Surgery News - August 2008 - (Page 6) 6 S U R G E R Y NEWS • A U G U S T 2 0 0 8 THE THE E 20/20 / 0/20 Else vier Global Medical Ne ws V SION AMA Apologizes for Racial Discrimination O SIO SION IO than a century of racial inequity and bias. In accepting the AMA’s apology, the National Medical Association (NMA), which represents minority physicians, urged the AMA leadership to work with them on three initiatives: recruiting more African American physicians, reducing health disparities among minorities, and requiring medical schools and licensing boards to make cultural competency mandatory for medical students, residents, and practicing physicians. “We really want to use this apology as a springboard,” said Dr. Nedra H. Joyner, an ACS Fellow who is chair of the NMA board of trustees and an otolaryngologist in Chicago. These changes will be critical to reversing racial health disparities that have led to poorer health outcomes in African Americans, she said. “Talk is cheap,” said Dr. Carl Bell, professor of public health and psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Bell said that while he is hopeful that the AMA will take some meaningful action to reduce health disparities, he is unimpressed by the apology alone. Instead, he would like the AMA take a stand on issues that would advance minority health in the United States. For example, he said that he wants to see the AMA push for single-payer national health insurance, be stronger in challenging the pharmaceutical industry, do a better job of promoting public health, and support research into minority health and mental health issues. Dr. Warren A. Jones, who was the first African American president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, agreed that further action will be needed but called the AMA’s apology “appropriate” and “timely.” This is not an apology of convenience, he said, but a signal of a change in the mind-set of the AMA leadership. The AMA now has an opportunity to ensure that cultural competency becomes a tool in the medical armamentarium, he said. “Now is the time for the AMA to put its resources where its mouth is,” said Dr. Jones, executive director of the Mississippi Institute for Improvement of Geographic Minority Health. The AMA offered the apology in July to coincide with the release of a historic paper in its flagship journal that examined race relations in organized medicine ( JAMA 2008; 300:306-13). The paper was prepared by an independent panel of experts convened by the AMA in 2005. The panel reviewed archives of the AMA, the NMA, and newspapers from the time to provide a history from the founding of the AMA through the civil rights movement. The paper notes a number of instances where the AMA leadership fostered racial segregation and bias. For example, in 1874 the AMA began restricting delegations to the organization’s national convention to state and local medical societies. This move effectively excluded most African American physicians because many medical societies, especially Continued on following page B Y M A RY E L L E N S C H N E I D E R frican American physicians are looking for action to back up the words of apology recently tendered by the American Medical Association for more A The American College of Surgeons and the National Ultrasound Faculty have developed “Ultrasound for Surgeons: The Basic Course” for surgeons and surgical residents on CD-ROM. The objective of the course is to provide the practicing surgeon and surgical resident with a basic core of education and training in ultrasound imaging as a foundation for specific clinical applications. ^ Replaces the basic course offered by the American College of Surgeons. ^ A printable CME certificate is available upon successful completion. ^ CD will install the necessary software (PC or Mac). ^ The learner is offered two attempts to pass a multiple-choice exam with a minimum score of 80% at the completion of the program. ^ Residents must submit a letter from their director/chair to document residency status. ^ Only one user per CD is allowed. Online access is needed to register the CD and to take the exam. ^ ^ ^ ^ $300 for nonmembers $225 for Fellows of the College $125 for residents with letter proving status* $90 for Resident and Associate Society (RAS) members (Additional $16 for shipping and handling of international orders) *Non-RAS residents must supply a letter confirming status as a resident from a program director or administrator and are limited to one CD-ROM. The CD can be purchased online at http://www.acs-resource.org or by calling Customer Service at 312/202-5474. For additional information, contact Olivier Petinaux, MS, tel. 866/475-4696, e-mail elearning@facs.org The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The ACS designates this educational activity for a maximum of four AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ toward the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those credits that he/she actually spent in the activity. The American Medical Association has determined that physicians not licensed in the U.S. who participate in this CME activity are also eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.™ http://www.acs-resource.org http://www.acs-resource.org
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Surgery News - August 2008 Surgery News - August 2008 Contents The 20/20 Vision: Making Amends News From the College: Dedicated Effort Opinion: NOTESworthy? Pediatric Surgery: Burn Remedy Surgery News - August 2008 Surgery News - August 2008 - Contents (Page 1) Surgery News - August 2008 - Contents (Page 2) Surgery News - August 2008 - Contents (Page 3) Surgery News - August 2008 - Contents (Page 4) Surgery News - August 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Surgery News - August 2008 - The 20/20 Vision: Making Amends (Page 6) Surgery News - August 2008 - The 20/20 Vision: Making Amends (Page 7) Surgery News - August 2008 - News From the College: Dedicated Effort (Page 8) Surgery News - August 2008 - News From the College: Dedicated Effort (Page 9) Surgery News - August 2008 - News From the College: Dedicated Effort (Page 10) Surgery News - August 2008 - News From the College: Dedicated Effort (Page 11) Surgery News - August 2008 - Opinion: NOTESworthy? (Page 12) Surgery News - August 2008 - Pediatric Surgery: Burn Remedy (Page 13) Surgery News - August 2008 - Pediatric Surgery: Burn Remedy (Page 14) Surgery News - August 2008 - Pediatric Surgery: Burn Remedy (Page 15) Surgery News - August 2008 - Pediatric Surgery: Burn Remedy (Page 16)
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