Recognizing the contributions of academic medicine and observing Academic Medicine Week from June 10 through 14, 2024.

Bill: 118-hres-1289
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14]
Introduced: 2024-06-11
Policy area: Health
Latest action: action_date: 2024-06-11
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Summaries:
action_date: 2024-06-11
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution expresses support for the designation of Academic Medicine Week.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1289 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 11, 2024 Ms. Castor of Florida (for herself and Mr. Fitzpatrick ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Recognizing the contributions of academic medicine and observing Academic Medicine Week from June 10 through 14, 2024.

Whereas the week of June 10 through 14, 2024, is designated Academic Medicine Week to honor the contributions of academic medicine to medical research, clinical care, medical education, and community health nationwide; Whereas academic medicine, the Nation’s academic health systems and teaching hospitals, medical schools, resident physicians, faculty physicians, students, and researchers, serves a vital and unique role in the United States health care system; Whereas these providers and institutions, including the Association of American Medical Colleges ( AAMC ) network of approximately 400 academic health systems and teaching hospitals and 158 medical schools, focus on four missions— (1) educating and training the Nation’s health care workforce; (2) conducting groundbreaking medical research; (3) delivering cutting-edge patient care, including care for the sickest and most complex patients; and (4) collaborating with communities to improve the health of communities everywhere; Whereas the AAMC leads and serves the United States medical schools, academic health systems and teaching hospitals, and the millions of individuals across academic medicine, including more than 193,000 full-time faculty members, 96,000 medical students, 153,000 resident physicians, and 60,000 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the biomedical sciences; Whereas AAMC-member institutions drive medical research and innovation, and the unique partnership between the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) and the Nation’s medical schools and teaching hospitals, forged just after World War II, deepens the understanding of the mechanisms of human health and disease, leading to advancements in treatments, therapies, and medical technologies that bring hope to patients and families; Whereas, approximately 60 percent of all NIH extramural research is conducted by AAMC-member institutions; Whereas the AAMC continues to project that physician demand will grow faster than supply (primarily driven by a growing, aging United States population) leading to a projected total physician shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, action is needed now to address the physician shortage and additionally, AAMC-member teaching health systems and hospitals train over 70 percent of medical residents; Whereas the AAMC believes that diversity in medical education and training is an important component to helping ensure that all physicians are prepared to serve the Nation regardless of their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or where they live; Whereas progress has been made in growing the number of medical schools and thus, the number of medical graduates since the academic year 2002–2003, total medical school enrollment has grown by more than 38 percent as medical schools have expanded class sizes and more than 32 new medical schools have opened, more remains to be done to increase the reach of medical education, especially in rural and underserved areas; Whereas a key element of addressing the physician shortage and diversifying the workforce is increasing Medicare support for graduate medical education, which will help boost access to high-quality care, particularly for rural and other underserved populations; Whereas continued support is needed for the Health Resources and Services Administration title VII health professions and title VIII nursing programs, which play an important role in connecting students to health careers by enhancing recruitment, education, training, and mentorship opportunities; Whereas the perspectives of learners have been represented and augmented through the AAMC on important issues including the K–12 pathway to careers in medicine, STEM education, student loans, and faculty mentorship, and bipartisan approaches to strengthening medical education continues; Whereas AAMC-member institutions equip medical students with the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion to positively impact patients, students, health care organizations, and society generally by improving the clinical learning environment, health care quality, health outcomes, and patient satisfaction; Whereas medical schools and academic health systems teaching and hospitals collaborate and share expertise, resources, and responsibility within their communities for achieving shared goals; Whereas through interactions built on trust, mutual respect, cultural humility, and mutual benefit, medical schools and teaching hospitals work with communities on activities that include community-based service learning, community-engaged research, and community-driven health services delivery; Whereas AAMC-member institutions and the Department of Veterans Affairs ( VA ) have forged and maintained a 78-year partnership, built on the shared missions of education, health care, and medical research, which has improved the lives of veterans and improved health equity for veterans by ensuring ensured they have access to advanced health care; Whereas through this historic collaboration, the VA has become the largest single provider of medical training in the country, with approximately 70 percent of all physicians in the United States completing at least part of their training in VA facilities; Whereas medical schools and academic health systems and teaching hospitals contributed more than $728 billion in gross domestic product ( GDP ), 3.2 percent of the United States GDP, in 2019, an economic impact comparable in size to other important sectors such as transportation, warehousing, and accommodation and food services; Whereas AAMC-member institutions generate approximately $2,218 in economic impact per person and supported more than 7.1 million jobs in the United States across multiple industries, which was approximately 4.4 percent of the 2019 labor force nationwide, and paid an average of more than $68,000 in wages, salaries, and benefits per job; Whereas academic medicine’s four mission areas are so deeply interconnected that inadequate financing or reductions in support for one mission area limit the effectiveness of the others; Whereas cutting funding to academic medicine inhibits support for the education, research, and community collaboration missions; and Whereas cutting funding for medical research leads to fewer lifesaving advancements, which results in poorer patient health outcomes and by maintaining predictable and reliable investments in medical research, physician training, and patient care, it improves the health of the Nation: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) supports the designation of Academic Medicine Week ; (2) affirms the unique and critical impact of academic medicine on patients and communities nationwide; (3) recognizes the importance of ensuring strong Federal support for programs that support academic medicine’s leadership in medical research, cutting-edge patient care, innovative medical education, and critical community collaborations; and (4) encourages the people of the United States to recognize the critical role of the Nation’s medical schools and academic health systems and teaching hospitals in improving the health of all.