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Episode 6: An Introductory Conversation on the Evolving Landscape of DEI in Health Professions
6 Plays1 month ago
In this episode, NAAHP CDEI was excited to welcome Andrea Price-Carter from the AAMC. Andrea serves as the Director of Health Equity Advocacy and Government Relations. We intentionally didn't take a lot of time to explain some base concepts and programs, bills, and legislative change. We have decided to provide resources for you to explore key parts of our conversation here:
Overview of HR-1 (Big Beautiful Bill): https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/what-college-students-need-to-know-one-big-beautiful-bill/
Overview of the Educate Act: https://www.aamc.org/advocacy-policy/washington-highlights/educate-act-introduced-rep-greg-murphy-md
HPNEC Advocacy Actions: https://www.hpnec.org/advocacy-activities
AAMC Washington Highlights: https://www.aamc.org/advocacy-policy/washington-highlights
Join AAMC Action: https://aamcaction.org/
Additional Resources from Andrea:
- Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition: https://www.hpnec.org/
- Breakdown of HRSA Title VII and Title VIII Programs: https://www.hpnec.org/what-are-hrsa-title-vii-and-title-viii-programs
- Comparison of FY 2025 budget allocations vs. proposed FY26 budget: https://www.hpnec.org/funding-updates
- AAMC Action Workforce Programs issue page: https://aamcaction.org/issues/workforce-programs/
If you have additional questions for Andrea or for us with the NAAHP CDEI, please feel free to submit your questions here:
https://forms.office.com/r/ZJ41jGyNSq
Recommended
Transcript
State-level Anti-DEI Bills and HR1 Challenges
00:00:01
John Moses-Brownson
All right, over the past year, we've seen a wave of state level anti-DEI bills, the passage of the HR1 bill, and the introduction of the proposed EDUCATE Act.
00:00:13
John Moses-Brownson
These legislative changes are creating new challenges and raising urgent questions for academic institutions, advisors, and the future of our healthcare care workforce. To help us unpack what all of this means, we are joined by a special guest from the Association of American Medical Colleges,
00:00:30
John Moses-Brownson
and together we're going to explore how these laws are impacting DEI initiatives in medical education, the strategies advisors can use to support their students during these uncertain times, ways to advocate for the profession and uphold our values, and what all of ah all of this could mean for the diversity and strength of our future healthcare care teams.
00:00:53
John Moses-Brownson
This is a serious conversation, but we hope you'll feel like you're right here at the table with us, listening in as we tackle some of the most pressing questions facing our field today. So grab your lunch, settle in, and let's get started.
Impact of New Laws on DEI and Medical Education
00:01:29
John Moses-Brownson
Hello and welcome to The Lunch Hour, the official podcast of NAP, the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
00:01:40
John Moses-Brownson
In each episode, we seek to educate, connect, and grow together as a community, working to help prepare and support tomorrow's healthcare care leaders. Today, we are so grateful to welcome Andrea Price Carter, Director of Health Equity, Advocacy, and Government Relations from the AAMC to tackle some quickly evolving changes in our field.
00:01:54
Andrea Price-Carter
Thank you.
00:02:02
John Moses-Brownson
My name is John Moses Bronson. I am a NAP member in the SAP region. I'm currently at Elon University, but some of you may know me from my time at Penn State.
00:02:13
John Moses-Brownson
And I am joined by my wonderful friend and colleague, Zuri Bennett. Zuri, go ahead and introduce you yourself for the listeners and their offices.
00:02:24
Zuri
At offices, wherever you are.
00:02:25
John Moses-Brownson
Yeah.
00:02:27
Zuri
Hello everyone, Zori Bennett here um and I am the past co-chair of CDI. love passing the baton, but here to continue supporting the efforts and also an assistant director at Johns Hopkins pre-professional office.
00:02:36
John Moses-Brownson
Mm-hmm.
00:02:43
Zuri
So glad to be here once again and looking forward to this conversation.
