Pride, Juneteenth & 4 Years Without Roe:
None of Us are Free Until We’re All Free

Written by Jeff Koetje, MD, AMSA Senior Director of Education & Programming

In the spirit of this month, we join in the many recognitions, celebrations, and observations of (June 19th), , and the 4-year mark of the decision that overturned Roe v Wade. May the spirit of liberation move like the wind, lift us up, and propel us forward in the ongoing and interconnected work of getting free, and may there always be singing and dancing along the way.��

In the dark times
Will there also be singing?
Yes, there will also be singing.
AMSA the dark times.
-Bertolt Brecht

This is one of those years when the many circumstances of the present moment make it hard to simply say, “Happy Pride!” or “Happy Juneteenth!”��

With respect to the overall material conditions experienced by gay people, queer people, trans people, Black people, brown people, women and femme people, pregnant people, immigrants, migrants, refugees, and unhoused people – and every intersection of lived experience thereof – things have objectively gotten worse in the United States. Human rights and civil liberty protections have been rolled back; stochastic terrorism targeting minoritized and marginalized people is the political currency of the Trump regime; and the violent, murderous fascism of the billionaire/trillionaire class is fully on display.��

In 2026, the United States federal government, along with several state governments including most of the state governments in the southeast US (and elsewhere in the US), are enacting policies which are materially reconstructing a white Christian nationalist apartheid state, stripping African American and Black people of their civil rights, violating their human rights, and attempting to greatly expand the legions of enslaved laborers through our modern plantation system of federal, state, and private prisons. Simultaneously, authoritarian powerholders at the federal and state levels are enacting policies that constitute state genocide against trans people specifically. And, four years after the Dobbs decision – whose anniversary we mark next week (June 24) – reversed the federally recognized constitutional right to abortion care, we find ourselves deeper into a crisis of necessary care delayed or denied and increased morbidity and mortality for women and pregnant people that is exacerbated by the delegalization of abortion care, an essential primary care service, across many states.

“We aren’t meant to survive this.”
-Rev. Dr. Roberto “Che” Espinoza, queer transmasculine public theologian

It’s a hard truth, but it’s true nonetheless: the system of socio-economic and political power that currently dominates not just US society but the entire world brings nothing but precarity and significantly increased risk of harm and death to the vast majority of people alive right now. The “we” in “We aren’t meant to survive this” is a huge swath of humanity whose lives and livelihoods are treated as all but meaningless and worthless by a small number of people who, through the channels of capitalism, colonialism, and neoliberal economic policy have pathologically hoarded wealth, resources, and opportunities in proportions that can never be just, or justified.

So, if the vast majority of we the people aren’t even meant to survive these material conditions, then it must be our duty to our individual and collective selves to fight for our own and for each other’s survival. And not just for survival, but for flourishing — although in the face of immediate threats, survival is the first thing we fight for — let us also remember our ancestors from the women’s suffrage and labor movements’ clarion call for .

:

On June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, were finally informed that slavery had ended. That day marked a delayed but powerful moment of liberation, one that Black communities have commemorated ever since as Juneteenth. It’s a celebration of freedom—but also a reminder of how long justice can be delayed, denied, or distorted in this country and how deeply entrenched systems of oppression can be.
-Diamond King, (2025)

:

That one summer night, in the midst of the chaos and resistance, a small but powerful group declared that they would no longer be invisible. The riot outside Stonewall became a beacon – an unplanned but necessary act of defiance that ignited a worldwide movement for LGBTQ+ rights.
-Amber,

:

Dobbs erased both the law and the symbol [of Roe]. Women no longer have a constitutional right to an abortion, and we no longer have the dignity that that right gave us. We are now, in many states, subject to laws that criminalize and surveil us, that assess our needs for medical care based on whether we are suffering enough to deserve it, that in many cases treat blobs of tissue, laughably far from anything human, as having rights and interests that trump our own.

In one of the most intimate and life-defining aspects of our existence, we find ourselves not quite treated as adults, not allowed to make our own choices, not trusted to know our own interests and not valued in our own right. In pregnancy, women are now less citizens than they are subjects.
-Moira Donegan,

In a month during which we observe the wins, the losses, the ongoing struggles, and the ongoing labor of getting out from underneath the boot of white supremacist racism, the boot of heterosexist homophobia, transphobia, and femmephobia, and the boot of masculinist misogyny, it ought to be abundantly clear to all of us that none of us can fight these fights alone, and that none of us will truly win our freedoms except through collective efforts driven by a vision for nothing less than collective liberation.

If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.
-Aboriginal activists group, Queensland, 1970s
(this quote is frequently attributed to Lilla Watson, but she has refused numerous times to claim sole credit for the slogan)

*This On Call post was orignally published in the AMSA Reproductive Health Project eNews #72 – June 20, 2026��—�� Read the full issue HERE

Explore the��AMSA Reproductive Health Project
Find news, tips, tools, opportunities�� & more!

��Sign-up for our Repro eNews

The post Pride, Juneteenth & 4 Years Without Roe: None of Us are Free Until We’re All Free appeared first on AMSA.

