2026 academic year. Local events could include, but are not limited to: clinical skills-building, networking and advocacy training, issue education, understanding state reproductive health policies, and values-based messaging and research.

The program begins on Thursday evening with a group dinner and ends after breakfast on Sunday morning. In addition to didactic and clinical workshop-style learning, there will be ample time for informal conversations, delicious meals and snacks, walking in the woods, star-gazing, and relaxing in the hot-tubs and around the fire. Each participant will have their own bedroom, some bathrooms will be shared. Meals will be prepared together.

• Want to know more about what an Ģ����Ƶ Repro Institute is really like?
  Read what a M4 student who joined us last summer had to say about the experience
  Recharging Your Medical Passion: The Power of a Retreat
  Why Every Medical Student Should Do a Medical Retreat (for any specialty)

Successful applicants will receive reimbursements (up to $600) to cover their travel expenses (students make their own travel arrangements). All meals, on-site training supplies, and transportation from the to the retreat location are provided at no cost.

DEADLINES:

• Application deadline for ALL 2026 Institutes is Sunday, March 29 at 11:59pmPT
• Applicants are accepted on a rolling basis and will be notified of acceptance at least 30 days before the Institute they are selected for
• Selected applicant must confirm attendance within 7 days of notification of their selection

Upon completion of the Institute, certificates of participation to add to your CV will be provided.

Applications Open Now – Seats Limited
Apply Today!

###

For more information email rhp@amsa.org

*Ģ����Ƶ membership info link
**Source –

The post 4 Amazing Summer 2026 Adventures in Learning with the Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Project – Apply Today appeared first on Ģ����Ƶ.

The Ģ����Ƶ Abortion Care & Reproductive Justice Institutes are back live & in-person
this summer in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, NC!

Summer 2025 – Applications Open Now – Seats��Limited!

Four Date Options in Summer 2025:
May 29 – June 1 (Summer A)
June 19 – 22 (Summer B)
July 24 – 27 (Summer C)
August 14 – 17 (Summer D)

No cost for selected applicants – Scholarships cover ALL expenses
Apply Today!

If YOU are a medical student based in the U.S., an Ģ����Ƶ member* and YOU, like Ģ����Ƶ, believe:

• reproductive health services, including abortion care, are essential to comprehensive health care,
• legal, safe, voluntary abortions should be available to all who need them, regardless of how much they earn, who they work for, or what state they live in, and
• both Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) and Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs should offer abortion education and training.

If YOU uphold the fundamental principles of reproductive justice:**

• the right to have children,
• the right to not have children, and
• the right to nurture the children we have in a safe and healthy environment.

If YOU are interested in becoming part of a diverse physician workforce that includes highly skilled, culturally sensitive physicians prepared to provide abortion services to those who need them in various health care workplaces.

And, YOU are available ANY of these four date options:

• May 29 – June 1 (Summer A)
• June 19 – 22 (Summer B)
• July 24 – 27 (Summer C)
• August 14 – 17 (Summer D)

READ ON!

The Ģ����Ƶ Abortion Care & Reproductive Health Project is excited to host 4 in-person Abortion Care & Reproductive Justice Institutes this summer.
Each Institute will engage 10 U.S. based medical students in thought-provoking, dynamic conversations, as well as issue education, and hands-on clinical skill-building, with key experts working in abortion care, reproductive health and education, research, or reproductive and social justice.

Our retreat-like setting is a beautiful private location nestled deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Institutes are designed to provide deep dive opportunities to build knowledge, skills, and connections in a supportive, nurturing and Love-centered community, with a focus on finding and connecting with joy as we work on challenging issues facing our communities and future practice as physicians.

Clinical skill-building sessions will include a MVA “papaya” workshop and values-clarification training.

We will explore the impact of the Dobbs decision on reproductive health access, practice and policies at the state level, as well as medication abortion and self-managed abortion. Learning opportunities will also include:

• effective messaging communications
• networking and advocacy training
• building power and your circles of influence
• identifying and engaging reproductive freedom champions in your state
• values-based research and using data to make change.

The Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Project provides resources and on-going support to organize local education and skill-building sessions for future physicians around the United States.
Institute participants will be encouraged and supported to share the knowledge and skills they will gain through research project posters, journal articles, blog posts, social media, or organizing local events during the 2025-2026 academic year. Local events could include, but are not limited to: clinical skills-building, networking and advocacy training, issue education, understanding state reproductive health policies, and values-based messaging and research.

The program begins on Thursday evening with a group dinner and ends after breakfast on Sunday morning. In addition to didactic and clinical workshop-style learning, there will be ample time for informal conversations, delicious meals and snacks, walking in the woods, star-gazing, and relaxing in the hot-tubs and around the fire. Each participant will have their own bedroom, some bathrooms will be shared. Meals will be prepared together.

• Want to know more about what an Ģ����Ƶ Repro Institute is really like?
  Read what a M4 student who joined us last summer had to say about the experience
  Recharging Your Medical Passion: The Power of a Retreat
  Why Every Medical Student Should Do a Medical Retreat (for any specialty)

Successful applicants will receive reimbursements (up to $600) to cover their travel expenses (students make their own travel arrangements). All meals, on-site training supplies, and transportation from the to the retreat location are provided at no cost.

DEADLINES:

• Application deadline for ALL 2025 Institutes is Sunday, April 27 at 11:59pmPT
• Applicants are accepted on a rolling basis and will be notified of acceptance at least 30 days before the Institute they are selected for
• Selected applicant must confirm attendance within 7 days of notification of their selection

Upon completion of the Institute, certificates of participation to add to your CV will be provided.

Applications Open Now – Seats Limited
Apply Today!

###

For more information email rhp@amsa.org

*Ģ����Ƶ membership info link
**Source –

The post Summer Special! 4 Amazing Adventures in Learning with the Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Project – Apply Today appeared first on Ģ����Ƶ.

What’s Next Is What We Make It

Ģ����Ƶ National President’s Statement on 2024 Election

Hi future doctor, Annelise here.

I’m writing to you and honestly, I’m not quite sure how to articulate all of my emotions as we face an upcoming four years of uncertainty. When it comes to leadership, especially student-led organizational leadership, we often grapple with how to lead when you’re not quite sure what’s next. For our national leaders, our chapter leaders, and all of us as future and current physicians,�� the question is now— what’s next? Regardless of how you voted during this election, there are still pressing concerns that we, as the future of healthcare, need to reckon with: affordability+accessibility of healthcare, climate sustainability, mental health, gun violence, abortion rights and women’s health… the list goes on.

Over the next four years, in a major way, we will�� inherit the healthcare system that is forged and changed by this election. All of you are going through your training, me included, and developing into the kind of physician you will become and the leader you will be�� in your community. Over the next four years you will, quite literally, learn how to stand between life and death not only in the hospital�� room, but also beyond it. You will take an oath, whether to serve as a student doctor or as a fully-fledged physician, and be charged with doing no harm regardless of your political or personal beliefs. You will be scrutinized, tokenized, and some of you will choose to risk your livelihoods and licenses because of your beliefs and commitment to this profession. To become a physician in this day and age takes a tremendous amount of courage, patience, and grit. It also takes a tremendous amount of privilege and opportunity that we, as future physicians, can use to continue to fight for our patients and our profession. Regardless of who is in the White House, our fight happens day in and day out, patient by patient, family by family. If you’re anything like me, that’s exactly why you chose to dedicate your life to this work.

Medicine is not sexy, it is not easy, but oh is it worth it. We bring a lens to the medical profession�� that our predecessors cannot possibly fathom. So, it is up to us to use our voices to help them, our patients, and our communities understand the dangers we see coming. We have faced crises like this before; standing up for our values unapologetically is something that we at Ģ����Ƶ know a thing or two about. Ģ����Ƶ was forged in the fire of the VietNam War alongside the vision for and the values found within the .��

Today, I hope you’re taking the time to process and be with yourself and your loved ones. I wish I had the answers as to what’s next, but I can promise you that Ģ����Ƶ is, and will continue to be, the place you can come home to find your people and your voice. It’s been 75 years of us standing up for each other and our patients, and we’re not about to stop now.��

To those of us who are scared, angry, outraged, saddened, exhausted—we see you, I see you, and we’re here with you. We have put together a whole host of resources to help you navigate through this time (see below) and we are working on ways we can share and be in community together— stay tuned. Know you are not alone! We will regroup and find the strength to carry on towards our founding vision of a high-quality, affordable, and sustainable health care system that puts people (patients and providers) ahead of profits and ensures all have access to the care they need — regardless of how much they earn, who they work for, or what state they live in.��

For those of you looking to do something right now consider:

• Sign & share the to implement the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and join me in calling on the United States government and private sector organizations to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights��
• Join one of the Ģ����Ƶ Action Committees here��
• Sign up for the Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Project enewsletter that is filled with useful information and action opportunities .
• Check out from the Ģ����Ƶ Wellness and Student Life Action Committee

In 1961, President John Kennedy posed to the generation of Ģ����Ƶ founders “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Join us at Ģ����Ƶ because now it’s our turn.��

Annelise

The post Post Election Statement from Ģ����Ƶ President, Annelise Silva appeared first on Ģ����Ƶ.

SPOTLIGHT ON ABORTION CARE & REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE��

Stay Connected – to Resources, Community, and Radical Hope for Reproductive Freedom and Justice
– through the Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Project!

Written by Jeff Koetje, MD, Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Programming Strategist

Greetings from all of us at the (Ģ����Ƶ RHP)! With the start of the new academic year well under way, we are excited to share with you what we have planned for 2024-2025. But before we get into that, let’s pause to acknowledge that we are just a few days away from Election Day here in the US (Tuesday, Nov 5), and this year, reproductive rights are a central issue in the federal election and abortion rights, specifically, are on the ballot in 10 states. We encourage everyone who can, and everyone who is eligible, to get out and vote if you haven’t already, and we encourage you to invite your friends and family to do the same! We know that regardless of the outcomes of the imminent elections and ballot initiatives, the work of protecting and advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice must continue.��

Who we’re for and what we’re about:��

We also know that future physicians – that’s you! – have important roles to play in the movements for reproductive freedom and justice. And we’re here to support and help you figure out what that can look like for you. The Ģ����Ƶ Repro Project – and Ģ����Ƶ, overall – invites reproductive freedom dreamers and doers, like you, to consider us as one of your home bases for relevant and timely information, resources, connections to a growing network of activated medical and premedical students, and spaces for organizing for collective action. We work to nurture and support the next generation of physician abortion providers and the next generation of physician-advocates for reproductive health, rights, and justice. We are here for you – whether you are a premedical or medical student Ģ����Ƶ member, an Ģ����Ƶ Chapter Officer, or an Ģ����Ƶ National Leader!��

Read on to learn more about the Ģ����Ƶ RHP and how you, your Ģ����Ƶ chapter, or your school can get involved.

First things first – Some introductions! Who we are:

The Ģ����Ƶ RHP team includes Becky Martin, who is, as she says, “one of those old-school community organizers” who brings a unique perspective to our work. She got her start working to expand education and licensing programs for midwives in Florida and then around the U.S. A deep concern and care for pregnant and birthing people has been at the core of Becky’s lifetime of advocacy, activism, and organizing. She has a deep appreciation for history and what we can learn from our past – she knows we all stand on the shoulders of giants. And having worked with Ģ����Ƶ for over 20 years from allied organizations before joining Ģ����Ƶ staff, Becky knows many of Ģ����Ƶ’s giants personally. Becky reminds us medicine is both art and science, and how we grow our healers is vitally important. As Ģ����Ƶ’s Senior Manager for Reproductive Health Advocacy,�� she helps Ģ����Ƶ’s members, Chapter Officers, and National Leaders think and plan strategically for mobilizing future physicians for action on abortion access and reproductive healthcare equity. Dr. Jeffrey Koetje is a medical professional focused on transforming the systems and culture of education and training inside the House of Medicine. Utilizing critical theories such as intersectional feminism, queer theory, and Critical Race Theory, Dr. Koetje works to create transformed and transformative medical education, grounded in an absolute belief that spaces for education can and must be spaces for young people to more closely encounter and get to know their own power, agency, and capacity to be change-makers. The Project also works closely with , who is an OB/GYN abortion provider in the NYC area, and former Ģ����Ƶ Education and Advocacy Fellow, National Graduate Trustee on the Ģ����Ƶ Board of Trustees, and Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Programming Strategist. Two medical students also will be joining the Ģ����Ƶ Repro Project this year: Joy Udoh, M4 at Michigan State College of Osteopathic Medicine, will be the Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Project Fellow, and Araam Abboud, M3 at Boonshoft School of Medicine will be the Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Project Intern. Joy and Araam will be introducing themselves in the next issue of this newsletter.

