What’s Next Is What We Make It

AMSA 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 AMSA know a thing or two about. AMSA was forged in the fire of the VietNam War alongside the vision for The Great Society and the values found within the International Declaration of Human Rights. 

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 AMSA 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 Petition 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 AMSA Action Committees here 
• Sign up for the AMSA Reproductive Health Project enewsletter that is filled with useful information and action opportunities here.
• Check out Mindfulness Techniques to Practice from the AMSA Wellness and Student Life Action Committee

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

Annelise