From Paper to Pixels: The Early Foundations

The practice of documenting patient information dates back approximately 3,000 years, when early humans inscribed case histories on papyrus, clay tablets, and animal bones, often recording symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments.��

Paper records became more systematic in the 19th century, but it was not until the 1960s that the possibility of computerized medical records began attracting serious attention.

Two early figures shaped this foundation:

• Dr. Lawrence Weed developed the Problem-Oriented Medical Record (POMR) in the 1960s, built around the SOAP note format (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan), giving providers a standardized approach to clinical documentation.
• In 1972, the Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis enlisted Clement McDonald to develop one of the earliest functional EHR programs, designed to capture and store patient data in a structured, accessible format.

These systems were expensive and confined to academic medical centers, but they established a proof of concept. Weed himself described the goal as a shift from an era in which knowledge and information-processing capacity reside in a physician’s head to a new era in which information technology provides the knowledge and the processing capacity to apply it to detailed patient data.

Yet this vision remained largely unrealized outside research institutions until federal policy created financial incentives and regulatory requirements that would force widespread adoption and transform what had been an academic experiment into a nationwide infrastructure necessity.��

Legislative Turning Points: HIPAA, HITECH, and Meaningful Use

As mentioned, for decades, EHR adoption remained uneven and voluntary. Federal legislation changed that. Key policy milestones include:

• 1996: HIPAA established the first national standards for the privacy and security of health information, creating the regulatory foundation that made electronic records safer and more trustworthy.
• 2009: The HITECH Act was the most decisive intervention. A Health Affairs study found that annual EHR adoption rates among eligible hospitals rose from 3.2 percent before HITECH (2008 to 2010) to 14.2 percent after it (2011 to 2015). The federal government funded a $27 billion incentive program to encourage hospitals and providers to adopt EHR systems.
• Physician-level impact: CDC data showed EHR use among office-based physicians increased from 18 percent in 2001 to 48 percent in 2009 and 78 percent in 2013.
• 2015: Financial penalties took effect. Hospitals and doctors became subject to Medicare penalties if they were not using electronic health records.

Critics argued that compliance pressures resulted in EHR implementations that prioritized regulatory checkboxes over clinical utility, and that concern proved prescient as unintended consequences emerged.

Consequences that became impossible to ignore once clinicians began spending exponentially more time entering data than engaging with patients, revealing a disconnect between legislative intent and clinical reality that would demand a new focus on workflow and usability rather than mere adoption.

The Burden of Documentation: A Known and Measured Problem

Medical students rotating through clinical environments will observe something research has consistently confirmed: physicians spend a disproportionate share of their working day interacting with the EHR rather than with patients. Key findings include:

• Time allocation: Studies consistently show that physicians spend twice as much time on electronic documentation and clerical tasks compared to direct patient care, while nurses devote more than half of their shift time to EHR data entry and retrieval.
• Screen fragmentation: One ICU study documented a median of 26.5 separate screens per chart-review session, and a pre-rounding study found that resident doctors required an average of 6 minutes and 27 seconds and 28 separate screens to assemble a single patient snapshot because labs, medications, and notes could not be viewed together.
• Usability scores: Physicians in the U.S. have rated their EHRs with a median System Usability Scale score of just 45.9 out of 100, placing them in the bottom 9 percent of all software systems. Each one-point drop in that score is associated with a 3 percent increase in burnout risk.
• Burnout drivers: EHR-related burnout encompasses inconsistent user interfaces, high inbox message volumes, excessive data entry requirements, and lack of interoperability.

For students who are only beginning to build their clinical identities, understanding that these frustrations are systemic and documented, rather than personal failures of adaptation, is an important professional insight.

Moreover, recognizing interoperability as a root driver of this fragmentation points directly to the architectural flaw that has prevented EHR systems from functioning as a unified clinical tool rather than a collection of disconnected data silos.

Interoperability: The Unfinished Architecture

One of the most consequential limitations of EHR systems has been their failure to communicate with one another. A patient receiving care at multiple hospitals, or moving between primary care and specialty settings, has historically had records fragmented across incompatible systems. Resolving this problem has become a legislative and technical priority. Because without seamless data exchange, even the most sophisticated EHR cannot fulfill its original promise of providing comprehensive, longitudinal patient information at the point of care.

• The 21st Century Cures Act (2016): The Act requires that certified health IT have an application programming interface giving access to all data elements of a patient’s EHR without special effort.
• The 2020 ONC Final Rule: The Department of Health and Human Services published a rule that standardizes the FHIR data model and restricts providers and EHR vendors from ‘information blocking,’ defined as preventing the exchange of electronic health information.
• Patient access rights: Patient access rights: The regulation established that patients must be able to electronically access all their health information, structured and unstructured, at no cost through standardized APIs. In practice, many healthcare organizations now use digital tools that let patients for quickly accessing portals, sharing records, or connecting mobile health applications to their EHR data.

FHIR allows different systems to share data using a common language, enabling third-party applications to be built on top of EHR infrastructure. Whether the full promise of interoperability is realized will depend as much on institutional willingness and business incentives as on technical standards.

And this tension between open data access and proprietary control creates the exact opening where artificial intelligence can both exploit existing data and highlight the limitations of current systems through tools designed to automate what human clinicians currently struggle to assemble manually.

