Interested in choosing the next leaders of the University of Michigan Chapter of AMSA for the 2009-2010 year? The M1s running for position appear below.

NOTE: ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD ONLINE. Dates TBA.

M1 Voters: Information on how to vote will be sent to your UMich email address.

*2 CO-Chairs*

  -Duties of the M1 chairs include (1) communicating news of AMSA activities to the first-year class, (2) assisting with the planning of those activities, and (3) helping to sculpt the local agenda based on their particular interests in activism and advocacy.

 

Candidates:

As of October 1st, these are the 09-10 candidates for M1 Chair:

Chester Chan

I strongly believe in AMSA’s motto of “action” and will use my previous experiences to act wisely on your behalf. I’ve worked in diverse communities both domestically and internationally. I taught chem and physics to over 100 NYC high-school students for two years; during my time, the physics Regents pass rate increased from one student per year to 10 students per year. During a study abroad in Cameroon, I interviewed local patients and traditional healers in order to understand Western and traditional Cameroonian health systems. After my trip, I raised approximately $2000 to send Cameroonian orphans to school through a benefit concert, candy bar sales, and an online auction. Much of this was accomplished as president of the UW Golden Key chapter; I led a society of about 400 members. I also worked in the software industry before deciding that computers weren’t for me.

What these experiences have shown me are two things: what it means to be underserved and how to solve difficult problems. I’ve seen what health disparities mean to both inner-city and international youth. I’ve set and accomplished goals as a teacher, an honor society president, and a software programmer. I’d be honored to represent you and promise to get the job done.


Michael Clery

I am interested in the AMSA Representative position as I would like to participate in guiding AMSA’s efforts to most effectively advocate for relevant issues. I think it would be beneficial to collaborate with other active coalitions and interest groups to make sure we aren’t duplicating efforts and that we have strong guidance in complicated arenas. The greatest strength of AMSA is its independence in consideration and action which I would hope to optimize through creating such partnerships outside of the UM medical system sphere. I also have been involved for a couple years with AMSA and am aware of the national structure and how to best utilize it.


 

Sarah Lieber

I would love to serve as a M1 representative on the AMSA Board. I have already begun to work with AMSA members heading up the Bioethics group and developing unique projects to introduce new teaching methods to medical students. My interests range from global health to medical education—from medical ethics to health care reform. Having worked two years in Washington D.C. doing research in health policy and bioethics, I can bring my unique experiences and perspective on these two fields to the AMSA board. I have had significant exposure to the public health and international health setting, having worked at the World Health Organization. I have a lot of exciting ideas for speakers on health policy and bioethics and would love to create a forum for interdisciplinary discussion where medical students can learn about the future of health care reform and how to actively engage in developing creative and ethical health policies. I have a passion for working with people and would love to represent your interests and concerns to the AMSA board. I would work extremely hard to bring any issues or topics that you thought to be provocative or engaging to the attention of AMSA, fellow med students, and faculty.

 

Udayan Shah


AMSA is working to eliminate smoking in restaurants and bars. How many other organizations are fighting for something so ridiculously amazing that it makes perfect sense to pretty much everyone except for the people who are supposed to pass laws? And who doesn’t want less student debt? It’s something everyone agrees with, but AMSA is one of the few groups actively working for that cause. That’s why I want to run for M1 rep. Because I am passionate about what AMSA is about. No one cares more about medical student’s issues than an organization of medical students. But it’s bigger than us too. Like Delonis Clinic. Like AMSA’s political initiatives, such as improved access to healthcare, expanding the primary care workforce, and preventing physician reimbursement cuts. Why should you vote for me besides my passion for the issues? Because I’m good at organizing. Because I like working with people to accomplish a higher goal. I would really look forward to throwing events for our class that are exciting, important, meaningful AND that enrich our lives as medical students. I would also be open to hearing suggestions from all of you, and for addressing the issues that YOU feel are important.

 

Nirmish Singla

In due course I hope to become involved with AMSA nationally, and I feel that involvement as an M1 Representative at the local level will undoubtedly serve as a valuable stepping stone to pursue that aspiration. Medical students are the future of healthcare, and AMSA represents the conscience of this influential body. We as students collectively bring a number of fantastic ideas for improving national health policy, global healthcare delivery, diversity in medicine, and medical education, but without effective communication and adequate representation between levels of organization, several of these ideas may not come to fruition. Consequently, it is crucial that AMSA representatives are able to effectively serve their colleagues and facilitate bidirectional communication between the board and the student body while demonstrating a passion for leadership. Given my experiences with leading a number of organizations and networking with colleagues, physicians, and corporate sponsors across the globe, I understand the difficulty of representing a multitude of individual interests, but at the same time I embrace this challenge and look forward to bringing my ideas and experience to AMSA while engaging my fellow classmates in fulfilling AMSA's core values as an M1 Representative.