University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
Monday, October 13, 2008 :: 05:10
Medical Student Association | American Medical Student Association | American Medical Women's Association | Association of Native American Medical Students | Association for the Advancement of Minorities in Medicine | Christian Medical and Dental Association | Crossroads | Emergency Medicine Interest Group | Family Practice Interest Group | Healthcare Students for Social Action | Integrative Health Group | Internal Medicine Interest Group | International Health Interest Group | LGBT People in Medicine | New Mexico Student Medical Society | Pediatric Interest Group | Student Run Clinic for the Homeless | Surgery Interest Group | Sports Medicine Interest Group | Wilderness & Travel Medical Society | Women's Health Interest Group
The Medical Student Association (MSA) serves as a forum for the educational committee members to report the business of respective committees to medical students, and to facilitate communication between medical students and the School of Medicine faculty and administration.
All medical students are members of the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA). This organization provides representation and advocacy as well as direct services. Students from all graduate programs meet once a month at GPSA Council meetings. GPSA appoints students to University committees and lobbies the NM legislature. GPSA also funds individual and group projects. The GPSA offices, computer work room and lounge are located Main Campus and are open Monday through Friday (277-3803). Two MSA representatives from each class are elected to serve on the GPSA Council and are charged with keeping the medical student body informed about GPSA activities and services. GPSA services include the following:
Pro-rated Benefits. A portion of the $20 per semester GPSA fee is returned to departmental organizations through pro-rated benefits or PB funds. The MSA distributes these funds to chartered medical student organizations. These funds may be used for supplies, equipment, honorariums, or other expenditures in accordance with UNM policy. PB funds are claimed based on medical student enrollment. For more information, contact the MSA representatives for your class or the class immediately ahead of yours.
Student Research Allocations Committee of the GPSA awards funds to individual graduate students for research and travel to meetings. Apply through GPSA by the fifth Friday of fall and spring semesters.
Projects Committee provides funds for special projects and guest speakers.
AMSA encourages a strong influx of first year students to guide the local chapter in directions that would be most beneficial to students in New Mexico and throughout the region.
The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) is the nation's largest independent organization of medical students. AMSA is dedicated to improving the quality of medical care and medical education through community outreach programs that involve medical students at the local level; advancing interesting and enriching alternatives in medical education; providing a voice for political representation of medical students at the local, state, and national level; and providing a forum for communication among medical students across the country through task forces in areas of special interest. AMSA members are eligible for additional benefits including discounts on publications, a very competitive group health insurance plan, and access to an AMSA-sponsored MasterCard without prior credit history.
Meetings are held periodically to coordinate local activities concerning membership services and other projects. AMSA is separate from the American Medical Association but does coordinate with them to organize events that can benefit our fellow students.
First time AMSA dues of $65 cover a four-year subscription to The New Physician, a monthly student journal. And if you choose to sign up for the AMSA MBNA credit card, you will receive a free Netter’s Anatomy textbook!
AMWA Vision The American Medical Women’s Association empowers women to lead in improving health for all within a model that reflects the unique perspective of women.
AMWA Mission The American Medical Women’s Association is an organization which functions at the local, national and international level to advance women in medicine and improve women’s health. We achieve this by providing and developing leadership, advocacy, education, expertise, mentoring and strategic alliances.
Current Projects:
The Association of Native American Medical Students (ANAMS) provides support and is a resource network for all Native Americans currently enrolled in the various allied health professions. ANAMS strives to increase the number of Native American students in medicine and other health professions. ANAMS also works to promote the organization on a national level throughout the medical community.
The Association for the Advancement of Minorities in Medicine (AAMM) is dedicated to providing social and academic support for under-represented students, and serving as role models for the recruitment and outreach of other under-represented students into the health related fields at the undergraduate, high, middle, and elementary school levels. The AAMM provides medical students with workshops and informal tutoring; familiarizes students on issues such as career choices, political/social/economic realities, and care for minority patients in our current health care system; and offers a comfortable setting in which to celebrate our cultural distinctions. The outreach activities are often in conjunction with the Office of Cultural and Ethnic Programs (OCEP) and include the MANOS and MESA programs, the New Mexico Hispanic Medical Association, and involvement with a national network of other medical school minority organizations. AAMM is sponsored by OCEP. All interested students, residents, and physicians are encouraged to participate in our academic and social ventures.
A student organization striving to serve our fellow students, the HSC community, and Albuquerque area.