Artificial Intelligence and the Next Transformation

The most consequential near-term development in EHR evolution is the integration of artificial intelligence. AI is being incorporated at multiple points in the clinical workflow. Precisely because the documentation burden and data fragmentation described earlier have created urgent demand for technologies that can reduce clerical workload while extracting meaningful patterns from the vast amount of data already being captured:

• Reducing documentation burden: Documentation consumes up to two hours for every hour of direct patient care, and ambient clinical documentation tools using natural language processing and generative AI are being rapidly adopted across the U.S. healthcare system to address this burden.
• Improving patient safety: AI can extract useful information from large patient populations, and embedding AI into healthcare can help reduce diagnostic and therapeutic errors that are inevitable in human practice.
• Scale of adoption: Up to 80 percent of hospitals reported some use of AI in point-of-care or operational workflows as of the 2025 Deloitte Health Care Outlook.
• Predictive analytics: AI models are being tested for early identification of sepsis, patient deterioration, and chronic disease risk stratification. These tools require the same critical appraisal that students apply to any new clinical evidence, which brings us back to the human learner who must navigate all these systems not as passive users but as informed practitioners capable of evaluating both their benefits and their limitations.

What This Means for Medical Students

EHRs are not neutral tools. They shape what gets documented, what gets prioritized, and how physicians allocate attention.��

From early documentation practices to the sophisticated use of AI and big data analytics today, EHRs have become central to improving patient care, enhancing public health surveillance, and advancing medical research. But that potential is only realized when clinicians engage thoughtfully with the systems they use.

Students who enter medicine today should carry three working principles:

• Understand the history. The EHR’s current form was shaped by financial incentives, political compromises, and vendor decisions as much as by clinical need. Understanding those forces is part of understanding the system.
• Name the burden. Documentation burden is not a personal inefficiency. It is a measurable, systemic problem with consequences for patient safety and clinician wellbeing. Students who can articulate this clearly are better prepared to advocate for change.
• Engage with the future critically. AI tools are arriving quickly. Their responsible integration requires the same evidence-based scrutiny applied to any new drug or procedure.

The EHR is the medical student’s daily companion and, in time, one of the most powerful instruments of clinical practice. Knowing its origins and its limitations is not optional background knowledge. It is foundational to practicing medicine well.

The post The Evolution of Electronic Health Records: What Medical Students Should Know appeared first on AMSA.

Major changes to deferment and forbearance will start July 1, 2027

Federal student loans are facing a major overhaul after the passage of the����in July 2025. Along with altering repayment plans and adjusting borrowing limits, this Act is changing the rules for deferment and forbearance.

��and����are two protections that let borrowers postpone federal student loan payments if you run into financial hardship, go back to school, or have another qualifying reason. They’re often a last resort, since interest keeps accruing on most loan types while payments are paused.

However, they can be a lifeline if you’d otherwise miss payments and go into default. With the new rules, new borrowers with student loans issued on or after July 1, 2027 will face stricter rules around using deferment and forbearance.

1. Deferment for unemployment and economic hardship is going away

Under the current system, you can defer student loan payments if you’re experiencing economic hardship, unemployment, or another eligible circumstance. If you qualify for economic hardship or unemployment deferment, you can pause your student loan payments for up to three years.

The new legislation eliminates deferment for unemployment and economic hardship for federal student loans issued on or after July 1, 2027. Existing loans should still be eligible, but if you borrow after that date, you can no longer defer loan payments if you lose your job or face financial trouble.

If you have subsidized student loans, interest won’t accrue on your loans while they’re in deferment. This benefit means your balance won’t grow while payments are paused. Interest does accrue on other loan types, like Direct unsubsidized loans and��.

You can still use deferment for other reasons, such as going back to school, enrolling in a graduate fellowship program, undergoing treatment for cancer, or serving on active military duty.

2. Forbearance timeframe will be shorter

Forbearance, another option for postponing federal student loan payments, will also be more restricted for loans issued on or after July 1, 2027. Currently, there are two main types of forbearance:

• General forbearance:��You can request this type of forbearance if you’re experiencing financial challenges, a change in employment, medical expenses, or another reason. It’s up to your loan servicer whether or not to grant your request.
• Mandatory forbearance:��Your loan servicer is required to grant your forbearance request if you have an eligible reason, like serving in the National Guard, joining AmeriCorps, or working a medical or dental internship or residency.

For borrowers who already have a federal student loan, if you qualify for forbearance, you can pause your federal student loan payments for up to 12 months at a time. There’s a limit on general forbearances of three years, while mandatory forbearances can continue as long as you remain eligible.

Under the new rules, the amount of time that borrowers can use forbearance will shrink. Instead of 12 months, forbearances will be capped at nine months total within any 24-month period. This tighter cap will mean borrowers can no longer rely on forbearance for long-term financial relief.

Who will these changes impact?

These changes will impact future federal student loan borrowers, specifically those who take out loans after July 1, 2027. That may include undergraduates, graduate students, and parent borrowers planning for the 2027 to 2028 academic year or after.