00:02:47
John Moses-Brownson
All right, so we are going to pivot to welcoming our wonderful guests. Again, Andrea, thank you so much for joining us today. We really appreciate it. Can you get us started by just introducing yourself and giving us an overview of what your role is at the AAMC?
00:03:05
Andrea Price-Carter
So and good morning. um As the director of health equity advocacy and government relations, I've worked within the Office of Government Relations within AAMC.
00:03:17
Andrea Price-Carter
And I've been on staff for about a year and eight months. But just to give you some context, I have about 20 years of professional government relations experience.
00:03:28
Andrea Price-Carter
ah Within AAMC, I have been covering federal health policy issues which include health equity, workforce diversity, ah the HRSA, Title VII Health Workforce, and the Title VII, excuse me, and the Title VIII Nursing Workforce issues.
00:03:48
Andrea Price-Carter
um Additionally, i cover issues that pertain to the National Health Service Corps, Children's Hospital, Medical Centers. oh I also serve as an executive director of the Health Professions Nursing Education Coalition.
00:04:05
Andrea Price-Carter
And this is a coalition that advocates for funding for the Title VII and Title VIII programs. Additionally, i cover issues impacting immigration policy and those that will primarily impact DACA and international medical graduates.
00:04:24
Andrea Price-Carter
oh Excuse me, and I also engage with congressional stakeholders, particularly Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
00:04:34
John Moses-Brownson
That is a lot of plates that you're spinning. And what a time for you to have joined the AAMC to start doing all this. um I think your perspective is really going to help our membership understand what's happening.
00:04:50
John Moses-Brownson
ah So again, I just want to express our gratitude that you're you're going to be joining us. So when we originally scheduled this podcast, I was um interested in picking your brain. oh wait.
00:05:04
John Moses-Brownson
I jumped to the question. Let me go back. From your perspective at the AAMC or AAMC, however you want to say it, can you walk us through the current legislative climate, which is no easy task, and the issues that academic medicine community is facing currently?
Executive Orders and Changes in Healthcare Policies
00:05:22
Andrea Price-Carter
Okay. So I'll give you context of many issues, most of which are faced because of the new administration and actions that they are taking.
00:05:27
John Moses-Brownson
Okay.
00:05:32
John Moses-Brownson
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:05:33
Andrea Price-Carter
um More specifically, there have been a number of executive orders, as you've mentioned, around DEI. Those executive orders have impacted policy around programs in both the private sector and within federal agencies.
00:05:51
Andrea Price-Carter
I mentioned there's also a focus on gender-affirming care as it relates to executive orders. And then we have a number of executive actions that have stemmed from the administration.
00:06:03
Andrea Price-Carter
So that's changes within, for instance, the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services. We've also had scenarios where we're looking at investigations involving antisemitic activities in higher education.
00:06:25
Andrea Price-Carter
There has been a restructuring of HHS that has been put forward by the administration um that particularly impacts the health workforce programs.
00:06:37
Andrea Price-Carter
Additionally, ah we have had many attacks on federal research funding and being able to continue in the current state, particularly impacting NIH.
00:06:50
Andrea Price-Carter
And then there's also noted DEI legislation targeted specifically to medical schools that has been reintroduced this session, as well as recently enacted legislation through the one big beautiful bill that implements a new student loan cap.
00:07:13
Andrea Price-Carter
So that's just some of the things.
00:07:15
John Moses-Brownson
Yeah, it is ah lot. and And I i hope our our listeners are sort of excited to sort of unpack that. um So I do want to sort of pick up the thread of what we originally wanted to talk about before we move on, um which was picking your brain about how you feel schools are adapting their practices to evolve alongside the new legal and policy parameters.
00:07:40
John Moses-Brownson
Yeah, i I don't want to drop that thread because that was like, we sort of had more of an admissions thought process behind this. And obviously this has quickly grown far beyond that. um But can you just give us your sense of where things are at from a legal perspective and how might holistic review be playing a role in where we go moving forward?