What we offer:

As a grant-funded project, we are able to offer an abundance of support to you, your Ģ����Ƶ chapter, your school, and your community in the form of informational resources, connections to subject matter experts and activists for chapter events, interesting and compelling films to view and discuss, clinical skills workshops, advocacy skills workshops, and several programs you can enroll in, including our Abortion Care & Reproductive Justice Institutes back in-person! (Read what a student from this summer wrote about his experience: Recharging Your Medical Passion: The Power of a Retreat . We also offer small chapter grants ($200 – $500) to cover food/beverage costs for Ģ����Ƶ Chapter events planned in coordination with the Ģ����Ƶ RHP! We can even help chapters with new member recruitment by providing Ģ����Ƶ RHP swag for tabling events and a limited number of free memberships for students who participate in RHP-sponsored chapter events!

We’ll highlight many of the RHP offerings here, but be sure to check out all the details posted to the , and keep up with all the updates and opportunities by reading the Ģ����Ƶ Repro Health & Justice eNewsletter.�� to start receiving the newsletter, delivered to your inbox every other Saturday – and catch up on what you’ve missed by reading current and past issues!

New & Expanded Offerings for Ģ����Ƶ Members & Chapters from the Ģ����Ƶ Abortion Care & Reproductive Health Project

Clinical & Research Skills:

• Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA, or “papaya workshop”)
• What Would You Do? Values Exploration & Clarification
• Pelvic Exam Best Practices Workshop
• Trauma Informed Abortion & Reproductive Health Care
• Self-Managed Abortion: A Safe Option for Many (SMA)
• Contraception Counseling & IUD Insertion
• Pregnancy & Abortion Care Options Counseling
• Understanding Mandated Reporting: What Is & Is Not Required
• Designing & Presenting Compelling Research Projects

Advocacy, Organizing, & Networking Skills:

• Effective Communication about Abortion Care: What & How We Talk Matters
• Lifting Your Voice: Writing Compelling LTEs,OpEds & Blog Posts
• Building Relationships with Reproductive Freedom Champions in Your State
• Understanding How Bills Become Laws & Regulations Govern Physician Practice
• Translating Data & Research Findings into Policy Recommendations
• Finding & Sharing Change-maker Stories in Your Community

Issue Education Teach-Ins:

• The History of Abortion: Roots of Stigma, Opportunities for Change
• Abortion as a Moral & Social Good: The Ethical Basis for Conscientious Provision of Abortion Care
• Religious & Spiritual Affirmation of Abortion
• Men & Abortion – Feminist Frameworks for Male/Masc Abortion Rights Allies
• Fetal Personhood & Criminalizing Pregnancy: Fast Tracks to Gilead
• Physicians as Enforcers: Urine Drug Screens, Mandated Reporting & Criminalization of Pregnant People
• Anti-abortion Laws & Maternal Mortality: Turning the Tide
• Birth Justice – A Framework for Improving U.S. Health Outcomes by Uniting Physicians, Midwives & Doulas��
• Reproductive Justice: A Movement & Framework for Equitable Health Care

Expanding Conversations with Film

Films offer unique ways to share information, generate conversations and move people to action, especially around difficult or challenging topics facing our communities. The Ģ����Ƶ RHP shares film access and provides expert speakers for facilitated, interactive conversations with Ģ����Ƶ members and Chapters. This year we are expanding our film offerings and focusing around key topics starting with:��

• How Stories Move People & Foster Change
  Ours to Tell, a short documentary film featuring several abortion stories
• Informed Consent: Vital for Patients, Students & Providers
  At Your Cervix, a documentary film about medical education and unconsented pelvic exams on anesthetized patients
• Forced Sterilization: What is it & How it is Still Happening?
  Belly of the Beast, a documentary film about the forced sterilization of women incarcerated in California’s prison system
• In the Time Before Roe: Lessons from Our Not too Distant Past
  The Janes, a film that tells the story of underground abortion providers in Chicago who cared for over 11,000 women in the years before Roe
• Moral Injury, Burnout & Suicide Among Physicians & Trainees
  Do No Harm, a documentary film that shines light on the crisis of medical student and physician suicide along with the toxic issues and environments far too many are facing today

***Everything listed above can be organized into an Ģ����Ƶ Chapter event!***

Courses and Programs:

• Ģ����Ƶ Abortion Care and Reproductive Justice Institutes
  for first dibs on registration
• Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health & Justice Mentorship Program
  Learn more and sign-up for the Winter 2025 Repro Mentorship Sprint (Jan/Feb 2025)
• Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Scholars Program
  Our next offering will be Fall 2025, for first dibs on registration
• Ģ����Ƶ-UM Elective in Abortion Care, Family Planning, and Reproductive Justice
  Explore the program description here, our next offering is planned for Fall 2025.��

Essay Contests, Poster Presentations & Scholarship Opportunities:

• Repro Poster Presenter Scholarships
  to present your abortion and repro-related poster at the 75th Annual Ģ����Ƶ Convention in Washington DC April 17-19, 2025 – Learn more at
• Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice Essay Contests
  Stay tuned for details coming soon!

###

*Note: an excerpt of this Spotlight is included in Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Project eNews #31: Say Their Names, Get Connected, Stand for Change, Nov 2, 2024
Find the current and past issues in the Ģ����Ƶ Repro eNews Archive.

Explore the Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Project
Find news, tips, tools, opportunities�� & more!

for Ģ����Ƶ Repro Project Updates

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Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health National Town Hall

Reproductive Justice Points the Way:
Why & How Reproductive Health Medical Education Must Change

Thursday, September 28, 8:00pm – 9:30pm ET��

Livestream @Ģ����Ƶnational

Join Ģ����Ƶ National Leaders, Chapter Officers, members and allies across the country and around the world for a powerful and compelling Town Hall featuring:

, Activist. Public Intellectual. Professor. Co-founder SisterSong.
A Godmother to reproductive justice & survivor advocate.
As opening voice and moderator of a panel discussion with:
Pamela Merritt, Executive Director,
Dr. Kristyn Brandi, Board Chair,
Dr. Charisse Loder, Director,

This livestreamed discussion is sponsored by the and will focus on the current state of medical education pertaining to abortion care, family planning, and reproductive health. Looking directly at the historical and ongoing legacy of the white supremacist, heteropatriarchal foundation of modern Obstetrics and Gynecology, we call the House of Medicine to account for the violence and violation perpetuated by physicians and by the medical system against, in particular, Black and Indigenous women and birthing people.��

Responding to the moral and ethical call from the Reproductive Justice Movement for reparation and justice,��how must we transform medical education to ensure that we break these cycles of abuse and domination perpetuated by our chosen profession, and contribute meaningfully to the project for reproductive freedom and collective liberation?

This event will highlight findings from our multi-year survey of medical students regarding their experiences with abortion care and family planning related education at their medical school, pre- and post-Dobbs, and will lift up the work that is already underway to transform reproductive health medical education.��

We hope you’ll join us for a night of necessary, challenging – and inspiring – conversation!

The post Join Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health National Town Hall – Livestream Sept 28 at 8pmET appeared first on Ģ����Ƶ.

This September, I will join thousands of medical students applying for OB-GYN residencies in states across the country. For students like me, applying to residency programs is supposed to be an exciting step towards a career in providing quality healthcare to patients in need. After four years of medical school, I am excited to put my skills to use and offer patients quality, comprehensive reproductive healthcare, including abortion care.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court’s decision to has dramatically limited our opportunities to learn. As attacks on reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy escalate, it becomes ever more challenging to provide the patient care that we staunchly believe our patients need and deserve.

Applications for OB-GYN residency programs nationwide after the Supreme Court struck down Roe, and in states where abortion is banned.

