CME for gun violence prevention, increased STEM education, and encouraging physicians to be political candidates were among the topics of MSMS resolutions that were supported at the AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago on June 7-11.

Of the 16 Michigan resolutions submitted to the AMA from the MSMS House of Delegates, 10 were amended or referred to the AMA Board for study, one was not adopted, and five were reaffirmed as existing policy, which resets the "sunset clock" on those policies for another 10 years.

The 22-member Michigan Delegation held a private session with AMA EVP James Madara, MD, and chief lobbyist Richard Deem on the first day of the meeting. Deem thanked MSMS for its effective partnership with the AMA on Capitol Hill. "The Michigan congressional delegation is very important to the AMA," he said. "We hold up Michigan physicians as a model across the country" for having a strong voice with its policy makers.

Tucker Carlson from Fox News, who was the guest speaker at the AMPAC luncheon, also noted that physicians have a unique voice in Washington and should use it with vigor. He said physicians are respected by legislators "because you are thoughtful people who also save lives."

The uniqueness of physicians also was highlighted by new AMA President Robert Wah, MD, who has been close to the Michigan Delegation for many years. "We have the ability to convene all parties to come to the table and work on solutions to the challenges physicians face today," he said in his inaugural address.

Alternate delegate John G. Bizon, MD, served on Reference Committee A, Medical Service. Bassam Nasr, MD, also an alternate delegate, served on Reference Committee F, Finance and Board of Trustees. Medical student Nicolas Fletcher received an AMA Foundation Minority Scholars Award for $10,000 based on academic achievement and commitment to the elimination of health disparities. He said the award was in large part due to the ongoing support of medical students by MSMS and the Michigan Delegation.

For more information about the Michigan Delegation to the AMA, contact David Fox at MSMS at 517-336-5731 or dkfox@msms.org.