00:08:01
Andrea Price-Carter
Okay, sure. um From the medical school for tech perspective, we know that admission teams continue to work with their institutional legal counsel and school leadership to evaluate as needed and adapt their policies, processes, and practices to ensure that they're legally defensible.
00:08:24
Andrea Price-Carter
Certainly there are scenarios where the institution's mission and community needs and workforce needs will guide the design and how they're refining their admissions processes.
00:08:39
Andrea Price-Carter
And then we're using key elements of holistic review framework to allow admissions committees to assess the individual's competencies by considering the whole applicant.
00:08:52
Andrea Price-Carter
So looking at their whole experiences, their attributes, and academic metrics.
00:09:00
Zuri
Awesome. um I feel like, um you know, as an advisor, um many of us are still dealing with the impacts of the Supreme Court's decision on affirmative action.
00:09:18
Zuri
um and But now we are shifting to the attention ah are shifting our attention to the impact of HR1. um so from your perspective,
00:09:30
Zuri
What are the major things we as pre-health advisors, being that the majority of our NAP membership are in advisor roles, should we be thinking about as it relates to HR1?
Implications of HR1 on Medical Student Loans
00:09:48
Andrea Price-Carter
So sure, i will share with you, how h r one is a major tax reform proposal. It has many proposals or provisions.
00:10:00
Andrea Price-Carter
However, pre-health advisors should be thinking about, in particular, the impact on the total medical loans that students can now borrow.
00:10:15
Andrea Price-Carter
particularly student financial aid, has been significantly changed as a H.R.
00:10:19
Zuri
Yeah.
00:10:22
Andrea Price-Carter
1. So it fundamentally changes the medical school's financing landscape through the elimination of the Grad Plus program. So beginning of July 1, all borrowers will lose access to Grad Plus.
00:10:38
Andrea Price-Carter
And according to our calculations, that's about 40% of medical students who have typically relied on grad class to finance their medical degree.
00:10:49
Zuri
Yeah.
00:10:49
Andrea Price-Carter
And so undergrad class aspiring physicians, regardless of their credit history, could borrow up to their program's costs of attendance.
00:11:00
Andrea Price-Carter
But this, you know, has changed. And so this added barrier could deter qualified candidates from pursuing a career in health professions altogether. And just overall, what we are anticipating is ultimately um worsening the healthcare provider shortages that we're currently experiencing.
00:11:20
Zuri
Yeah.
00:11:20
Andrea Price-Carter
The key is that without access to this critical source of funding, inspiring healthcare care professionals may find it increasingly difficult or even impossible to afford medical school.
00:11:20
Zuri
Mm-hmm.
00:11:32
Andrea Price-Carter
So it's likely that we will see the reemergence, if you would, of private student loans into higher education financing. And that's a landscape that we haven't seen in decades.
00:11:46
Andrea Price-Carter
So this is just particularly concerning, you know, additional five financial barriers, particularly those impacting private loans could be detrimental, particularly for those first generation rural or low income individuals who are seeking medical degrees.
00:12:08
Zuri
Yeah, thanks.
00:12:08
Andrea Price-Carter
So just, you know, again, the bottom line is that changes to the federal borrowing limits and the elimination of the grant plus program. Stands to make it harder for aspiring health care providers to access higher education and obtain forgiveness for income driven payment and public service loan forgiveness.
00:12:30
Andrea Price-Carter
2026.
00:12:32
Zuri
And that's July 2025
00:12:35
Andrea Price-Carter
twenty twenty six And, you know, I will just add that.
00:12:36
Zuri
2026 okay because yeah
00:12:40
Andrea Price-Carter
that gives us some time to look at potentially other legislative solutions.
00:12:42
John Moses-Brownson
Mm-hmm.
00:12:46
Andrea Price-Carter
If there's ways in which we could come back, work within the current administration to maybe even push back further, which is some type of relief that certainly is still on our radar and not just allowing this to go into effect as currently in statute.
