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Section V.  Liaisons of the Association

The Association maintains formal liaisons with several organizations to promote effective cooperation and to provide them with the medical student perspective.

A.            Purposes of the Relationship

1.             to promote broad consideration of issues in medical education, health care and health-care delivery;

2.             to promote the consideration of policy of the Association as set forth in the Preamble, Purposes and Principles of the American Medical Student Association;

                3.             to gather information concerning the purposes and activities of these organizations; and

4.             to facilitate the development of inter-organization programs and activities of mutual benefit.

B.            Administration of Liaisons

1.             The panel of Liaisons shall be divided into two (2) groups by the C&L committee. The Executive Committee of the BOT shall be responsible for overseeing those liaisons to organizations designated as “Professional Relationships.” The Public Relations Director shall be responsible for overseeing those liaisons to organizations designated as “Issue Based Collaborations/Specialty Organizations.” Specific responsibilities of the overseers shall include: (2006)

a.             The joint coordination of a liaison training session, at the end of national convention, the June meeting of the BOT, or at another time deemed appropriate by the Public Relations Director/Executive Committee of the BOT. This training should include introduction to the structure of the liaison program, roles of the liaison position, and instruction on distribution of the annual liaison packets to partner organizations, content of reports and methods of reporting, and any additional training by the Public Relations Director/Executive Committee of the BOT. (2007)

b.             Maintaining the list and contact information of all partner organizations and assigned AMSA liaisons.

c.             Receiving and organizing reports submitted by liaisons, and facilitating the publication of reports, when appropriate, to the AMSA website.

d.             Assigning certain liaison positions to Executive Committee and Staff members; and managing the solicitation of applications and selection of liaisons for positions potentially left unfilled by the mechanisms described in section D (below).

e.             Distribute funds to liaisons, for the purposes described in section F (below).

2.             Liaison reports shall be submitted to the Public Relations Director or Executive Committee of the BOT via mail, e-mail, or the AMSA Web site; thus, a form on the Web site shall be made available to liaisons for the submission of these reports. (2007)

3.             Termination of liaison positions will be at the request of either organization with which the liaison is involved (1998). Liaisons who fail to fulfill their responsibilities may be removed at the discretion of the  C&L Committee and BOT. If a liaison to an organization with which communication is deemed vital to the Association is removed, a replacement liaison shall be assigned from among the Executive Committee and Staff members, at the discretion of the DSP and National President. (2007)

4.             The C&L Committee, of which the Public Relations Director and National President are ex officio members, shall annually review the liaison program—including the list of partner organizations, the methods of reporting and information distribution, and the funding of liaison activities—and make recommendations to the BOT regarding the continued development and success of the program.

C.            Liaison Organizations

1.             The Association recognizes the importance of maintaining a working relationship with the following organizations and resolves to maintain a current liaison position with each of these organizations:

Professional Relationships

AAMC—Association of American Medical Colleges

ACGME—Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education

AMA—American Medical Association

AOA—American Osteopathic Association

CFMS—Canadian Federation of Medical Students

ECFMG—Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates

IFMSA—International Federation of Medical Students’ Association

LCME—Liaison Committee on Medical Education

NBME—National Board of Medical Examiners

NMA—National Medical Association

NRMP—National Residency Matching Program

NMSA—Naturopathic Medical Student Association (2008)

PCOC—Primary Care Organizations Consortium (2006)

SHA—Student Health Alliance

SNMA—Student National Medical Association

SOMA—Student Osteopathic Medical Association

Issue-Based  Collaborations/Specialty Organizations

AAFP— American Academy of Family Physicians

AAP— American Academy of Pediatrics

AANM—American Association of Naturopathic Medicine (2008)

ACAM— American College for Advancement in Medicine (2006)

ACOG— American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

ACP— American College of Physicians

ACPM— American College of Preventive Medicine

ACS— American College of Surgeons

AHMA—American Holistic Medical Association (2006)

