Academic Medicine Open Forum

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  • 1.  Question of the Week: How do you explain "academic medicine" to those outside our field?

    Posted 01-10-2022 01:51:00 PM

    AAMC's public opinion research has consistently shown that most people don't understand the term "academic medicine." And they may not understand what sets teaching hospitals apart from community hospitals. So we're hoping to tap into the collective expertise of this community for advice on how to explain the concept–the value proposition–of academic medicine to others. Looking especially in your direction: community members who work in development, communications/marketing, community engagement, government relations.

    How do you explain "academic medicine" to others?



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    Brian Lehman (he/him/his)
    Director, Public Affairs
    Association of American Medical Colleges
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  • 2.  RE: Question of the Week: How do you explain "academic medicine" to those outside our field?

    Posted 01-11-2022 10:37:00 AM
    Great question, Brian - thanks so much for posing.  We have great representation in the community from the development/comms/engagement realm (hundreds of folks, in fact) so I hope we hear their insights. 

    Of course, there's this great video from the University of Mississippi, that helps put a nice perspective on it. do you all agree? How would you change it?

    @Jerry Clark and @Jennifer Hospodor - do you still use this video? 
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    Penny Schnarrs
    Virtual Communities Program Manager
    Association of American Medical Colleges
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Question of the Week: How do you explain "academic medicine" to those outside our field?

    Posted 01-12-2022 09:29:00 AM

    That's a good question.  When I was at an institution with a hospital, it was easy with an example.  The community hospital has birthing rooms with hot tubs.  The academic hospital has birthing rooms with the doctors who are teachers, the doctors who are doing the research to improve medical care. (They also have a NICU, just in case.) 

    My current school does not have a hospital, but partners with the two community hospitals, and then has outpatient clinics run by our clinical professors. Looking forward to your responses.



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    Carolyn Pointer
    Assistant Professor
    Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Question of the Week: How do you explain "academic medicine" to those outside our field?

    Posted 02-02-2022 10:33:00 AM
    Curious as to whether you got any responses. I am wrestling with the same question.

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    Rae Bush
    Director, Integrated Marketing
    Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Question of the Week: How do you explain "academic medicine" to those outside our field?

    Posted 02-02-2022 03:08:00 PM
    It is so important to communicate the value of academic medicine to policymakers, the media, the public, and more. @Vincent Rhodes, @Daniel Pollay, and @Sarah Rothschild how do you explain "academic medicine" to others? Would love to hear your insights. ​​​​​​​

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    Madalyn Sistak
    Constituent Engagement Senior Specialist
    Association of American Medical Colleges
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Question of the Week: How do you explain "academic medicine" to those outside our field?

    Posted 02-03-2022 01:08:00 PM
    Yes Madalyn. We do find ourselves thinking about this quite often. As my work normally involves addressing this in a conversation, rather than through written communication, I have more time to explain the concepts. When you break "academic medicine" down into parts and explain how each part works with the other, it's easier for the audience to understand. With this approach you can also avoid use of general terms like "academic medicine."

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    Daniel Pollay
    Executive Director, Government & Community Relatio
    Weill Cornell Medicine
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Question of the Week: How do you explain "academic medicine" to those outside our field?

    Posted 02-03-2022 12:54:00 PM
    This raises another question: How do we define ourselves? Academic Health Centers (AHC) have made major contributions to medicine in the US. They've also been contributed to inequitable care and discriminatory practices. That most people don't understand the term "academic medicine" speaks to our insularity and lack of community engagement. We need to seek authentic community partnerships so that we can continue to have a positive impact on healthcare transformation. A paper my colleagues and I published (sorry for the self-promotion) lays out some concrete steps AHCs can take. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31460915/

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    Brian Frank
    Assistant Professor
    Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine
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    Original Message