00:13:08
Zuri
Okay, that's helpful. So I guess on that note, what other legislation should we as advisors be monitoring? um And why will it matter? I mean, you've kind of already hinted to why it matters to our students, right, in the landscape of the health professions. But are there any other legislation um that are active or coming that we should be monitoring?
Potential Cuts to Healthcare Workforce Programs
00:13:33
Andrea Price-Carter
yeah I would just want to point out to you that there are a few proposals, particularly that impact the healthcare professional workforce.
00:13:45
Andrea Price-Carter
in particular is referred to as the HRSA Title VII Health Professions and Title VIII Nursing Professions Appropriations, as well as the reauthorization for the programs.
00:13:56
Zuri
Mm-hmm.
00:14:00
Andrea Price-Carter
So we are currently in the process of um the appropriation season, if you would. And so what we have been addressing is that through the budget process,
00:14:14
Andrea Price-Carter
the President's budget recommendation has essentially put forward significant changes within the administration. And so what they have stated actually is not just a restructuring of the Health Resources Services Administration, but also decreasing funding by $1 billion dollars is targeted to health care workforce programs.
00:14:44
Andrea Price-Carter
So that's the recommendation.
00:14:44
Zuri
Mm-hmm.
00:14:46
Andrea Price-Carter
And just to give you some context of who and, you know, what programs are impacted when we talk about Title VII, these are essentially the programs that are training, recruiting, oh you know, offering scholarship for disadvantaged students to help ah the physician population, as well as nurses and all health professionals.
00:15:12
Andrea Price-Carter
We are pretty much concerned about the programs no longer receiving funding day and um wanted to just lift up a few so you have some context for which programs I'm referring to.
00:15:21
John Moses-Brownson
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:15:30
Andrea Price-Carter
For instance, the faculty loan repayment program. And this is directed to health professionals and nurse faculty to receive loan repayment assistance.
00:15:42
Zuri
Mm-hmm.
00:15:43
Andrea Price-Carter
um Certainly we want to be in a position where we're able to provide additional opportunities for serving, let's say in underserved areas or providing a two year service obligation in exchange for of loan repayment assistance.
00:16:02
Andrea Price-Carter
So that program is one of those that are impacted. We have ah programs that we commonly refer to as the pathway programs, and that's the pre-medical health professions opportunity program, commonly referred to as HCOP.
00:16:19
Andrea Price-Carter
That would be zeroed out, and that focus is to get students to move forward with being exposed to health careers early on, not just physicians, but all health professionals.
00:16:32
Andrea Price-Carter
Then there's also the medical student education program that could be zeroed out. And this is a program that also encourages medical student residents.
00:16:43
Andrea Price-Carter
If they're choosing residencies in primary care areas that are medically underserved, that they would get assistance for their particular commitment to the program.
00:16:57
Andrea Price-Carter
And then you have programs such as the Area Health Education Centers program that help to develop and enhance education training networks and communities, academic health institutions, along with community-based organizations.
00:17:13
Andrea Price-Carter
And these programs do target oh diversity among health professionals, and so they would also be zero health.
00:17:22
Zuri
You know, I feel like I need to have no cards with like what health professions feel are under like all the title numbers. I don't know how you keep it straight. I'm sure once you look at it like every single day, it definitely helpful.
00:17:34
John Moses-Brownson
yeah
00:17:37
John Moses-Brownson
Can you give us a sense as to like the impact that these programs have had?
00:17:37
Zuri
That's good.
00:17:38
Andrea Price-Carter
yeah
00:17:43
John Moses-Brownson
Like, I'm not really looking for numbers, like specific numbers, but like, you know, these programs aren't like a year old, right? They've sort of been around for a while. What sort of gains have we seen as a result of these programs as they were before potentially being zeroed out?
00:18:01
Andrea Price-Carter
Right. I would say, you know, just going back to the total number of funding that's being recommended to be decreased, $1 billion.
00:18:11
John Moses-Brownson
Mm-hmm.
00:18:11
Andrea Price-Carter
dollars
00:18:12
John Moses-Brownson
Yeah.