Like aspiring OB-GYNs, family medicine and emergency medicine physicians, I will not be applying to residency programs in states with stringent abortion bans. I need a residency program that will offer me an opportunity to build on what I have learned in medical school, and practice the skills needed to provide quality, evidence-based care—an opportunity that I would not get as a resident in any state that has banned or severely restricted abortion. …

The post I’m an Aspiring OB-GYN. Here Is Why I Won’t Do My Residency in Any State With an Abortion Ban. appeared first on Ģ����Ƶ.

Just when you thought Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis couldn’t get any worse, he’s supporting the Florida State Board of Education’s new education standards which include teaching K-12 students that slavery had “benefits” for enslaved people. DeSantis, Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, and state board of education member MaryLynn Magar believe it is appropriate to teach our children, our future generations, that enslaved people

This concerning and disturbing display of historical revisionism, not only violates any sort of decency standard, but also amounts to a distressing act of white-washing. To be clear, this is not stemming from ignorance, but from a willful, malicious attempt to push an agenda of white supremacy and anti-Black racism. This is also a clear demonstration of the fascist desire to control all aspects of an educational system in order to advance the narratives (propaganda) that facilitate fascist control over all aspects of a society.��

While DeSantis signed the last year, seemingly aiming to protect the fragile egos of a subset of , he has blatantly disregarded the deep harm caused by promoting a narrative in our educational system that downplays the historical suffering endured by Black people under slavery, and the on-going harm caused to Black people in a society that continues to operate under white supremacist anti-Black racism and anti-Indigeneity. He along with his like-minded white supremacist, fascist “friends” are directly hindering the genuine progress of our country and perpetuating a harmful narrative that dismisses the impact of systemic racism and denies the lived experiences of marginalized communities.��

DeSantis is running a distant second to Trump in national polling for the Republican presidential nomination, and his desperation has only made him more eager to prove himself to the MAGA supporters as a more destructive, more extreme bigot worthy of their adoration. This is what he aims to do by defending a racist curriculum stating that “scholars” put together this “academic standard” (read as “manipulative narrative” – or, to put it more directly, propaganda). Under the guise of “educational reform” this is actually a direct attack against educational truth and truthfulness; under the cloak of “teaching history” this is actually a direct attempt to grab total power to control the narrative that shapes the present and future reality. It is exceedingly important to keep in our focus all the ways that fascist movements seek to control what historical narratives are allowed to be told, and how they are told () in order to control what kind of future reality is allowed to unfold. For this reason, we cannot just critique this so-called reform – and those who support it – as merely foolish and misguided; It is manipulative, nefarious, and very, very dangerous. As an organization representing tens of thousands of future physicians – current students who have committed to life-long learning – the Ģ����Ƶ (Ģ����Ƶ) will�� not stand for this.��

At Ģ����Ƶ we are ethically and morally committed to pushing back against those who engage in whitewashing history. We are committed to truth, honesty, and integrity in education. We are unwavering in our dedication to confront uncomfortable truths of the past, including abhorrent realities of slavery and its devastating impact on the lives of millions of people even to this present moment. We empower our members to be compassionate advocates for justice. If you want to learn the truth of our history and fight against fascist political operators such as Governor DeSantis and his propagandist operatives in agencies like the Florida Board of Education, join us to be a real scholar.�� Enroll in one of the Ģ����Ƶ Scholars Programs for the 2023-24 academic year which include Racism in Medicine, Transgender Health, Sexual Health, Health Justice, and Premedical program, just to name a few. The Fall Scholars Programs begin in September, and registration is open! Knowledge is power, and armed with the truth, we have the strength to combat those who attempt to create false histories in order to invert what people will know and accept as “truth” in the present and in the future.��

The post Ģ����Ƶ stands against Florida’s Racist, White Supremacist Curriculum appeared first on Ģ����Ƶ.

…a powerful chorus of change, growth, and community — future physicians from medical school campuses near and far. And this chorus only gets stronger and louder as the months pass, culminating in a global, spring convening like no other. This is Ģ����Ƶ’s Annual Convention: .

And here’s what you need to know: the FP4Change adventure begins now.��

What’s this about?

