Today, members of the American Medical Student Association join millions of people across the globe to observe World AIDS Day today. They are working to impact national and international policy related to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment and to provide AMSA chapters with the tools to engage students in the fight, while teaching the skills of political advocacy. 

AMSA is advocating for:

• President Obama and Members of Congress to fully fund the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.

• President Obama to keep his campaign promise from 2008 and increase funding for global AIDS to $50 billion over five years. More funding will double the amount of people on HIV treatment, increase access to proven HIV prevention tools, and train and retain hundreds of thousands of health care workers.

• An end to AIDS drug waiting lists in the United States and countries around the world by expanding treatment programs and providing universal access to life-saving medications. There are still 10 million people globally who lack access to AIDS drugs leading to continued growth of the epidemic and millions of preventable deaths.

“World AIDS Day is a day on which we, as a global community, stand in solidarity to halt the devastating effects the current pandemic has had on people, communities and nations,” says Merrian Brooks, AMSA AIDS Advocacy Network Co-Chair. “AMSA members will rally across the country to bring education and activism to bear in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”