The AAMC made significant strides in innovation through its collaboration with Thalamus, as well as enhancements to the MyERAS® application, expansion of the Fee Assistance Program, and introduction of new tools like the Dean’s Office WorkStation Analytics for Schools. Additional positive developments include streamlined program management, and reduced application costs. Further advancements include full integration of Thalamus Core for interview scheduling, holistic review scoring, enhanced data analytics capabilities, and improved user experiences. The AAMC reaffirms its commitment to supporting the medical education journey and remains responsive to community feedback while preparing for the 2024-25 application season with continued collaboration and innovation. 

Join us this week on “Beyond the White Coat” to talk about a group that is often forgotten about when we talk about diversity: people with disabilities. Guests Allison Kessler, MD, and Lisa Meeks, PhD, along with host AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, discuss why the number of disabled doctors continues to lag behind other underrepresented groups and what individuals and schools can do to help be more inclusive of those with disabilities. Stream wherever you get your podcasts.

As director of community relations and strategy at the AAMC, Penny Schnarrs does more than just support the AAMC Virtual Community. She is leading the charge to create positive and impactful change for AAMC constituents by providing a space for collaboration and community building. Tune in to this episode of “Ask an Expert” to learn more from Schnarrs about her work and why the AAMC Virtual Community is the place for people who want to collaborate across medical education.

Note: This episode contains a discussion about suicide and suicidality. Doctors have some of the best access to mental health resources, yet they have nearly double the risk of suicide when compared to non-health care workers. On this week’s episode of “Beyond the White Coat,” host AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, talks to Justin Bullock, MD, MPH, and Yunyu Xiao, PhD, about the stigmas that surround mental health in the medical profession and how those stigmas trickle down into patient care. Tune in to hear more about why it’s important for health care workers to take care of their own health and some ways that individuals and medical schools and teaching hospitals can create more supportive, inclusive environments.

On this week’s episode of “Ask an Expert,” Michael Dill, director of Workforce Studies at the AAMC, answers questions about physician burnout, its effect on patient care, and the potential impact on future physicians in creating a more sustainable health care workforce.

On the latest episode of “Beyond the White Coat,” join AAMC president and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, along with Susan Huang, MD, CEO of Providence Health Network, and LaTonya Trotter, PhD, MPH, associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, for a candid conversation addressing unprecedented levels of staff burnout, the staggering impact of rising prescription drug costs, and the nationwide crisis of staff shortages. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts.

On this week’s episode of “Ask an Expert,” Boyle joins us to share his story of when he fell in love with writing, his evolution from newspaper to nonprofit reporting, and the ongoing challenges of free speech on medical school campuses.

Free speech might be a hot topic right now, but this isn’t the first time it’s been in the news. For almost 2,500 years, free speech has been hotly debated among politicians, scholars, and average citizens across continents and cultures. What can we learn from millennia of debates? This week on “Beyond the White Coat,” we’re joined by Jacob Mchangama — CEO of the Future of Free Speech Project and featured speaker at Learn Serve Lead 2023: The AAMC Annual Meeting — to discuss not only what we can learn from the history of free speech, but also its future in the United States. Join host AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, as he and Mchangama discuss misinformation, hate speech, and more during this episode of “Beyond the White Coat.” Stream wherever you get your podcasts.

On this special edition of “Beyond the White Coat” constitutional law expert Ted Shaw and AAMC Chief Legal Officer Frank Trinity, JD, talk about the Supreme Court’s recent ban on race-conscious admissions. Shaw is a civil rights attorney and director of the University of North Carolina Center for Civil Rights, one of two institutions at the center of the court’s decision. Previously at the University of Michigan, Shaw helped initiate a review of the university’s admissions policy that was later upheld by the Supreme Court. In this candid conversation, the two legal experts discuss anti-DEI legislation, the use of standardized tests in college admissions, and why it’s important to have hope in times of adversity.

Amy Addams is the director of student affairs alignment and holistic review at the AAMC. In this role, she helps medical schools use holistic review to examine and revise admission processes to create a more equitable path to medicine. She also leads the AAMC’s work in improving equity and access for medical students and patients with disabilities. On this episode of “Ask an Expert,” Addams answers questions about the current role holistic review plays in the admissions process, the future of holistic review following the recent Supreme Court decision to ban race-conscious admissions, and the AAMC’s work in increasing diversity in medical school.

This episode of “Beyond the White Coat” continues the topic of race-conscious admissions, this time examining the social and advisory impacts of one of the most pressing issues in higher education today. Host AAMC President and CEO and President David J. Skorton, MD, welcomes special guests Joon Kim, EdD, senior program director of postbaccalaureate programs at the Keck Graduate Institute, and Kyra Tyler, MEd, senior director of Bright Horizons College Coach, as they explore the concept of equal opportunity in higher education and how race-conscious admissions has addressed historical disadvantages, paving the way for greater equity. They help to bring a better understanding of how race-conscious admissions has driven systemic change and promotes social equity, exploring the transformative power of diversity in higher education and its impact on society. Lastly, Skorton and guests discover alternative approaches to incorporating diversity into admissions and weigh their effectiveness against race-conscious admissions. Beyond the White Coat is hosted by David J. Skorton, MD, and our executive producer is Zenneia McLendon. Our project manager is Brittany Loca. This episode was produced by Aaron Dillard and edited and engineered by Laura Zelaya. Elena Marinaccio is our copy editor, and De’Angello Powe made all our graphics. Our sound design is by De’Angello Powe and David J. Skorton. Rachel Bunn provided additional support for this episode.