Everyone remembers their first Ģ����Ƶ Annual Convention. It’s a vibe. It’s a movement. This event summons tomorrow’s physicians from all walks of life and all corners of the country and globe. The result? Three days of energy, optimism, learning, advocacy and connection with experts, peers and mentors.

And, as we’ve learned over the years, the sooner you start planning for it (as in, today!), the better the experience. There’s so much tap into. Just how you do it is up to you — and we’re here to help you along.

See, Future Physicians for Change is not the kind of event where you slap on your name tag, watch a few presentations and head out. It’s an inspired, year-long journey (really, a life-long journey if you think about it) where you immerse yourself in learning, advocacy, research and networking throughout the year.

And it all coalesces at Future Physicians for Change (this year is our 74th convention!) — and we’re headed back to Washington DC.

How to prepare?

First up: Save the Date. Future Physicians for Change 2024 is happening May 30 – June 1, 2023 in Washington DC. Put it on your calendar!

Choose your adventure — dive into one or many of the following opportunities that set things up so nicely for the year ahead (and all the years that follow, really!):

• Pick your Ģ����Ƶ Scholars Program. Or pick a few! These are focused programs that allow you to delve into timely, critical topics from experts — then meet the experts in person (and more experts!) at FP4Change. Explore what’s on.
• Think on a poster topic. Take that research that’s been rolling around in your head and crystalize it into a project — then share the poster at our poster competition at FPF4Change (you may win!).
• Consider becoming a leader. Nationally or locally — leaders are critical to Ģ����Ƶ — and reserve special “seats at the table” at FP4Change (not to mention, help drive Ģ����Ƶ forward). Check out the options here.
• Help forge policy! Play a role in Ģ����Ƶ’s House of Delegates.
• Join the Reproductive Health Project — advocate for comprehensive healthcare and access to full range of reproductive services. One of our more robust programs — get involved!
• Advocate for med-ed reform — Help improve medical school curricula and promote well-being among medical students by addressing issues like mental health and burnout. Learn more here.
• Join Ģ����Ƶ’s anti-racism efforts: Engage within the medical community to promote inclusivity and equity and join our team working on actionable goals. Get know our REACH program.

And those are just some of the opportunities — give our Action Committees and Campaigns a tour.

Follow along by or drop us a note if we can help answer any questions along the way! Can’t wait to see you on the journey to #FP4Change2024.

Be the first to know when registration opens by signing up for #FP4Change2024 updates

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On Thursday, June 29, 2023, in the case of Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina,��

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled that the admissions programs at Harvard and University of North Carolina violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, essentially striking down Affirmative Action programs across the country.

Along with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, The Ģ����Ƶ (Ģ����Ƶ) strongly dissents with the majority opinion of the Supreme Court which undermines the importance of affirmative action, a measure supported by Justices John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. This ruling undermines close to six decades of precedent to promote equal opportunity and eliminate discriminatory practices. We maintain it is an ill-conceived, racist, and biased discourse that undermines the importance of diversity in our educational institutions and blatantly threatens equitable healthcare at its core. This ruling unfortunately does not come as a surprise in light of the pervasive spread of racist agendas evident in the alarming trend of states cutting down on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) funding for colleges. Justice Roberts and other conservative members of SCOTUS’s idea of “colorblindness” is not only misguided, but ignores the persistent inequities based on race and color we face on a daily basis. This ruling will continue to perpetuate systemic disparities that disproportionately affect racially marginalized communities.����

In accordance with our Preamble, Purposes and Principles, Ģ����Ƶ remains steadfast in its unwavering commitment to advocating for racial equity in education and healthcare. As future physicians committed to justice and equality, we are profoundly outraged and decry the restriction of affirmative action. We strongly support increased representation of minority students in all levels of education, including colleges and medical schools.�� By fostering diversity and inclusion, institutions have the power to create more empathetic and inclusive learning environments. Moreover, It has been repeatedly evidenced that diversity within the healthcare workforce and medical education system improves healthcare outcomes. According to the AAMC, “As an overwhelming body of scientific research compiled over decades confirms, diversity literally saves lives by ensuring that the Nation’s increasingly diverse population will be served by healthcare professionals competent to meet its needs.” Indeed, physicians who train within a diverse learning environment become better practitioners. The Supreme Court’s decision forces colleges and health-professional schools to deviate from their ethical duty and obligation to protect the wellbeing of our nation’s most vulnerable groups by restricting the consideration of race in admissions decisions. This decision not only reifies systemic barriers to educational opportunity, but will also actively dismantle efforts to ensure that physician workforce diversity reflects the diversity of the communities that we seek to serve.��

