Committees
A description for each committee can be found below. This information will also be available on your application when you must indicate your top three committee choices. Once you are placed in a committee, that will be your committee for both Fall and Spring. It is important to choose a committee that you are interested in, because it makes the AMSA experience more enriching and rewarding. If you need to contact a director of one of these committees, you may click on the directors link under the committee name and you will be brought to the section of the officers page with their e-mail addresses.Arts & Complementary Medicine (ACM)
Website | Directors
Arts & Complementary Medicine is a close-knit group designed to supplement its members' medical education with music, dance, writing, art, and innovation. You don't have to draw to join ACM! The committee welcomes all individuals with a passion for creativity, with talents ranging from musicians to photographers to simply being great at event planning. ACM is involved in art therapy at Shands, planning projects and making art kits to help recovering patients, as well as major fundraisers like Dance Marathon, which benefits Children's Miracle Network at Shands, and Relay for Life. ACM also hosts the annual Charity Showcase, where local bands play to help raise money for our focus project.
Futures in Health Professions (FiHP)
Website | Directors
Futures in Health Professions is the committee within AMSA that is responsible for our annual
Health Career Convention (HCC). This convention is a way for AMSA to
reach out to Florida high school students who are interested in the
healthcare field. Each year the committee invites high schools from all over Florida
to attend our convention, where they offer them information, advice, hands
on experience and contact with esteemed professionals from all
different health disciplines. The committee starts planning for this
convention five months in advance and each member is expected to
participate and be involved in its production. In addition, FiHP is also
focused on helping and inspiring the underprivileged students in our
area so that they may excel in school and understand the importance of
their education. They volunteer at a local elementary school each week as
tutors and mentors to the students in the after school care program.
Other events that FiHP provides throughout the year includes volunteering
in the UF Wilmot Healing Gardens in the Shand's Medical Plaza,
FUNdraisers for the convention, plenty of socials, and more!
Global Health (GH)
Website | Directors
Global Health targets international health-related problems and proactively works toward solutions. Global Health serves
internationally as medical relief in developing nations with
significant need through donations and volunteer efforts, particularly
through our yearly medical mission trip to a nation in
need. Locally, this committee serves as a setting to advocate and
forward global relief efforts. During the year Global Health sells beads
from Beads for Life to support impoverished Ugandan women and their
families. In addition, we often hold speaker events and fun, educational
movie nights to ensure awareness of health related news and events
around the world.
Health Outreach & Education (HOE)
Directors
Health Outreach and Education is a volunteer committee at its finest. Our mission is to address the needs of our community by reaching out to the elderly, children, homeless, and ill, and by building meaningful relationships and rewarding, heartfelt experiences. Our committee strives to provide members with opportunities to learn about the vital health-care environment while building leadership development for the best future physicians. The Health Outreach and Education committee offers opportunities for members to aid and support the community through hands-on medical experience and the promotion of health awareness. Some projects include: campus presentations, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, St. Francis house, and many more.
Light The Night (LTN)
Directors
Working in direct conjunction with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), Light the Night is a committee dedicated to fundraising towards lifesaving research and support for people battling bood cancers. The LLS hosts an annual Light the Night Walk which is a main event in the fall that brings the community of Gainesville, visitors, and the campus together for a great cause. Members are delegated to a variety of tasks such as creating campus awareness, finding vendors, managing event volunteers, recruiting walk teams, and planning the actual event.
Medical College Forum (MCF)
Website | DirectorsEach spring, medical school representatives from around the country gather to form one of Florida's largest medical school fairs, the Medical College Forum. The Medical College Forum Committee emphasizes the organization of this event. The fall consists of preparations for the forum as well as learning about the individual schools that will be attending. This committee is also dedicated to volunteer work and local fundraisers to raise money for the forum. In the spring this committee focuses entirely on the forum. The forum consists of a medical student panel and small group sessions with the deans and directors of each medical school. Committee members play an integral role in overseeing the individual group sessions, where each member has the opportunity to meet and directly converse with deans and directors of admissions of various medical schools. It is a phenomenal event with fantastic opportunities for members.
Medical Technology (MT)
Directors
The medical technology committee is all
about exposing its members to the different technology that is used in
medicine today. Their favorite way of accomplishing this is getting its
members into Shands to see this state-of-the-art technology first hand.
Some tours held in the past have shown students STAN, the robotic
patient simulator that anesthesiologists practice on, MRI machines, a
hyperbaric chamber, and ShandsCair, the helicopter Shands uses to bring
in certain trauma patients. Every year, the committee brings some of
these back and tries to get a hold of as many new, similar types of
opportunities as they can. In addition to all of this, the committee
holds social events for its members periodically, ranging from an
educational stance, like a luncheon accompanied by student assembled
presentations on current medical technology, to events that are just for
fun, such as dinner with the committee.