If that includes you, you’ll face more restricted options for payment relief if you lose your job or experience financial challenges down the road. You may need to explore alternative options for����if you’re worried about falling behind.

If you already have federal student loans, you should retain access to the current forbearance and deferment protections. However, if you consolidate your loans after July 1, 2027, your new consolidation loan may be subject to the new rules.

What are some alternative ways to get student loan relief?

With upcoming restrictions to payment pause options, you may be wondering about alternative ways to get student loan relief. A couple options include:

• Forbearance instead of deferment:��While new loans won’t qualify for deferment if you run into financial hardship or lose your job, you may still be granted a general forbearance by your loan servicer. The downsides are that general forbearance isn’t guaranteed and interest accrues across all loan types. Plus, the new timeframe will be restricted. However, pausing payments even for a short time may be what you need to get back on your feet and avoid delinquency.
• Income-driven repayment:��Income-driven plans adjust your monthly payments in accordance with your income. Current options include PAYE, Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR), and Income-Based Repayment (IBR), though PAYE and ICR will be eliminated by mid-2028 or sooner. A new income-driven plan called the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) will also be available on July 1, 2026. Your monthly payments could be as low as $0 on the current plans or $10 on RAP, and you could eventually get your balance forgiven at the end of your repayment term.

You may also explore options for��, such as the Teacher Loan Forgiveness or Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs.

Plan ahead for changing federal student loan rules

Deferment and forbearance provide a safety net during tough times If you already have federal student loans, you can use the same protections moving forward. But if you take out new loans or consolidate your federal student loans after July 2027, you’ll face fewer and more limited options for pausing your payments.

At any time, if you’re having a financial hardship or trouble making your monthly loan payments, you should reach out to your student loan servicer to discuss your options which may include deferment, forbearance, or adjusting your repayment plan.

Make sure to review your loan disbursement dates so you know which rules apply. By familiarizing yourself with the upcoming changes, you can plan ahead to protect your financial future.

The post College Ave: Student Loan Relief Is Getting Harder to Access. What’s Changing in 2027 appeared first on AMSA.

SPOTLIGHT ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH & JUSTICE

Beyond Stigma: Centering Dignity, Freedom, and Choice in Reproductive Health

Written by Donya Admadian, MS, MPH, AMSA Legislative Affairs Director
and Taylor Spears, MD, AMSA Reproductive Health Project Fellow

She could be your classmate sitting silently beside you in lecture, quietly calculating how many miles exist between her and the nearest clinic. All the while, lawmakers who will never even know her name debate her humanity from hundreds of miles away.

She could be your future patient-navigating fear, uncertainty, and isolation beneath the fluorescent lights of an emergency room. Your sibling. Your colleague. Considering that 1 in 4 women in the U.S. have an abortion by age 45, the chances of these people being near and dear to you are extremely high (ACOG, Abortion care 2022).

Abortion care in the 21st century continues to be discussed as abstraction before humanity- as politics before personhood.

From early in our medical careers, we are both directly and indirectly trained to stigmatize reproductive healthcare- through silence in our curricula and clinical rotations, through euphemisms that distance us from patients, through legislation that has no evidence-based foundation, and through institutional cultures that frame reproductive healthcare and abortion as controversial rather than deeply human forms of care.

When care is treated as controversial, we inevitably create systems in which institutional judgment becomes the frame of reference through which patients are taught to understand themselves. People seeking abortion care are already forced to navigate tangible barriers- financial strain, geographic restriction, delayed access, legislative interference- yet layered atop these obstacles for many patients is an often unspoken psychological burden shaped by shame, fear, isolation, and the possibility of public scrutiny. According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, abortion does not increase the risk of depression (ACOG, Abortion care 2022). The UC San Francisco’s landmark found that

“more than 95 percent of people who chose to have abortions reported that it was the right decision for them, when interviewed over the next five years.”

Given the stigma and the supposed “guilt” surrounding care, these facts alone corrects major misconceptions about the psychological toll of abortion care.

It is critical to recognize that no two abortion experiences are identical, nor should distress be presumed as universal. And yet, what remains undeniably true is that nearly every patient seeking comprehensive reproductive healthcare must navigate anxieties and barriers produced by a society that has politicized bodily autonomy beyond recognition. We witness the fear of traveling hundreds of miles for care, the silence imposed by potential criminalization, the uncertainty of whether compassion will be met with judgment, and the quiet internalization of rhetoric that frames deeply personal healthcare decisions as a moral referendum rather than a human reality.

In this way, stigma itself becomes a public health issue and crisis- not only shaping access to care, but shaping the emotional conditions under which people are forced to survive, decide, and seek the care they deserve. Abortion care is healthcare because choice, freedom, autonomy and dignity are human rights– much like access to clean water, food, shelter and safety. Abortion care is safe and is at least 14 times safer than childbirth. Some studies have estimated that a complete abortion ban would increase maternal mortality by 21% (ACOG, Increasing access to abortion 2025).

As future physicians and advocates, it is our moral duty and profound privilege to recognize that the consequences of our public discourse surrounding abortion care demands our attention. Increasing our understanding of the roots of abortion care stigma, and shining a light on its destructive impact on patients, providers, and communities are vital steps to ensuring all can access the care they need; and in achieving reproductive justice for all. Our collective language regarding reproductive care has the power to shape not only policy but to restore and invite liberation, dignity, non-judgement and compassion back into our medical practices.