AMWA—American Medical Women’s Association

APMSA—American Podiatric Medical Students’ Association (2008)

APA—American Psychiatric Association

APGO—Association of Professors of Gynecology & Obstetrics

APHA—American Public Health Association

ATPM—Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine

GLMA—Gay and Lesbian Medical Association

NANA—National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (2008)

PHR—Physician for Human Rights

PNHP—Physicians for a National Health Program

PSR—Physicians for Social Responsibility

2.             As the effectiveness of these relationships may change, and as new liaison relationships may be created, this list of organizations and liaison positions shall be reviewed annually by the Communications and Liaisons Committee and amended through resolutions to the House of Delegates. New liaison relationships may be proposed in the form of a resolution to the House of Delegates. The proposal must include a description of the organization’s operating purposes and a statement of the reasons for and goals of an AMSA liaison position, in addition to a synopsis of past or current collaboration with the organization. (2006)

3.             Any outside organization may solicit AMSA for possible establishment of a liaison relationship with their organization. Such proposal will be reviewed by the Communications and Liaisons (C & L) Committee and a resolution as described above will be drafted for submission to the House of Delegates. (2006) Until such time as the liaison position is approved and filled, communication with the organization will be maintained through the office of the DSP and the National President. (1998)

D.            Assignment of Liaisons

1.             Applicants for liaison positions shall be solicited at the National Convention with the cooperation of Regional and Action Committee leaders. Appointments to the various liaison positions will be made as soon as possible thereafter but no later that the June meeting of the Board of Trustees (BOT). (2006)

2.             Regarding the AAFP, AAMC, ACGME, ACOG/APGO, ACP, AMA, IFMSA, LCME, NBME, NRMP, and SHA: An Executive Committee or staff member of the Association (President, Vice President for Membership, STAL, ACT, Treasurer, DSP, LAD, GAF and JRF) (2007) shall serve as liaison to these organizations. The National President, taking into account the interests and availabilities of these colleagues, shall formalize liaison appointments to each of these organizations by the end of the June BOT meeting. The NANA liaison is to be assigned by the Director of Student Programming to an Action Committee Chair or committee member. (2008) In the event that a liaison position to any of these organizations is not assumed by one of these national leaders, the Executive Committee of the BOT (2006) shall solicit applications and select a qualified member to fill the position, at the discretion of the Board of Trustees. (2005) (2007)

3.             Regarding the AANP, AAP, ACAM, ACPM, ACS, AHMA, AMWA, AOA, APA, APHA, ATPM, ECFMG, GLMA, NMA, NMSA, PCOC, PHR, PNHP, PSR, SNMA and SOMA: Liaison roles shall be formalized as responsibilities of existing AMSA leadership positions, and made known as such in the election process for each of the corresponding positions, as follows:

AANP— IG Coordinator for Naturopathic Medicine

AAP— IG Coordinator for Child and Adolescent Health

ACAM—AC Coordinator for Integrative, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (HuMed AC) (2006)

ACPM—AC Chair for Community and Public Health

ACS—IG Coordinator for Surgery

AHMA—AC Coordinator for Humanistic Medicine (2006)

AMWA—AC Coordinator(s) for WIM

AOA— IG Coordinator for Osteopathy

APA—IG Coordinator for Psychiatry

APHA—AC Chair for Community and Public Health

ATPM—AC Chair for Community and Public Health

ECFMG— International Trustee

GLMA—AC Coordinator(s) for LGBTPM

NMA—AC Coordinator(s) for MAC

NMSA—IG Coordinator for Naturopathic Medicine

PCOC—National President (2006)

PHR—AC Coordinator for Health and Human Rights

PNHP—AC Coordinator Health Policy, Universal Healthcare Coordinator

PSR—AC Coordinator for Global Health

SNMA—AC Coordinator(s) for MAC, as above

SOMA— IG Coordinator for Osteopathy

                In the event that the AC or IG, or coordinator position, listed above does not exist, or the position holder is not available to serve as liaison, the Executive Committee of the BOT shall solicit applications and select a qualified member to fill the position, appointed by the Board of Trustees by the end of the June BOT meeting. (2007)

4.             Regarding the CFMS: the President is encouraged to strongly consider the Region I Trustee for this position, as this trustee’s jurisdiction includes all chartered Canadian medical school chapters of AMSA. (2004)

5.             The term of each liaison position shall thus be one (1) year; from the time of election or assignment following the national convention until the election or assignment of his or her successor the following year.

