AMWA Women Lead Scholarship
At a time when many of the issues discussed in Congress and state legislatures concern health care, it is important to have the voice of physicians heard, ideally as members of those bodies. Traditionally, few physicians have run for elected office, with only 15 physicians currently serving in Congress; only 1% of state legislators are physicians. Women physicians, in particular, bring important expertise and viewpoints to policy discussions. There are currently 21 women in the US Senate and 84 in the House of Representatives- none of these are physicians. Women hold about 25% of seats in state legislatures, a number that is decreasing. About 10% of these are physicians. While the good news is that women broke records in the recent primaries for the number of gubernatorial and US House nominees, it is time that we also take the next step- encouraging women physicians to run for office.
Women Lead is a new program of the American Medical Women’s Association sponsored by AMWA Past President, Dr. Kim Templeton. The program will provide $1000 to support one AMWA physician member each year to attend the AMA Political Action Campaign (AMPAC) School which is held every year in December. AMPAC is the bipartisan political action committee of the American Medical Association. AMPAC’s mission is to find and support physician candidates for Congressional offices. To learn more about the AMPAC Campaign School, here.
“Recognized as one of the top programs in the country, this comprehensive program will mold you into a winning political strategist and help you elect friends of medicine. The Campaign School is renowned for its use of a simulated campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, complete with demographics, voting statistics and candidate biographies.” [AMPAC]
The next AMPAC Campaign School is December 6-9, 2018. To apply for the AMWA Women Lead Scholarship, please visit the link below. You will be asked to upload your most recent CV, confirm your MD/DO status and AMWA membership status, and provide a statement of about 250 words that indicates your interest in politics/health policy, what you would hope to get from this opportunity, and/or what you see as the most pressing issues in politics/ health policy, either locally or nationally. Recipients of Women Lead funds are asked to submit an article to the AMWA Newsflash about their experiences. Application or selection to receive this scholarship does not guarantee acceptance into the Campaign School.
Apply here for the AMWA Women Lead Scholarship: deadline September 7, 2018
Notifications regarding the scholarship will be sent out by September 15, 2018.
Deadline to apply to the AMPAC Campaign School: September 21, 2018
