AMA to Host National Tribute to Celebrate New Medical Student Graduates

Chicago, May 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Medical Association (AMA) today announced it will host a national celebration to honor the 30,000 medical students who are graduating this spring and will bring together leading voices in health care, science, and culture to offer encouragement, advice and inspiration to these future physicians.

The AMA Tribute to the Medical School Class of 2020 virtual event will occur on May 20, 2020 at 6 p.m. CDT with a national premiere on AMA’s YouTube channel and a watch party on Facebook. Hosted by actor/comedian Brian Unger, the event will put a spotlight on 2020 medical school graduates and their future work improving health as they embark on their careers as physicians.

“Now more than ever, the AMA believes we must recognize the young women and men who have answered a calling to science, patient care and the health of our nation,” said AMA President Patrice A. Harris, M.D., M.A. “As these future physicians enter a world with unprecedented challenges, it is more vital than ever to celebrate their decision to enter the medical profession and their commitment to heal.”

Confirmed participants include:

• VADM Jerome M. Adams, MD, MPH, U.S. Surgeon General
• Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP, President Emeritus and Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement; former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Esther Choo, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University; founder of Equity Quotient and #GetMePPE
• Anthony S. Fauci, MD, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, surgeon, writer and public health innovator; professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School; and CEO of Haven
• Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, AMA President
• Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH, AMA Chief Health Equity Officer 
• David Satcher, MD, PhD, 16^th Surgeon General of the United States and former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health
• Additional surprise appearances are planned.

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