The American Medical Association (AMA) and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute (SHLI) at Morehouse School of Medicine have launched a collaborative educational initiative to empower physician-led advocacy that advances equity and removes barriers to optimal health for marginalized people and communities. Under the mentorship of renowned multidisciplinary health equity experts, the new Medical Justice in Advocacy post-doctoral fellowship program will annually convene and train 10 physicians desiring greater knowledge and skills in confronting the root causes of inequity in communities across the country.
- According to the AMA, the fellowship will mobilize physicians to be part of the next generation of advocacy leaders, driving meaningful policy and structural changes that produce equity and justice in the communities they serve. Together, the fellows will generate and exchange solutions and implement health equity projects.
- Using an anti-racist, equity-centered, and political determinants of health learning framework, the fellowship will provide a mentoring and training platform that will equip participants with the foundational skills, tools and knowledge to engage in institutional and political health advocacy.
- The inaugural fellowship will run from September 2021–November 2022 and is open to eligible physicians and residents with a demonstrated interest in health equity and advocacy. Selected participants will receive a stipend of $15,000. The deadline to submit applications is Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
- AMA’s Chief Health Equity Officer Aletha Maybank, M.D., M.P.H, said, “Through the creation of this fellowship, we have the opportunity to use collective leadership, knowledge, and experience to push upstream and train physician leaders how to effectively advocate for the policies and laws that advance equity and justice. These fellows, working collaboratively with others, will become a force of change within their own communities and help drive the future of medicine.”
- Daniel E. Dawes, J.D., professor of health policy, executive director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine, said: “The fellowship will enable physicians to more effectively address the inequities faced by our most vulnerable communities. Rooted in the political determinants of health, this new and unique fellowship will provide physicians with the framework and tools needed to advocate for their patients.”