Association of American Medical Colleges

The AAMC was founded in 1876 at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia to establish standards for member medical schools. The first meeting was held on June 2, 1876 and included members from 22 medical colleges. Jefferson Medical College's Dean, John B. Biddle, was the first president of the Association.[5] The first set of standards established in 1876 included “a curriculum of two terms not occurring in the same year.” [6]

By 1905, the Association expanded its standards to require member schools to offer a four-year medical curriculum of no less than 4,000 hours.[6]

In 1942, the AAMC partnered with the American Medical Association's (AMA) Council on Medical Education and Hospitals to form the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME is an accrediting agency for educational programs at medical schools in the United States and Canada.[7]

In 2006, Darrell G. Kirch became president and CEO of AAMC, he served until 2019. On July 15, 2019, David J. Skorton replaced Kirch as President and CEO.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the AAMC created a database of treatment and management guidance for clinicians. The resources are divided into various topics, including infection control, emergency department, inpatient, ambulatory, serious illness communication, mental health, and special populations.[8] The AAMC also recommended that medical schools temporarily suspend medical students’ direct patient contact due to safety concerns.[9]

In April 2020, the AAMC called on the federal government to help manage the supply chain for SARS-CoV-2 testing components. A lack of supplies caused limited capacity for testing across the United States.[10]

Throughout 2020, the AAMC was criticized for continuing to hold the MCAT exam in person during the COVID pandemic.[11] In October of 2020, the Association responded to lawmaker’s concerns over in-person testing by saying it had resumed only when safety protocols had been developed and implemented.[12]

In 2020, the AAMC removed Abraham Flexner's name from their annual award, claiming his 1910 report contained "racist and sexist" statements.[13] This claim, however, has been challenged.[14]

The Association is a nonprofit organization that represents medical schools, teaching hospitals, and academic and scientific societies.[15] All accredited MD-granting medical schools in the United States and Canada are members of the AAMC.[16] Membership also includes teaching hospitals or health systems, including 51 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers,[17] and academic societies are also members.[16]

The AAMC provides services including data from medical, education, and health studies, as well as consulting.[18] The organization hosts events each year that offer continuing medical education and professional development to the health workforce.[19]

The Association is governed by a 17-member board of directors.[20] Ten of the board members are the chairs of the Association’s three member councils: the Council of Deans, the Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems, and the Council of Faculty and Academic Societies.[21] The remaining 7 include a medical student, a resident physician, and a member of the public not affiliated with the AAMC, a medical school, or a teaching hospital.[21]

The Council of Faculty and Academic Societies has 94 member professional organizations.[22] Members consist of faculty from U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals.[23]

The Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems is composed of around 400 teaching hospitals, including Veteran Affairs medical centers.[24][25]

The Council of Deans is composed of deans from all accredited medical schools in the U.S. and 17 Canadian schools.[26]

The AAMC administers the Medical College Admission Test[1] and operates the American Medical College Application Service[2] and the Electronic Residency Application Service[3] which facilitate students applying to medical schools and residency programs.

The Association conducts studies, research, and publications on medical education, health care, and biomedical research and provides publications and forums to support medical education and educational health programs.[34] The Association is also responsible for a number of publications,[35] including:

• The State Physician Workforce Data Report: published annually.[36] The report looks at physician supply, medical students, and graduate medical education residents in each state.[37] It also provides data on the breakdown of physicians by specialty and training location.[36][37]
• The Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR):[35] this publication includes a description of each medical school, and the median overall and science GPAs and MCATs of the first year class[38]
• The Medical School Enrollment Survey: published annually[39]
• The Report on Medical School Faculty Salaries: provides summary tables with average compensation and percentile statistics by rank and department for basic and clinical science faculty.[40] Additional tables summarize the data by type of school and region.[40]
• The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: projections from 2017 to 2032[41]

The AAMC published a three-part report on conflicts of interest in research and medical education settings. The final report was titled “In the Interest of Patients: Recommendations for Physician Financial Relationships and Clinical Decision Making,” and was released in 2010.[42]

The AAMC publishes the peer-reviewed journal Academic Medicine. Past papers of the association are held at the National Library of Medicine.[43]

• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
• American Medical Association
• Liaison Committee on Medical Education

• Official website