E.             Roles and Responsibilities of Liaisons

An AMSA liaison, upon assignment as described in section D (above), shall have the following qualifications, roles and responsibilities:

1.             Be a current or former elected or hired national AMSA leader;

2.             Be familiar with the history, mission, organization, and strategic priorities of AMSA, and be able to engage others in a discussion on any of these topics;

3.             Attend a liaison training session, as described in section B, (above);

4.             Make immediate contact with the assigned organization, consisting of at least the following:

a.             identify primary contact(s) in the partner organization;

b.             notify the organization of his or her position and role as AMSA liaison, including shipment of the introductory liaison packet;

c.             discuss and set mutual expectations and goals of the liaison relationship; and,

d.             if the organization has a liaison to AMSA, make contact with that person.

5.             Provide the Public Relations Director or Executive Committee of the BOT with the contact information of key contact persons in assigned partner organization(s); (2007)

6.             Become familiar with the history, mission, organization, and current goals of the partner organization(s);

7.             Attend and participate in conferences, meetings, or other events of the organization, whenever possible; and

8.             Submit written reports to the Public Relations Director or the Executive Committee of the BOT; as outlined in liaison training and consisting of at least: (2007)

                a.             name(s) and contact information for primary contact(s) in the organization;

b.             general purposes and current activities of the organization, for the purpose of informing the AMSA general membership; and

c.             decided mutual goals of the liaison relationship, and status of efforts to meet those goals.

d.             The specific format of and exact information contained in these reports will vary by organization. Such details will be mutually agreed upon by the incoming liaison, outgoing liaison and either the DSP or Executive Committee of the BOT as appropriate at the liaison training at the June BOT meeting. (2006)

Given the intent to inform the AMSA general membership, and in order to be sufficiently reviewed by the Public Relations Director and C&L Committee, these reports shall include at least: (2007)

                a.             one mid-year report submitted before the Chapter Officers Conference in July (2006); and

                b.             one year-end summary submitted by the deadline for HOD resolutions of that year.

                These and any other reports may be published on the AMSA website, at the discretion of the Executive Committee of the BOT, for the purpose of accessibility by the general membership. (2007)

F.             Funding of Liaisons

1.             Liaisons shall receive funding for travel, attendance and participation in professional meetings and functions of their assigned organization. These funds shall be distributed at the discretion of the Public Relations Director with approval from the Executive Committee of the BOT, based on the following criteria: (2007)

a.             attendance of a liaison training session and submission of required liaison reports to the Public Relations Director, as outlined in Section E, Roles and Responsibilities of Liaisons; (2007)

b.             timely submission of a request by the liaison, including the amount required for travel to and participation in the event, details of the event, and perceived benefits to the liaison and the Association;

c.             role of the liaison in the functioning of the partner organization and/or specific event.

2.             As incentive, liaisons who have fulfilled their responsibilities, as described in Section E (above), shall be granted a waiver of their AMSA national convention registration fee. These waivers shall be granted by  the Executive Committee of the BOT, with approval from the Treasurer, and at the discretion of the BOT. (2007)

3.             Liaisons of the organizations listed in Section C to AMSA may be granted waivers of the AMSA national convention registration fee, if they wish to attend, at the discretion of  the Executive Committee of the BOT. AMSA shall continue to seek from these organizations reciprocal waiving of fees for liaisons to attend each other’s national meetings. (2007)