AMSA Announces Keynote Speakers for 2017 Annual Convention and Exposition
Media Contact:
Jennifer Junda, Director Member Marketing
American Medical Student Association
Phone: (703) 665-4626
Email: pr@amsa.org
Sterling, VA – December 9, 2016: The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) announces keynote speakers for their 2017 Annual Convention and Exposition February 23-26, 2017 in Washington, D.C.
AMSA is pleased to host Dr. Richard Levin, President and CEO of Arnold P. Gold Foundation, Dr. Leana Wen, Commissioner, Baltimore City Health Department, past AMSA President and WLIM Recipient and Brad Jenkins, Executive Producer, Funny or Die, as keynote speakers at this year’s event.
“We are thrilled to have this remarkable group of industry and business professionals speaking to and engaging with medical student, premedical student and faculty attendees at the 2017 Convention and Exposition,” says Kelly Thibert, DO, AMSA National President. “This impressive list of keynote speakers is a glimpse into the opportunities this event will offer students – networking and educational opportunities they won’t get anywhere else.”
Richard I. Levin, MD is President and CEO of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation and a leading voice for humanism in medical education. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Vice-Principal for Health Affairs at McGill University in Montreal from 2006-2011. Prior to that, he was the Vice Dean for Education, Faculty and Academic Affairs, and a professor of Medicine at New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Levin is Emeritus Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology at McGill and in the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology at New York University. He is a frequent visitor to medical schools across the country and Canada, and remains committed to ensuring medical students are trained in the values of empathy and compassion as a means to achieve the quadruple aim of healthcare. In 2016 Dr. Levin received an honorary doctorate from Wake Forest University that cited his contributions: “For four decades he studied the heart as both the instrument of blood flow and the source of our humanity. And he has done it to acclaim from four universities, two countries and countless doctors and their patients. The holder of four medical patents, Dr. Levin is an expert in preventing and relieving blockages – the physical ones that clog arteries and the institutional, habitual varieties that keep patients from receiving the best possible care.”
Dr. Leana Wen currently serves as the Baltimore City Health Commissioner. An emergency physician and patient and community advocate, she was appointed by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to lead the Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD), the oldest health department in the United States, formed in 1793. BCHD is an agency with $130 million annual budget and 1,000 employees that aims to promote health and improve well-being through education, policy/advocacy, and direct service delivery. Most recently, Dr. Wen has been an attending physician and Director of Patient-Centered Care in the Department of Emergency Medicine at George Washington University. A professor of Emergency Medicine at the School of Medicine and of Health Policy at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, she co-directed GW’s Residency Fellowship in Health Policy, co-led a new national collaboration on health policy and social mission with Kaiser Permanente, and served as founding director of Who’s My Doctor, a campaign calling for radical transparency in medicine. The author of the critically-acclaimed book “When Doctors Don’t Listen: How to Avoid Misdiagnoses and Unnecessary Tests”, Dr. Wen has given four popular TED and TEDMED talks about patient-centered care, public health leadership, and healthcare reform. Dr. Wen is also a past AMSA President and Women Leaders in Medicine Awards Recipient
Brad Jenkins is the managing director and executive producer of Funny or Die DC, which is housed at the 1776 Campus in downtown Washington, D.C. In addition to creating content, under Jenkins’ direction, Funny or Die DC provides consulting services about talent outreach, writing and branding strategies for a range of clients. For the last four years, Jenkins served as President Obama’s liaison and director of engagement to the creative and advocacy communities, bringing together creative executives, advocacy leaders and celebrities. He was also involved in the Emmy-award winning “Between Two Ferns” episode, in which Zach Galifianakis interviewed President Obama about the Affordable Care Act. Jenkins worked on President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign as the deputy director of special projects, directing the intersection of youth media and grassroots engagement. Prior to joining the White House, Jenkins was the founding vice president of Business Forward, an organization that brings entrepreneurs into the policymaking process. Before the 2008 campaign, Jenkins worked on the trading desk for asset management firm, Farallon Capital in San Francisco.
For more information about the 2017 AMSA Annual Convention and Exposition, visit amsaconvention.org.
About AMSA:
AMSA is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. To learn more about AMSA, our strategic priorities, or joining the organization, please visit us online at http://www.amsa.org.
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