So, let us be reminded that healthcare rooted in empathy and evidence-based care is not radical-
but the very foundation upon which medicine itself is meant to stand.

Watch & Share

What is abortion stigma? (4.33min)
The Sea Change Program & the Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Resources:
Abortion care. ACOG. (2022).
Increasing access to abortion. ACOG. (2025, January 16).

Into ACT!ON content library. Into Action Content Library. (n.d.).
Reproductive Health Care is a Human Right

Abortion Is Health Care
UCSF Turnaway Study Shows Impact of Abortion Access on Well-Being.

NIRH Action Fund.

Note: This post was originally written for the AMSA Reproductive Health Project eNews #71 – May 23, 2026:
Getting Beyond Stigma, Centering Dignity, Combatting Mis-&-Dis Information.
Read & Share the full issue HERE

Explore the��AMSA Reproductive Health Project
Find news, tips, tools, opportunities�� & more!

��for AMSA Repro Project Updates

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SPOTLIGHT ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH & JUSTICE��

Rural Reproductive Health & the Digital Divide:
Why Access Can’t Wait

Written by Jasrina Kaushal, MD, Digital Rural Health Fellow and
Taylor Spears, MD, Reproductive Health Project Fellow

Rural communities across the U.S. face a quiet crisis in reproductive and maternal health – one that doesn’t make headlines as often as it should. Nearly 2.2 million women of reproductive age live in counties without a hospital offering obstetric services, and more than 35% of U.S. counties lack a single practicing OB-GYN (March of Dimes, 2022; ACOG, 2020). Rural America represents 75% of the national landmass and is home for almost 23% of U.S. women aged 18 years and older. (ACOG, Health Disparities in Rural Women 2014, reaffirmed 2024) For many patients, this means driving over an hour just to make a routine prenatal appointment – care that, for a normal pregnancy alone, spans multiple visits across all three trimesters.

And that’s the straightforward case. For patients navigating high-risk pregnancies – twin gestations, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes for example, the stakes are higher and the need for consistent, specialized monitoring is even more critical. In rural settings, where access to imaging, labs, and emergency obstetric care is often limited, delays in care aren’t just inconvenient. They can be genuinely dangerous. Less than one half of rural women live within a 30-minute drive to the nearest hospital offering prenatal services. Similarly, proportionately fewer women living in rural areas have access to the recommended preventive screenings for breast and cervical cancer. (ACOG, Health Disparities in Rural Women 2014, reaffirmed 2024)

These aren’t abstract statistics. They’re the realities shaping the health of patients in communities across the country, and they’re part of what drives the conversation about how we build a more equitable healthcare system.

Digital health tools aren’t a fix-all, but they’re increasingly proving to be a meaningful piece of the puzzle. Remote monitoring, telehealth consultations, and patient education platforms can support earlier detection of complications and help patients stay engaged in their care, even when the nearest specialist is miles away.

This is where the AMSA Digital Rural Health Corps comes in. A national, student-led initiative, the Corps deploys trained medical and pre-medical students into rural communities to provide hands-on, one-on-one support helping residents navigate digital healthcare tools. The program equips students to help patients effectively use things like patient portals, telehealth platforms, and online prescription services – but beyond the immediate impact on patients, there’s another dimension worth highlighting: exposure matters. Research consistently shows that trainees who engage with rural communities are significantly more likely to practice in rural areas long-term (National Rural Health Association, 2021). Programs like this aren’t just about the patients we serve today, they’re about building the workforce rural communities will need tomorrow.

Some other recommendations to help with the advancement of rural healthcare include participating in and promoting research to determine factors and conditions that support the retention of OB/GYNs in�� rural areas, advocating for increased access to contraceptive methods and emergency contraception, advocating for the availability of safe and accessible abortion services, and participating in or encouraging research on education, employment, and poverty disparities that affect the health of women living in rural areas. (ACOG, Health Disparities in Rural Women 2014, reaffirmed 2024)

There’s still so much more work to do. Digital tools are a bridge, not a destination. But every student trained, every patient supported, and every conversation started about rural health equity moves us a little closer to the care these communities deserve.

Want to get involved?

Learn more about the AMSA Digital Rural Health Corps HERE. If you’re a medical or pre-medical student interested in becoming a Digital Health Navigator, applications are open, and our next virtual training session is Monday, May 11th at 7:00 PM ET – register

Resources:��

• Health disparities in rural women. ACOG. (n.d.) –
• WHEN WOMEN ARE DESERTED: The Prevalence and Intersection of Abortion Care Deserts, Pregnancy Care Deserts, Broadband Internet Deserts, and Food Deserts in the United States – National Women’s Law Center –

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SPOTLIGHT ON BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH

“Rooted in Justice & Joy”
#BMHW26

Written by Taylor Spears, MD, AMSA Reproductive Health Project Fellow

The second week of April is an important week for maternal health, research and empowerment. is a movement founded by the and takes place annually on April 11th-17th. April was intentionally chosen as it is also . Black Mamas Matter Alliance is a “network of Black-led/Black women-led organizations and multi-disciplinary professionals who work to ensure that all Black Mamas have the rights, respect, and resources to thrive before, during, and after pregnancy.”��

After doing more research about the movement, one of the most interesting facts shared by Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc. is that they are banded together in support of Black mothers whether they have borne children or not. They fight for the rights of community mothers, those who continuously take care of others without looking for any form of repayment outside of the betterment of their community and home. BMMA provides facts about maternal health and reproductive health in an easy to find and easy to understand manner. Some of these facts will be shared during Black Maternal Health Week on AMSA’s Instagram page . They even provide a mental health fact sheet for and about black mothers (see link below).