Primary Care (PCC)
Directors
Primary care is the foundation of the world's most effective health care systems and is vital to U.S. health care reform. The goals of this committee are to introduce students to the diverse scope, settings, and patient populations that primary care addresses. In addition, special topics in medicine such as sexuality, spirituality, and the role of physicians in community and public health will be discussed. Activities include various volunteer opportunities such as the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk. The most exciting and popular activity is the yearly medical service trip. Each year students spend a week in the Dominican Republic providing care for patients. The committee also has an array of social activities such as our holiday cookie exchange and cookouts at Lake Wauburg.
Politics & Ethics in Medicine (PEM)
Directors
The Politics & Ethics in Medicine Committee focuses on discussing and
learning about some of the current, most controversial issues in the
medical field. These issues include abortion and women's rights, stem
cell research, cloning, euthanasia, health care policy and funding,
control of disease epidemics, use and abuse of pharmaceuticals, public
health and government intervention, among others. Past events include
organized debates, forums, and discussions on a variety of these issues.
PEM members will traverse the universe of politics and ethics as
related to medicine, and hope to emerge with more balanced and worldly
perspectives that will enhance our decision-making and logical ability
as future medical practitioners.
Pediatric Interest (PIC)
DirectorsThe Pediatric Interest Committee aims to promote the health and well-being of children while exposing members to the pediatric field in a fun and educational way. Members will be able to experience direct interaction with children in a variety of volunteering opportunities ranging from Camp Boggy Creek, Noah’s Endeavor and Shands Medical Plaza. The goal of this committee is to expose members to as many enjoyable opportunities as possible while continuing to grow and share our love for the field of pediatrics and children.
Sports & Medicine (SAM)
DirectorsThe goal of the Sports & Medicine committee is to introduce members to the different aspects of sports medicine such as injury prevention, recovery, lifestyle improvement, and performance enhancement in individuals. This committee is also responsible for organizing team sports within AMSA. So gear up and get your game face on!
Women in Medicine (WIM)
DirectorsThe Women in Medicine committee deals with women's health issues such as breast cancer, reproductive health, and women's rights around the world. The committee also addresses issues that women will face in the medical field. The committee aims to educate females pursuing medicine as well as provide opportunities to raise money and awareness for women's health issues. Q&A sessions with female physicians, the annual Women in Surgery Symposium, the annual Breast Cancer Carnival, and other local volunteering are opportunities provided to WIM members through this committee.
Other
The following committees offer services and events that benefit AMSA. Although you cannot choose these committees on your application, they are an important part of our club.
Advising & Volunteering
Website | Directors
UF Premed AMSA is dedicated to supporting students in their journey to become physicians. The advising director organizes a peer mentoring program to match freshmen and sophomores with upper-division students. We are also in the process of compiling a databank of professor and class evaluations to help students with scheduling. The volunteering director arranges unique volunteering opportunities available only to UF Premed AMSA members such as the ER, OR, and ICU at the VA Hospital. Links to national AMSA are also available.
Campus Outreach
Campus Outreach is a new committee of UF Premed AMSA this year. The goal of CO is to act as the face of our organization within the UF campus in order to spread awareness of our club and events. Another objective of CO is to find opportunities in which our organization can participate and contribute. Their responsibilities will expand as the group develops throughout the year.
Equal Access Support
Website | DirectorsThe Equal Access Support Committee offers a unique, clinical volunteering experience for members who have demonstrated responsibility and dedication within AMSA for at least one semester. This committee works in conjunction with the UF medical students, UF Pharmacy students and others to support and run a free health clinic for the less fortunate of Gainesville. Committee members complete all patient intake, including taking medical history and vital signs. The Equal Access Support Committee also takes the responsiblity of financially supporting the clinic, namely through the annual Equal Access 5K Run. A separate application is available at the beginning of each semester for those interested in joining this committee.
Events
DirectorsThe Events Directors plan and host all of the General AMSA events throughout the year. Their fundraising events are designed to raise money so we can offer our members quality programs and the socials are just to have fun and so that members can get to know each other as well as the directors and executives. We are always looking for new and innovative event ideas, so if you have any please let the directors know.
Media
Directors
These directors work on the AMSA scrapbook, life lines, and
advertisements. They also work on a campus monthly newsletter about AMSA and
health related events. If you would like to write an article for the
newsletter or have an event featured in the newsletter, please contact
the Media Directors. If you have any pictures from your committee events
please send them to Media for use in the scrapbook and slide shows.
Research
DirectorsThe Research directors compile a database of research positions available to UF students, and inform AMSA members about them. These directors send announcements to AMSA members when research positions become available to help members get valuable research experience.
