March 28-April 1, 2001 * Anaheim, CA

The Magic Of Activism

The American Medical Student Association's (AMSA) 51st Annual Convention may have taken place at Disneyland in sunny Anaheim, California, but the highlight for attendees wasn't the opportunity to meet Mickey or take a ride on Space Mountain. The high point was addressing the annual meeting's theme, "Take the Challenge: Student Action for Zero Health Disparities."

"It's a really exciting time for AMSA," said Dr. Sindhu Srinivas, AMSA's national president. She said the convention's five days of programming (March 28-April 1) reaffirmed the organization's commitment to eliminating disparities in health care. "The first thing I'm hoping [for] is that we become more educated. The second thing…is that we become more committed to these issues. And the third thing is to take the challenge."

Through keynote addresses, workshops, plenary sessions and a few volunteer opportunities, convention attendees accepted this challenge. And in doing so, they met their counterparts from across the country, exchanged ideas and found that the issues weren't too big to take on if they worked together. For as it turned out, AMSA's convention was well-suited to Disneyland: It is a small world, after all.

PHOTO TO RIGHT: Convention attendees and fledgling Mouseketeers (l-r) Sheila Ashby, Janice Diaz and Maria Bonnin all left the Universidad Central Del Caribe School of Medicine in Puerto Rico for the sun and fun of Disney.

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