This highlights the idea that we have to stop ignoring the facts. We believe research in every other aspect, but when approached with the continued mistreatment of African American patients, some people turn a blind eye. The facts are the facts and the research is real, so what are you going to do about it?��

In the U.S., Black Women are over 3 times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women. CDC notes that more than 80% of pregnancy related deaths are preventable.

What can we do as students?? As medical students, there are several ways to support this movement. As AMSA members, we offer the opportunity to hold your own chapter event during Black Maternal Health Week where you can enjoy a film screening, host an issue education session, or indulge in the education of our Manual Vacuum Aspiration training, etc. Short on time that week? No problem. AMSA offers these opportunities year round, and you can display your interest by completing one or all of the following forms:��

Outside of AMSA, you can support and volunteer with your local organizations that advocate for Black mamas and recognize and bring light to the disproportionate rate of maternal morbidity and mortality of Black mothers. Also, research! Lead or join research projects that help us to better understand the causes of the disproportionate risks between Black women and others. Educate yourself and others on how we can make our pregnancies easier, healthier, and make the proper care more accessible.�� You can use your platform to amplify the movement and share facts about the movement, reproductive justice, and reproductive rights. Several of these posts can be found on the AMSA Instagram page during Black Maternal Health Week and simply shared. To increase awareness and enhance the interactions your posts receive, use hashtags #BMHW26, #BlackMamasMatter, #BlackMaternalHealthWeek, and #BlackMaternalHealth.��

We desire to assist you in your advocacy efforts and journey, as we do our part as an organization to support Black Maternal Health Week.
Email us here rhp@amsa.org��

Resource to Explore & Share:

• 2026 Black Maternal Health Week National Call, Black Mamas Matter Alliance –��
• , Black Mamas Matter Alliance
• Raising awareness for Black maternal health, 11 Alive –��
• ProPublica Investigation on How Hospitals Are Failing Black Mothers, Planned Parenthood Florida Action –��
• Holding Ground on Maternal Health:��Maternal Health Awareness Day 2026 ACOG Webinar with Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, the Julia A. Okoro Professor of Black Maternal Health in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine –��

Research to Explore & Share:

• Why Access to Abortion Care Matters for Black Maternal Health,��The Century Foundation –��
• From Crisis to Commitment: Ending the Epidemic of Maternal Mortality among Black Women: A Call to Action, Health & Social Work –��
• Why Aren’t We Using Family Medicine to Help Confront the Maternal Mortality Crisis in the United States?��Obstetric Anesthesia Digest –��

Upcoming Opportunities to Explore & Share:

• April 11 Online @ 2:30pmE –��Black Maternal Health & Birth Justice Across Regions: In Honor of International Day for Maternal Health and Rights –��
• April 13 Online @12:00pmE��– #BMHW26 Virtual Pep Rally: Black Maternal Health in Your Neighborhood –��
• April 16 Online @ 6:00pmE��– Beyond the Binary—Black Trans Family Building in a World Not Built for US –��

The post “Rooted in Justice & Joy” Spotlight on Black Maternal Health Week appeared first on AMSA.

Admissions Insights

For medical school admissions, did you know that cuts from primary application submissions will eliminate candidates who fall below a school’s standards for both GPA and MCAT scores? After that, the focus shifts from your intellectual abilities to your non-academic accomplishments.

Check out our article to learn more and find out five MCAT tips to help you get into medical school.

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AMSA Celebrates Today’s Abortion Care providers & Nurtures Tomorrow’s

Today, March 10, we invite you to join us in celebrating Abortion Provider Appreciation Day, which honors and lifts up abortion providers. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the day’s founding, intended to honor the life and service of Dr. David Gunn, who was murdered by an anti-abortion extremist on March 10, 1993.

In the more than 30 years since Dr. Gunn’s murder, abortion providers have continued to face threats, harassment, and violence. And since the Dobbs decision in 2022 overturned Roe, clinicians increasingly face the risk of criminalization for providing abortion care even for miscarriage management.��

And yet, every day, abortion providers, clinic staff, and volunteers make the commitment to provide the life-affirming and life-saving care they are trained to provide to people who need an abortion. This is one way that radical love-in-action looks like.

Today and every day, AMSA honors their courage and their conviction to provide abortion care even in the face of these ongoing risks and threats. We affirm that reproductive health services are essential to comprehensive health care, and we support full access to the entire range of reproductive services. We believe safe, voluntary abortions should be available to all who need them, regardless of how much they earn, who they work for, or where they live.