Geoffrey Young, PhD, has spent most of his career in academic medicine, both as an associate student affairs dean and an associate admissions dean, working with students from the start of their time in medical school to their graduation. At the AAMC, he is the senior director of transforming the health care workforce, focusing on creating a more diverse workforce in medicine and providing resources for students who are interested in a career in medicine. On this inaugural mini episode of “Ask an Expert,” Young talks about the work the AAMC is doing to get more diverse doctors into the field of medicine and why this is important work for the AAMC to lead. Beyond the White Coat Presents Ask an Expert is hosted and produced by Rachel Bunn and our executive producer is Zenneia McLendon. Our project manager is Brittany Loca. This episode was edited and engineered by Laura Zelaya. Elena Marinaccio is our copy editor, and De’Angello Powe made all our graphics. Our sound design is by De’Angello Powe and David J. Skorton.

Join us for a discussion on one of the most complex topics in higher education today: race-conscious admissions. In Part 1 of this two-part episode, we delve into the legal aftermath of the recent Supreme Court decisions (SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC); the use of race as a factor in college and graduate school admissions; and how the recent court decision will affect creating more equitable and diverse medical school student bodies. AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, is joined in conversation by Mark Henderson, MD, and Heather Alarcon, JD, for an enlightening and thought-provoking discussion around this crucial topic. Henderson is professor of internal medicine, vice chair for education, and associate dean for admissions at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine. He also served as residency program director at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and at UC Davis. The state of California banned affirmative action in 1996, and Henderson provides insight into how medical schools can still have a diverse student body based on his experiences at UC Davis, which is one of the most diverse medical schools in the country. As the senior director of legal services at the AAMC, Alarcon is an expert in matters ranging from civil rights and employment law to national policy issues impacting medical education. She was one of the authors of the AAMC's amicus brief to the Supreme Court in the Harvard and UNC cases in support of race-conscious admissions. Beyond the White Coat is hosted by David J. Skorton, MD, and our executive producer is Zenneia McLendon. Our project manager is Brittany Loca. This episode was produced by Aaron Dillard and edited and engineered by Laura Zelaya. Elena Marinaccio is our copy editor, and De’Angello Powe made all our graphics. Our sound design is by De’Angello Powe and David J. Skorton. Rachel Bunn provided additional support for this episode.

The most recent tragic murders throughout the United States at the hands of gun violence are heartbreaking. These assaults once again vividly illustrate the all-too-familiar consequences of how gun violence continues to plague our nation, and they are also a reminder of how homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries with firearms take an overwhelming daily toll on our communities. These preventable tragedies will continue to be inevitable as long as lawmakers continue to choose inaction over reasonable protections to keep our children and our communities safe.

While some sources are quick to point to vaccine hesitancy as the main cause for the vaccination rate gap between racial and ethnic groups due to a history of mistrust of the medical community, others point to issues affecting how easily people can access the vaccines, such as a lack of access to accurate information and barriers to technology, time, and transportation. On this episode of “Beyond the White Coat,” Karey Sutton, PhD, AAMC director of health equity research workforce and director of research for the AAMC Center for Health Justice, talks with experts Giselle Corbie-Smith, MD, and Aaron Gerstenmaier, MD, about the racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccination rates and explores strategies to promote equity in vaccine access.

Concerns around the speed with which the COVID-19 vaccines were developed, along with questions on the potential risks for pregnant women and skepticism about the vaccines’ effectiveness against the coronavirus variants, have increased public hesitancy on getting vaccinated. Herein lies the challenge for health care personnel trying to convince those who are wary on the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines. On this episode of “Beyond the White Coat,” Rosha McCoy, MD, AAMC senior director for advancing clinical leadership and quality, talks with health care providers and experts to debunk common myths and share accurate information about the COVID-19 vaccines as part of the nation’s efforts to increase vaccinations and end the pandemic.

Science is the only way out of the pandemic. And while health care personnel were the first group in the United States to be offered the vaccines, many of these individuals remain unconvinced and unprotected. In this episode of “Beyond the White Coat,” AAMC Chief Health Care Officer Janis Orlowski, MD, talks with Houston Methodist President and CEO Marc Boom, MD, and Memorial Hermann Health System President and CEO David Callender, MD, about the challenges health care systems are experiencing in trying to ensure their staff are vaccinated and what can be done to build vaccine confidence.

The pandemic has left serious challenges in its wake for the academic medicine community to address. From health equity to provider relief, teaching hospitals and medical schools are creating new strategies to improve the health of people everywhere. And as congressional lawmakers continue their work on Capitol Hill, the academic medicine community is looking for ways to educate policymakers about the issues that will help their institutions continue to serve their patients and communities.

Despite efforts by medical schools, foundations, and the government to increase diversity in the physician pipeline, the number of Black men in medicine has remained virtually stagnant since 1978. This stagnation has serious implications for patient care, since a wealth of research has shown that Black patients receive more effective care from Black doctors. In this episode of “Beyond the White Coat: Making the Rounds,” we explore the issues at the root of this crisis and discuss how some organizations are meeting the challenge. Clarence Fluker, AAMC director of community engagement, talks with Norma Poll-Hunter, PhD, senior director of the AAMC’s workforce diversity portfolio; Malcolm Woodland, PhD, co-founder and director of Young Doctors DC; and André Smith, a student studying for his master’s degree in health sciences at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, and a member of the Action Collaborative for Black Men in Medicine steering committee sponsored by the AAMC and the National Medical Association.

We’ve known for a long time that systemic racism influences the social determinants of health — affecting, quite literally, who in this country survives and who suffers. People who live in poorer neighborhoods often receive lower quality and less care from health care providers. And long-standing discrimination against all marginalized communities has created dramatic health inequities. David J. Skorton, MD, looks back at some of the conversations we had about these very difficult and persistent issues this past season on “Beyond the White Coat.”