Beyond the White Coat

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.

In the latest episode of “Beyond the White Coat,” AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, and Roger A. Mitchell Jr., MD, chair of the Department of Pathology at Howard University College of Medicine, have a compelling and informative discussion on gun violence as a public health crisis and how the academic medicine community can come together to address prevention.

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.  Episode Guests:Giselle Corbie-Smith, MD, is a Kenan distinguished professor of the Departments of Social Medicine and Medicine and the director of the UNC Center for Health Equity Research at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, as well as the associate provost for UNC Rural Initiatives at UNC Chapel Hill. She is nationally recognized for her scholarly work on the inclusion of disparity populations in research and is accomplished in drawing communities, faculty, and health care providers into working partnerships in clinical and translational research. Her empirical work, using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, has focused on the methodological, ethical, and practical issues of research to address racial disparities in health.Aaron Gerstenmaier, MD, is the associate chief medical officer of Community of Hope — a nonprofit organization that focuses health services on low-income, medically under-resourced residents of Washington, D.C. — where he oversees a wide range of medical care and other programs designed to improve the health of vulnerable populations. Dr. Gerstenmaier has played a critical role in ensuring the continuity of medical services to the Washington, D.C., community during the pandemic, overseeing the transition to virtual care, supporting occupational health programs, ensuring clinical protocols for COVID-19 testing and vaccine distribution, and providing a range of other health services to over 11,000 patients in 2020. As an assistant professor of medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine, he demonstrates a strong commitment to medical student and resident education, particularly around the importance and role of community health care. He also has his degree of fellow from the American Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Gerstenmaier is board-certified in family medicine and received his medical degree from the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He also completed his residency at Georgetown/Providence Family Medicine Residency Program.Credits:Hosted by Karey Sutton, PhD, AAMC director of health equity research workforce and director of research for the AAMC Center for Health Justice.Produced by Stephanie Weiner, AAMC director of digital strategy and engagement, and Laura Zelaya, AAMC production manager.Recorded and edited by Laura Zelaya, AAMC production manager.With special contributions from Michelle Zajac, AAMC digital copy editor; Sholape Oriola, AAMC video specialist; and Mikhaila Richards, AAMC senior digital content strategist.You Might Also Be Interested In:“A Different Kind of Leader” podcast 10 Principles of Trustworthiness from the AAMC Center for Health Justice 

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.Episode GuestsEaric Bonner, MD, is an internal medicine physician at Vidant Internal Medicine in Edenton, North Carolina. He also works at Vidant Chowan Hospital as a hospitalist and at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University as an assistant professor of internal medicine. Currently, he serves as the medical director for ambulatory quality and patient safety; the regional medical director for the Vidant practices in Bertie, Chowan, and Perquimans counties; and director of continuing medical education for Vidant Chowan Hospital. He was formerly the hospitalist medical director and chief of medicine for Vidant Chowan Hospital. In his practice, he continues to teach students and residents from North Carolina’s medical, nursing, and physician assistant schools.Mamie Williams, MPH, is the director of nurse safety and well-being at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is currently completing a PhD in nursing from the University of Kansas. At present, she serves as the co-chair of the VUMC African American Employee Resource Group and the VUMC Racial Equity Task Force. Ms. Williams is also an advisory board member for the American Nurses Association’s Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation national initiative. In her spare time, Ms. Williams is an avid gardener.  Ross McKinney Jr., MD, is the AAMC’s chief scientific officer, an infectious disease specialist, and a member of the Duke University faculty for over 30 years. During his time at Duke, he was director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, vice dean for research at Duke University School of Medicine, and director of the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities, and History of Medicine. Dr. McKinney leads the AAMC’s programs that support medical research and the training of physician-scientists in academic medicine.Zanthia Wiley, MD, is the director of antimicrobial stewardship at Emory University Hospital Midtown. She completed medical school at the University of Alabama School of Medicine and both her Internal Medicine residency and Infectious Diseases fellowship at Emory. She has the unique experience of having worked as an academic hospitalist at Emory for 10 years prior to pursuing a career in infectious diseases. Dr. Wiley is dedicated to education and received the Jonas A. Shulman Teacher of the Year Award for 2018-2019, which is awarded yearly by the Emory Infectious Diseases fellows to a faculty member for excellence in teaching. She is a member of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Education Committee and the Infectious Diseases Society of America Medical Education Community of Practice. Dr. Wiley is the joint principal investigator on an institutional Woodruff Health Sciences Center COVID-19 Center for Urgent Research Engagement Award assessing “Clinical Characteristics, Outcomes, and Predictors of Readmission in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients at Eight Atlanta Hospitals.” She is an investigator in several clinical trials, including the large national Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial studies, and she is a co-investigator in the Emory Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit. Dr. Wiley is a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council in Emory University School of Medicine's Department of Medicine and the Emory Collaborative Community Outreach and Health Disparities Research Initiative, and she serves as the physician lead of the Emory Healthcare COVID-19 Treatment Guidance Committee. She has given numerous talks on COVID-19 disparities on a local, regional, and national level and is dedicated to educating patients, their families, health care providers, and the community on the importance of COVID-19 vaccination.Credits:Hosted by Rosha McCoy, MD, AAMC senior director for advancing clinical leadership and quality.Produced by Stephanie Weiner, AAMC director of digital strategy and engagement.Recorded and edited by Laura Zelaya, AAMC production manager.With special contributions from Michelle Zajac, AAMC digital copy editor; Sholape Oriola, AAMC video specialist; John Buarotti, AAMC senior media relations specialist; and Mikhaila Richards, AAMC senior digital content strategist.You Might Also Be Interested In:“Convincing Rural Residents to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine” AAMCNews, April 15, 2021 More episodes in the “VaccineVoices” podcast seriesAAMC resources for media covering COVID-19 vaccination efforts Myths and facts about COVID-19 vaccines (CDC) 

