Students gain experience in advocacy

A group of NEOMED students traveled to Columbus, Ohio, on June 11-12 to meet with legislators and see the Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and Northern Ohio (AMCNO) receive a proclamation on 200 years of medicine in Cleveland.

Rising third-year student Brandon Petrovich and rising second-year students Umida Burkhanova and Pete Jordanides, both in the College of Medicine, are members of the AMCNO Future Leaders Council. The council empowers medical students, residents and fellow members with educational, leadership and networking opportunities. It is a collaborative group of young leaders wanting to make an impact on AMCNO’s work and on the community’s health.

Petrovich shared the following reflection on the experience:

“Visiting the Ohio Statehouse this week to advocate with the Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and Northern Ohio (AMCNO) as a member of their Future Leaders Council was a rewarding experience because it allowed me to build on my advocacy skills while forming bonds with fellow students, residents, attending physicians and legislators. Our first day was focused on meeting with Ohio legislators regarding our current priority issues, such as advocating for legislation that would help decrease out-of-pocket medication costs for patients. We continued to meet with legislators on the second day and I was grateful to be present for the finale of our time at Ohio’s capital — the recognition of AMCNO by the Ohio Senate for their bicentennial, a beautiful tribute of the work that the organization has done for the patients and physicians of northern Ohio over the past 200 years.”