The is here to support tomorrow’s abortion providers and future physician advocates for reproductive health, rights, and justice. If you are planning to provide abortion care – and even if you aren’t planning to – we welcome you to participate in any of the RHP programs. Additionally, AMSA Chapters can receive financial and programmatic support from the AMSA RHP for chapter events.

Medical students, we hope you’ll consider joining us in Asheville for the Summer 2026 AMSA Abortion Care and Reproductive Justice Institutes! Just a few open spots remaining – learn more and apply today!

For more about abortion care and Abortion Provider Appreciation Day check out the resources below and on Instagram and
to receive the AMSA Reproductive Health Project Newsletter delivered to your inbox every other Saturday!

EXPLORE the resources below from Abortion Care Providers, Trainers, Allies & Truth-Tellers

CHECK-OUT & SHARE our APAD Thank You posts

Why Can’t it Just be Okay – A Poem about Abortion Care

Written by Aliye Runyan, MD, FACOG, OB-GYN, Complex Family Planning subspecialist
& AMSA Reproductive Health Project Strategist

Routine
Mundane
Another medical procedure that we accept
Can sometimes be necessary,
Life saving,
Difficult –
But not always.
Not every end to a pregnancy is sad
Some pregnancies end in joyous birth
Some end with grief for what could have been
Some end with a sigh of relief
Freedom to be a parent or not to be
Freedom to choose one’s path in life
Abortion is an act of love
Abortion is common
Safe
Should not be an undue burden to access
Why can’t it just be okay
The story of abortion is made to be
Black and white
Good vs evil
When it is simply a part of life
Part of a person’s reproductive journey
Part of being a human
Abortion is an act of love
Why can’t it just be okay

We share this poem as part of our annual honoring and recognition of .
Why Can’t it Just be Okay��was published originally within – a collection of poems curated by the Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters (SRHM),�� a peer-reviewed, international, open access journal that explores emerging, neglected and marginalized issues across the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights.

ABORTION CARE NETWORK��

The Abortion Care Network (ACN) supports and strengthens independent abortion providers, ensuring they have the resources, training, and advocacy needed to deliver compassionate care. Their work helps keep clinics open and accessible for communities across the country.
Website
Instagram

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF OBSTETRICIANS & GYNECOLOGISTS

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is a leading voice in OB/GYN care, medical education, and advocacy. Their work supports providers, patients, and policies that protect and expand reproductive health access, including abortion care.
Website
Instagram��

NATIONAL ABORTION FEDERATION

The National Abortion Federation (NAF) ensures that abortion care is safe, accessible, and high-quality by providing training, support, and advocacy for providers. They also offer financial assistance and resources to help patients overcome barriers to care.
Website
Instagram��

NATIONAL NETWORK OF ABORTION FUNDS

The National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) works to eliminate financial and logistical barriers to abortion care. Through a coalition of nearly 100 grassroots organizations, they provide direct support so that cost and access are never obstacles to reproductive freedom.
Website
Instagram��

PLANNED PARENTHOOD

For over a century, Planned Parenthood has been a trusted provider of reproductive health care, education, and advocacy. Their commitment to accessible, patient-centered care ensures that millions can make informed decisions about their health and futures.
Website
Instagram��

SOCIETY OF FAMILY PLANNING

The Society of Family Planning advances science, research, and education in sexual and reproductive health. By supporting evidence-based policies and medical education, they help improve abortion and contraception care worldwide.
Website

MEDICAL STUDENTS FOR CHOICE

Medical Students for Choice (MSFC) is dedicated to training and empowering future abortion providers by ensuring medical students receive the education and support they need to provide reproductive health care. Their advocacy strengthens the next generation of providers committed to abortion access and reproductive justice.
Website
Instagram

PHYSICIANS FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

Physicians for Reproductive Health trains and supports physician-advocates to protect and expand abortion care access.�� Through medical education, advocacy, and leadership training, they ensure that abortion care remains accessible, patient-centered, and evidence-based. Their commitment empowers both providers and communities to fight for reproductive freedom.
Website
Instagram

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ACCESS PROJECT

Reproductive Health Access Project expands abortion care, contraception, and miscarriage care by training and supporting primary care clinicians. Their work ensures that reproductive health care is accessible, evidence-based, and integrated into primary care settings.
Website
Instagram

TEACH-Training in Early Abortion for Comprehensive Healthcare

TEACH�� equips clinicians with the skills and training needed to provide compassionate, patient-centered abortion care. By integrating abortion education into primary care, they expand access to safe and comprehensive reproductive health services.
Website
Instagram

THE RYAN PROGRAM: RESIDENCY TRAINING IN ABORTION & FAMILY PLANNING

The Ryan Program advances family planning and abortion training in OB/GYN residency programs, ensuring that future physicians are equipped to provide comprehensive reproductive health care. Their work strengthens abortion access by integrating it into medical education.
Website

REPRO TLC

Repro TLC (formerly Midwest Access Project) supports abortion and family planning educators, ensuring they have the tools to train the next generation of compassionate, skilled reproductive health providers. Their work strengthens teaching, learning, and community in reproductive health care.
Website
Instagram

