YARITZY ASTUDILLO, M4
New York Medical College
VP of Policy 2018-2020
The last few years and even that last few weeks have called for our presence as a student force. It is clear, we heed the call as medical students but most importantly as Latino Medical Students.
We have been to Capitol Hill and voiced our concerns from DACA to family separation and most recently sent our demands for PPE for our workforce. When it comes to our role in medicine, it is clear and we have risen to the occasion. What is our role within health policy? What role do we need to take as caretakers of our patients and community? I believe it is these questions that have brought us to LMSA and to the LMSA Policy Committee. We have set out to train the next generation of Latino healthcare advocates through health policy training, mentorship, networking, community/media engagement and organizational collaborations to work in the interests of Latino patient community. This in itself is rather packed. What I believe clears it up is Dr. Berwick’s Moral Choices for Today’s Physician:
The work of a physician as healer cannot stop at the door of an office, the threshold of an operating room, or the front gate of a hospital. The rescue of a society and the restoration of a political ethos that remembers to heal have become the physician’s jobs, too. Professional silence in the face of social injustice is wrong. -- Donald M. Berwick
We are aware of the duty in our training as physicians and the duty we have to our communities. We know that our role does not end with a patient encounter and so we have set out to learn, engage and activate in our roles. We are standing up to the social injustices we see and exercising the voice and responsibility we have taken on. One way we have collectively engaged is through the LMSA Policy Summit. Through the 2019 Policy Summit we learned story telling in medicine from Dr. Leo Lopez and the importance of both recognizing and combating implicit biases from Dr. Cristina Gonzalez. Our designed tracks allowed us to further our roles for our patient’s in learning how to harness our role in health policy through understanding current policy to the responsibilities of using social media for patient education. We left following a weekend of learning, networking and civic engagement with a continued defined sense of the role in taking the lead and being the voice for our patients.
As we reflect back on our policy year, we have accomplished quite a bit. The 2019 Congress of Delegates highlighted some of our current efforts. As an organization we have revamped our mentorship program, which I encourage each and everyone of you to take advantage of as physicians have enlisted to help us as we move forward in our education and careers. We are working to empower each other and take guidance along the way to equip our future workforce to tackle the challenges to come and be well prepared to do so. In strengthening our workforce or collective voice, we have further strengthened our commitment to mental health and wellness. Through recent panel discussions we continue to focus on this paramount issue and will continue to do so moving forward. Finally, we have continued to be champions against the Public Charge Rule. We once again informed our legislators of the harms of this rule and the ramifications for all communities. In conversation with our representatives we presented the health impacts of family separation and discussed adverse childhood events and their ramifications. We will continue striving forward because as we chanted on the steps on the Supreme Court, “El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido!”
As Dr. Berwick stated, “there is no third choice” and I am proud we are a group of individuals who are well aware of that.
It is chilling to see the great institutions of health care, hospitals, physician groups, scientific bodies assume that the seat of bystander is available. That seat is gone. To try to avoid the political fray through silence is impossible, because silence is now political. Either engage, or assist the harm. There is no third choice. -- Donald M. Berwick
All of the work we have begun and accomplished this year is the work of our group, the work of your peers and a true student led effort. It is also an effort you can be a part of. You can bring forth issues that are important for you and that we should work on as an organization. Through the LMSA Policy resolution process we shape the policy platform of our organization. Culminating at the Congress of Delegates, we follow a democratic process which reflects the ideals and example of the American legislative process. It is through this process we are able to set these goals and collectively engage in these efforts.
Now back to where we started- what is our role in policy today? I believe our role as students is constantly changing and as we have seen in recent days we are hyper aware that the bystander seat is unavailable and we have decided to stand, learn and engage in this decision.
I encourage you to join us at the 2020 LMSA Policy Summit and to submit a resolution this year!
Also check out Dr. Berwick’s article: Berwick, Donald M. "Moral choices for today’s physician." Jama 318.21 (2017): 2081-2082.