Blake For Board

The AMA-MSS National Advocacy Week came to a close last Friday -- a nationwide opportunity to learn about and organize around some of the biggest issues facing the medical community today. The opioid epidemic, firearm violence, the high cost of prescription drugs, and the physician shortage crisis will affect how we, the next generation of physicians practice medicine. Our incredible GRAF, Hari Iyer, worked with our committees to provide a set of resources to engage students at the grassroots level.

Organizing National Advocacy Week (NAW) and the Medical Student Advocacy and Region Conference (MARC) was one of the highlights of my time in Washington. When medical students organize, we produce results. I’ve led efforts as GRAF to empower our Section in the advocacy space. As a member of the BOT, I will work relentlessly to ensure our perspective is understood and our priorities are elevated. When given a seat at the table, I will never be afraid to use my voice for the betterment and progress of our Section.

My Boys - The Ultimate Stress Reliever

Throughout my time in medical school, I’ve chosen to be honest with myself, my colleagues, and my friends and family about my experiences with burnout, anxiety, and stress during my pre-clinical years. The reality is that navigating medical school, residency, and your professional career as a physician is anything but easy. Medical students feel the stressors of securing residency positions, while residents navigate the challenges of their training responsibilities. My feline children have often helped mitigate those moments of hardship and uncertainty. I'm here to tell you that pet therapy is real. So, without further ado, meet Crush and Mack Murphy Gudmundson Farr! And to learn more about the AMA’a resources around burnout, check out the link here:
https://www.ama-assn.org/topics/physician-burnout

A shot from the "Hearing on Costs of Rural Health Care" held by the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security. This was one of my first congressional hearings as the Government Relations Advocacy Fellow in the AMA’s federal advocacy department. I still remember the change in energy when Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Ranking Member Sanders (I-VT) walked in the room. As I furiously typed my notes, I can often recall the impassioned statements from Senators calling on the committee to make more than empty promises to Americans living in rural communities. Tackling the care delivery and financial challenges of rural health care is not something that can be accomplished in a 4-hour hearing. However, it did represent a start to ongoing and important conversations about the health and well-being of populations acutely affected by the physician shortage crisis.

During my time as GRAF, I had the opportunity to understand, analyze and advocate for increased GME funding as a means to support rural and urban underserved communities. To learn more about just some of the AMA’s efforts to support GME expansion, check out the link here:
https://www.ama-assn.org/education/gme-funding/save-graduate-medical-education