Leader Spotlight: Masina Wright
Today’s spotlight is AMSA member and leader Masina Wright! Masina is the 2017-2018 AMSA National Gender and Sexuality LGBT Advocacy Coordinator.
Why did you join AMSA?
I began my AMSA journey as part of the Integrative Health Scholar Program, as I already have a Naturopathic Doctor degree and wanted to see how AMSA presented Integrative Medicine. I was impressed with the caliber of presentations and the diversity of scholars. Through this experience I became more familiar with what AMSA offers medical students, and realized I wanted to offer more to the community.
As a medical student, I can be part of the driving force behind changes in curriculum, policy and campus life; with AMSA, I can be part of the organizing force that gives credibility, structure, and political power to the voices of medical students in the United States.
Why did you become an AMSA leader?
I am dedicated to transgender health and medicine, and my primary interest in this position is to develop and further promote foundational medical school curriculum on transgender medicine and lesbian/gay/bisexual curriculum that can be implemented by every medical school in the nation. I would also like to develop an AMSA Transgender Medicine Scholars Program.
With the current negative political environment towards transgender health and lesbian, gay and bisexual rights, it is more important than ever that medical students and physicians be educated early in their medical career about the basic human rights to health care that is free of bias against gender and sexuality. It is my hope and belief that if people are exposed to these issues early in first and second year medical education, that individuals can work out some of their personal conflicts about nonbinary and gender nonconforming individuals before they face them in clinical practice. This will improve access to and quality of health care for all people.
What is your favorite AMSA moment?
Stay tuned!
What advice would you give to current & future AMSA leaders?
You don’t have to be perfect to be a leader. You only need a passion that you are willing to speak up about. The summer of 2016 was rich with anti-racism advocacy and organizing that produced significant writing about the concept of “white perfection” in which we freeze ourselves, unable to do anything if we are not already perfect in that thing. This really spoke to me as a imperfect organizer and I realized, I could just do things that mattered, like be actively anti-racist and speak up for trans health education, even if I didnt know everything before I started.
Do you know of an AMSA Member and Leader who deserves to be recognized? Do you want to share your leadership story with other AMSA members? Share your story for consideration! Selected leaders will be featured on AMSA’s On Call blog.