Crossroads is a student advocacy organization promoting the health and well being of medical students. Membership consists of elected representatives from each class and four physicians at large. Crossroads members recognize the unique stresses that health professionals confront, as well as the increased risk of the development of emotional difficulties and/or dependencies in response to those stresses. Its goal is to provide a forum in which to identify and diffuse stress issues, and to offer confidential support to all students, especially those in danger of impairment, and to educate peers on recognition of these issues and avenues of self-help. Crossroads maintains a resource base of community professionals willing to counsel students.
The Emergency Medicine Interest Group provides a forum for students and faculty to explore issues and concerns of emergency medicine as a specialty in the medical profession.
The Family Practice Interest Group seeks to generate interest in primary care medicine and to learn more about the specialty of family practice. The group sponsors workshops which provide first and second year medical students the opportunity to learn and practice skills necessary for the clinical years. Opportunities exist for membership with the American Academy of Family Physicians, participation in the annual meeting of the AAFP’s National Congress of Family Practice Residents and Students, and active involvement in National Primary Care Day.
Healthcare Students for Social Action is dedicated to increasing education and awareness of relevant social issues in healthcare, and to facilitating active involvement in the community. The group sponsors lectures and other opportunities for discussion of important current topics in healthcare, a peer support group, and community service activities. Membership is open to all UNM health professions students, as well as interested faculty, staff, and the community.
The Integrative Health Group is dedicated to creating an awareness of complementary and alternative health issues in the field of medicine.
The Internal Medicine Interest Group provides and promotes access to activities, events, networks organizations and professionals that will enhance and enlarge individuals’ knowledge and experience with internal medicine.
The objectives of the International Health Interest Group are: to provide students, faculty and community members with a forum for shared experiences and discussions about international health; to build a network of contacts in the international health field and assemble a database of opportunities and funding for students interested in international health experiences; and to partake in community projects and promote a greater awareness of international health issues.
The group is affiliated with the USA-International Health Project (USA-IHP) and is part of the International Federation of Medical Student Associations (IFMSA) and the Network for Community Partnerships for Health through Education, Service and Research.
This group is the LGBT branch of the American Medical Student Association.
The New Mexico Student Medical Society brings into one organization the students of medicine at UNM, promotes the science and art of medicine, and promotes the betterment of public health and unity, harmony and welfare of the medical profession. This organization is the student affiliate of the American Medical Association and the New Mexico Medical Society
The Pediatric Interest Group (PIG) provides educational and volunteer opportunities related to pediatric medicine for the interested students of the School of Medicine. The group provides monthly speakers, appropriate practical skills workshop and volunteer projects to promote the understanding and appreciation of the various aspects of pediatric care within the hospital and community.
The UNM Student Run Clinic for the Homeless is comprised of UNM medical students, residents, physician assistants and physicians. It serves a diverse group of homeless people in the Albuquerque area. The mission is to offer clients a positive health care experience. This includes managing acute problems and providing access to continuing care through referrals to appropriate community resources. Additionally, it creates an environment in which students, preceptors, and patients may learn from and teach one another. Students are given the opportunity to practice history taking and physical exam skills. Finally, our future goals are to expand to include students and providers from other health care and social services. Please visit the website to learn more and to get involved: srch.unm.edu.
To provide an organization that nurtures students’ interest in sports medicine. SMIG will nurture interest in education, research, training and community involvement related to sports medicine.
The Surgical Interest Group fosters the education, skills and career ambitions of medical students who are interested in a career in surgery.
The UNM Sex Education Project is a partnership between UNM medical students and faculty aimed at providing accurate, evidenced-based health information to assist high school students in understanding sexuality, making responsible decisions, and preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Our goal is to deliver a curriculum that includes reproductive anatomy and physiology, communication skills, abstinence, contraception, and STD prevention while simultaneously serving as role models for careers in medicine.
Teachers can download the UNM Sex Ed Project Evaluation form HERE
To provide many trips to explore the outdoors and learn medicine in the outdoor environment. A major goal is the education of people about any topic related to the outdoors. Topics often include expeditions, health care, emergencies, and physiology. Topics of guest speakers have ranged from “Venomous Snakes of the Southwest” and “Marine Environments” to “High Altitude Emergencies.” The Society also plans outings to surrounding areas. The Wilderness Medical Journal is on reserve in the Library for use by all medical students.
The Women’s Health Interest Group is dedicated to educating both the medical community and the public about women’s health. Its purpose is to expand educational opportunities related to women’s health for healthcare students by implementing a women’s health curriculum and by providing supplemental activities. It aims to provide avenues for community involvement and education related to women’s health and to offer resources to students interested in a career in women’s health. It strives to inform healthcare students about current legislative activities affecting women’s health as well as to increase women’s health advocacy within the medical community. The group’s activities include a mentorship program, a monthly seminar/speaker series, and a physical exam workshop.