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, 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.Episode Guests:David Callender, MD, is the president and CEO of the Memorial Hermann Health System. In his role, Dr. Callender is responsible for leading and overseeing the system’s network of more than 270 hospitals and diagnostic and specialty centers, with more than 28,000 employees and 6,500 affiliated physicians. An ENT surgeon with expertise in head and neck cancers, Dr. Callender has proven to be a successful health care leader over the course of his career, achieving successes in forward-thinking strategic planning, improvements in delivering high-quality and high-value health care, fostering strong leadership development, engaging employees, and enabling physician collaboration.Marc Boom, MD, is the president and CEO of Houston Methodist and holds the Ella Fondren and Josie Roberts presidential distinguished centennial chair. Dr. Boom holds a BS in biology with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin, an MD with high honors from Baylor College of Medicine, and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He completed residencies in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and fellowships in geriatric medicine and general medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He is board-certified in internal medicine and geriatric medicine and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.Credits:Hosted by Janis Orlowski, MD, AAMC chief health care officer.Produced by Stephanie Weiner, AAMC director of digital strategy and engagement.Recorded and edited by Laura Zelaya, AAMC production manager.With special contributions from Michelle Zajac, AAMC digital copy editor; Sholape Oriola, AAMC video specialist; Mikhaila Richards, AAMC senior digital content strategist; Gabi Redford, AAMCNews managing editor; and Victoria Rivas-Vazquez, AAMC senior director of strategic communications.You Might Also Be Interested In:“Is It Safe? How Experts Assessed J&J’s Suspended COVID-19 Vaccine” AAMCNews, April 23, 2021“Dollars to Doughnuts: Will Incentives Motivate COVID-19 Vaccination?” AAMCNews, April 15, 2021New resource for media covering COVID-19 vaccination efforts: The AAMC has launched VaccineWise.org as part of its ongoing cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Our goal is to build trust and promote confidence in COVID-19 vaccines among health care personnel and communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. VaccineWise.org is a central resource for members of the media covering COVID-19 vaccination efforts across the country. The website is updated weekly to share media alerts, information, resources, and current data, as well as background on available spokespeople from the AAMC and its member medical schools and teaching hospitals. 