PHYSICIANS FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

Physicians for Reproductive Health trains and supports physician-advocates to protect and expand abortion care access.�� Through medical education, advocacy, and leadership training, they ensure that abortion care remains accessible, patient-centered, and evidence-based. Their commitment empowers both providers and communities to fight for reproductive freedom.
Website
Instagram

GUTTMACHER INSTITUTE

Advancing sexual & reproductive health & rights worldwide for more than 55 years. High-quality research. Evidence-Based Advocacy. Strategic Communications.
Website
Instagram

CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

The Center for Reproductive Rights uses the power of law to advance reproductive rights as fundamental human rights around the world.
Website
Instagram

WE TESTIFY

We Testify uses the power of real stories to change how people see abortion. Through the stories we tell, we build community, leadership, and power. We Testify storytelling also expands conversations through films like produced with Planned Parenthood. *Arrange Viewings to Engage Your Classmates with the AMSA Repro Project – Link
Website
Instagram

ALL ABOVE ALL

All Above All is building a future where abortion is affordable, available, and supported for anyone who seeks care. #AbortionJustice.
Website
Instagram

ABORTION ACCESS FRONT

The Abortion Access Front is a team of comedians, activists, writers, and producers that uses humor to destigmatize abortion and expose the extremist anti-choice forces working to destroy access to reproductive rights in all 50 states.
Website
Instagram

SYA – SHOUT YOUR ABORTION

SYA makes resources, campaigns, and media intended to arm existing activists, create new ones, and foster collective participation in abortion access all over the country.
Website
Instagram

REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM FOR ALL

Reproductive Freedom For All, formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America, has helped lead the charge for over 50 years in the fight for abortion rights, access to birth control, parental leave policies, and pregnancy protections.
Website
Instagram

M&A HOTLINE

The M+A (Miscarriage and Abortion) Hotline – a team of volunteer clinicians with decades of experience in miscarriage and abortion. Call or Text 1-833-246-2632.��

Website
Instagram

MIFE IN ALL 50 – EMAA PROJECT

“Mife” (pronounced “MIFF-ee”) is mifepristone, a safe, FDA‑approved abortion pill used for over 25 years. Science shows it’s safe. Healthcare providers say it’s essential. Anti‑abortion politicians? They’re trying to take it away.

Website

ABORTIONFINDER

AbortionFinder.org was created to provide clear, up-to-date information about the availability of abortion care across the country. AbortionFinder is operated by Bedsider, a project of Power to Decide.

Website Instagram

PLAN C PILLS��

Plan C is a public health creative campaign on abortion pill access, started in 2015 by a small team of veteran public health advocates, researchers, social justice activists. Plan C works to transform access to abortion in the US by normalizing the self-directed option of abortion pills by mail.

Website
Instagram

Explore the AMSA Reproductive Health Project
Find news, tips, tools, opportunities�� & more!

for AMSA Repro Project Updates

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Taylor Attends CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting

Written by Taylor Spears, MD, AMSA Reproductive Health Project Fellow

As a new medical graduate, my attendance at the Annual Meeting of the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics & Gynecology and the Association of Professors of Gynecology & Obstetrics (CREOG/APGO) was nothing short of amazing!
It was such an inspiring experience to be in the room with so many people of prestige. From educators, program directors, program managers, program chairs, residents, and medical students, the opportunities were endless. We came together in several sessions to discuss AI in the field of OB/GYN, resident wellness, microaggression in medical education, conflict resolution, etc.��

I was granted the chance to connect with amazing medical experts in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology, who also offered a deeper dive into resident education. A few of my favorite interactions included an Improv Workshop that allowed two people to take on the roles of patient and physician. In this workshop, I took the role of the patient, as many of the attendees had a much more extensive medical background than I. During this experience, I felt very deep emotion in my role which I am sure, when integrated into a resident curriculum, would allow the space for deep empathy.��

In the exhibit hall, I was able to participate in a simulation to remove retained products of conception. I also simulated two vaginal births, one without complications and one with shoulder dystocia of the infant. I was able to practice McRoberts maneuver and delivery of the infant’s posterior shoulder in this one simulation. Also present in the exhibit hall were poster presentations of several researchers that I enjoyed viewing and discussing.��

One of my greatest joys during this week of events was connecting with people who expressed genuine excitement to have me in the room.��

True educators are always excited to receive questions from an inquisitive mind; a learner, as I’ve been called. I want to send a huge thank you to the coordinators, organizers, speakers, and staff for putting together a great experience and learning opportunity at the . I hope to see you all in the upcoming years!!��

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See more photos of Taylor’s trip to CREOG/APOG

Explore the AMSA Reproductive Health Project
Find news, tips, tools, opportunities�� & more!

for AMSA Repro Project Updates

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THE WHAT, THE WHY, AND THE HOW

The AAMC PREview Professional Readiness Exam tests how ready you really are for med school. This test will give the admissions committees an insight to how well prepared you are to take on the challenges that medical school poses beyond the academics which are measured by your GPA and MCAT score.

Read our blog to find out more about this test, how it’s scored, and what the questions will look like.

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