At the 2000 Interim Meeting of the American Medical Association House of Delegates, the medical students achieved a big victory. Until 2001, members of the Medical Student Section elected a single delegate to represent their more than 48,000 members nationwide. The AMA Board of Trustees identified with the need to ensure continuity and to promote members’ affinity for the organization.
The Medical Student Section elects delegates and alternates based on proportional representation: for every 2,000 student members, allotted one delegate and one corresponding alternate.
The Massachusetts Delegation to the AMA House of Delegates is currently allotted eight delegates and eight alternates. One of the alternate seats is allotted for a medical student and another alternate seat is for a resident physician or fellow.
The Medical Student Section is divided into seven geographical regions. The AMA BOT agreed that the process for identifying and electing delegates and alternates should be left to each region. Massachusetts is part of Region VII, which includes the six New England states, plus New York. Based on membership data, Region VII is entitled to three delegates and three alternates.
The AMA-MSS allows each region to develop its own election procedures. Each medical school chapter is allowed one vote in these elections. Only one delegate from each state may be elected (unless there is a paucity of candidates from other states) but more than one alternate may be elected from the same state. Therefore, the likelihood that a delegate from Massachusetts will be elected to represent the Region is quite good.
All candidates must receive written endorsements from their state delegation to be eligible for the election, among other requirements to ensure the students can take on this highly visible responsibility.
Delegates 2013-14
Shaan-Chirag C. Gandhi
Medical Student
Ankit Agarwal
Region VII Delegate
Nahiris Bahamon
Region VII Alternate Delegate