In a new episode of the “Beyond the White Coat” podcast, David J. Skorton, MD, AAMC president and CEO, talks with guests about how the academic medicine community can educate lawmakers about the issues that will help their institutions continue to serve their patients and communities. Guests include Karen Fisher, JD, AAMC chief public policy officer; Jim Leary, JD, vice president of government and community relations for UMass Memorial Health Care and co-chair of the AAMC Government Relations Representatives (GRR) group; and Maurice Rigsby, JD, vice chancellor for institutional relations at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and chair-elect of the AAMC GRR group. Episode Guests: Karen Fisher, JD, is the AAMC’s chief public policy officer. She leads the AAMC’s policy and advocacy efforts on federal policies affecting the “health of all,” particularly those involving AAMC-member medical schools and teaching hospitals’ missions of education, research, clinical care, and community collaborations. An expert on health care policy analysis, development, and implementation, Fisher has more than 25 years of legislative and regulatory expertise gained in both the public and private sectors. Jim Leary, JD, has served as the vice president of government and community relations for UMass Memorial Health Care since 2018. Prior to his current role, he held the same title at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is the current chair of the AAMC Government Relations Representatives (GRR) group. Between 2000 and 2007, he served as a Massachusetts state representative for the 14th Worcester District. In addition, he was the senior advisor to former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and chief of staff to former Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray. Leary earned his undergraduate degree in politics from Assumption College and his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.Maurice Rigsby, JD, has served as the vice chancellor for institutional relations at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) since 2017. He is the chair-elect of the AAMC GRR group. Prior to his role at the UAMS, Rigsby worked in the Arkansas attorney general’s office, where he managed the attorney general’s policy agenda while working with members of the state legislature and the governor’s office. Credits:Hosted by David J. Skorton, MD, AAMC president and CEO.Produced by Kathy Gambrell, AAMC senior digital content strategist. Recorded and edited by Laura Zelaya, AAMC production manager, and Sholape Oriola, AAMC video specialist.With special contributions from Michelle Zajac, AAMC digital copy editor; Stephanie Weiner, AAMC director of digital strategy and engagement; and Erica Froyd, AAMC senior director of advocacy and engagement. You Might Also Be Interested In:2021 Policy Priorities to Improve the Nation’s HealthAAMC Advocacy and Policy ResourcesMore From the “Beyond the White Coat” Podcast

Clarence Fluker talks with three guests about the alarming absence of Black men in medicine: 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.Episode Guests: Norma Poll-Hunter, PhD, is the senior director of the workforce diversity portfolio in equity, diversity, and inclusion at the AAMC. In this role, she leads a portfolio of career development programs with a focus on diversity and inclusion across the medical education continuum. She serves as the deputy director for the Summer Health Professions Education Program, a national pipeline program to increase diversity in the health professions. Prior to the AAMC, Dr. Poll-Hunter practiced as a bilingual psychologist at a regional hospital in upstate New York. Following receipt of her BA from Lehman College, City University of New York, Dr. Poll-Hunter earned her PhD in counseling psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Malcolm Woodland, PhD, is the co-founder and director of Young Doctors DC, a mentoring, education, and pipeline to health careers​ program for Black boys and young men in Washington, D.C. Dr. Woodland is also the chief psychologist and chair of clinical research at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Prior to his current position, Dr. Woodland served as an American Educational Research Association fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from Howard University and completed his undergraduate studies at Tougaloo College in Mississippi. André Smith is a 2020 graduate of the University of Mississippi, where he majored in biological sciences and minored in chemistry and society and health. He is currently studying for his master’s degree in health sciences at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He aspires to be an orthopedic surgeon. Mr. Smith is a member of the Action Collaborative for Black Men in Medicine steering committee sponsored by the AAMC and the National Medical Association. The Action Collaborative for Black Men in Medicine is a networking community that aims to increase the representation of Black men in medicine. Credits: Hosted by Clarence Fluker, AAMC director of community engagement. Produced by Mikhaila Richards, AAMC senior digital content strategist.Recorded and edited by Laura Zelaya, AAMC production manager. With special contributions from  Sholape Oriola, AAMC video specialist, and Michelle Zajac, AAMC digital copy editor.You Might Also Be Interested In: Altering the Course: Black Males in Medicine, AAMC 2015AAMC, NMA Announce Black Action Collaborative, August 3, 2020Young Doctors DC  

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.”Episode Guests (full bios are available on episode pages):Lonnie G. Bunch III, Season 2, Episode 1 guestDavid A. Acosta, MD, Season 2, Episode 2 guestMax Jordan Nguemeni Tiako, Season 2, Episode 3 guestLaura Guidry-Grimes, PhD; Brian Gittens, EdD; Carol Major, MD; and Charles Vega, MD, Season 2, Episode 4 guestsCredits:Narrated by David J. Skorton, MD, AAMC president and CEO.Produced by Stephanie Weiner, AAMC director of digital strategy and engagement.Recorded and edited by Laura Zelaya, AAMC production manager.With special contributions from Michelle Zajac, AAMC digital copy editor; Sholape Oriola, AAMC video specialist; and Kristin Zipay, AAMC executive communications lead writer.You Might Also Be Interested In:AAMC Racism and Health ResourcesRacism and Health: A Reading ListMore From the “Beyond the White Coat” Podcast