We call on our members to catalyze our collective voice in holding our institutions accountable to creating and maintaining safe inclusive educational environments that promote and celebrate diversity. Now is the time to rise up and make our voices heard. You are powerful, your voice is powerful. Send an to your college administration, urging them to reaffirm their commitment to diversity in the admissions process. Let them know that you expect and demand an inclusive educational environment! your state legislators, urge them to enact legislation that promotes and celebrates diversity. This is your call to action, demand accountability and drive the conversation towards progress.��

To learn more about our work, join Ģ����Ƶ.��

References:��

1. ��Marcella Alsan et al., Does Diversity Matter for Health? Experimental Evidence from Oakland, 109 Am. Econ. Rev. 4071, 4074-75 (2019)
2. U.S. Dep’t of Health & Human Servs., Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, 2021 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, at ES-2 (2021) (https://tinyurl.com/3ek4zbay)
3. McFarling, U. L. (2023, June 29). Supreme Court strikes down use of affirmative action, a blow to efforts to diversify medical schools. STAT. https://www.statnews.com/2023/06/29/supreme-court-strikes-down-use-of-affirmative-action-a-blow-to-efforts-to-diversify-medical-schools/

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The Ģ����Ƶ (Ģ����Ƶ) would like to thank Dr. R. Ray Jr. for publically detailing his experience with racism during his residency education, as detailed in his blog post, . The reported willful dismissal of racist and discriminatory practices is disgusting and atrocious. We recognize that this is only one example of many that impact Black and Brown medical trainees in medical education. We would like to express our solidarity with Dr. Ray. Ģ����Ƶ calls on the ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) to conduct a formal and thorough investigation of these incidents.��

Ģ����Ƶ stands firmly against any form of racism, discrimination, or bias within the medical profession. At Ģ����Ƶ, we recognize that there are other incredible organizations and individuals who are leaders in antiracist work. We are committed to learning from and collaborating with allies in this space. Together, we can catalyze conversations and actions that can dismantle the pathology of racism in medicine.

We urge institutions, including the ACGME, to implement reporting systems that are followed by meaningful action. These reporting systems should guarantee confidentiality, protection against retaliation, and a thorough investigation by a third party. Medical trainees need more robust protections and the ACGME should demand corrective actions when trainees are mistreated.��

Additionally, medical schools and residency programs must provide education and training on cultural humility, unconscious bias, and the importance of fostering a diverse and inclusive learning environment. We must create a safe and inclusive culture for all trainees and not host DEI sessions simply to complete a “checkbox”. Medical institutions must evaluate their practices, policies, and culture to ensure an environment that fosters diversity, inclusion, and equity.

We cannot stand idle as those who are experiencing mistreatment, discrimination, and racism speak up in isolation. All healthcare workers have a responsibility to challenge and confront structural and overt racism. Allyship in these spaces and refusal to be silent in situations of overt and subversive discrimination is indispensable and our moral responsibility.

To medical trainees who have experienced or witnessed racism, discrimination, or bias, we encourage you to share your experiences, as you can safely. If medical leadership teams are committed to creating more diverse and inclusive environments, the sharing of these experiences must be followed by meaningful and public action. We cannot afford to have “silent” allies in the pursuit of dismantling institutional racism. We need bold and effective action.

Ģ����Ƶ stands in solidarity with Dr. Ray and with all individuals who have experienced and continue to experience racism and discrimination in the workplace. We need more doctors like Dr. Ray, who shed light on discriminatory practices and further exemplify the type of leadership that is desperately needed in the field of medicine. Others, specifically those who hold more privilege and power in these spaces, are absolutely crucial to challenge these racist systems. Only when we face institutional racism head-on, can we begin to build the equitable healthcare system that our country needs.

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