00:18:13
Andrea Price-Carter
And that is pretty significant. Now, this is approximately 15 programs within HRSA that would be
00:18:20
John Moses-Brownson
Mm-hmm. yeah
00:18:23
Andrea Price-Carter
just moved out and gone, you know, in a position where they're not in place anymore.
00:18:25
John Moses-Brownson
Yeah.
00:18:30
Andrea Price-Carter
So I think that that total number, if the administration is putting a recommendation of moving a billion dollars away, i think that gives us the magnitude of what we're looking at.
00:18:33
John Moses-Brownson
Mm-hmm.
00:18:45
Zuri
Mm-hmm.
00:18:45
Andrea Price-Carter
If I could just also add that these programs are also in a position where they need to be reauthorized. So you have the funding that needs to happen through the appropriations process, which we're approaching.
00:19:00
Andrea Price-Carter
Then we also are in a position where Congress should be oh essentially stating that the program should be kept in place. So in order to receive funding, there needs to be an authorization.
00:19:15
Andrea Price-Carter
So at the same time, we are looking at legislation that has been introduced that and needs to move forward this year that would allow these programs to be available.
00:19:30
Andrea Price-Carter
And the challenge is, as we have looked at, certainly the administration has put forward, I would say, DEI-related executive orders that state, the federal government should not you know adhere to or carry out certain types of DEI programs.
00:19:48
Andrea Price-Carter
Then some of these programs, because they do have a diversity focus, stand to be eliminated in that context or revised. And so we're in a place where Congress will need to reauthorize the programs is by the end of this fiscal year, as well as provide appropriation. So it's two tracks that are moving almost at the same time.
00:20:15
John Moses-Brownson
yeah It's a really interesting, the interplay between this and HR one or the big beautiful bill, whatever you wanna call it. kinda hate calling it that, but that's just me.
00:20:28
John Moses-Brownson
The interplay of like, well, we're gonna cap how much you can take out, but we're also gonna eliminate all these under other funding pathways. it just feels like it's almost like an intentional choice to exclude certain people from the pathways. I'm not i'm not a legal expert, I'm not a politician, I'm just saying what I see.
00:20:49
John Moses-Brownson
um And it's frustrating as someone that has worked really, really hard to help empower all of my students of all different backgrounds, low socioeconomic, other like under-resourced, underrepresented you know populations in medicine and other healthcare fields.
00:20:50
Zuri
Just pointing it out.
00:21:10
John Moses-Brownson
This is really challenging to feel like all of the the efforts that we're making have just not even had a wrench thrown in, but almost like a gigantic eraser of like the lines that connect like the desire to the reality, like all of the lines that connect that have just been sort of erased.
00:21:32
Zuri
Yeah.
00:21:32
John Moses-Brownson
And, Yeah, it's it's really hard. I think just from an emotional perspective, think a lot of folks in my office are like, oh, John, you'll be fine. Like nothing's going to happen to your job. And I'm like, well, I'm not really worried about my job. I'm i'm worried about the future of our healthcare care workforce and the future opportunities for, you know, students, not just at my institution, but all institutions to be able to access, you know,
00:21:59
John Moses-Brownson
these are these are careers and things that help to break cycles of poverty. And it's just hard to see this option and opportunity sort of be put behind such gigantic walls.
00:22:14
John Moses-Brownson
I know that was a tangent, but I have been thinking this in my brain a lot. And again, like the the folks in my office are like, oh, don't worry about it, John, it'll be fine. I'm like, I just don't think it'll be fine.
00:22:27
John Moses-Brownson
So I'm really hoping that some folks can work some political magic at the federal level.
00:22:27
Zuri
Oh.
00:22:32
John Moses-Brownson
Yeah.
00:22:32
Zuri
Yeah, we all hope so.
00:22:34
Andrea Price-Carter
Yes. And you know this is recommendations, again, that I have raised up on the number of programs that could be impacted. The next step is essentially appropriators need to act, ideally by the end of this fiscal year.
00:22:52
John Moses-Brownson
yeah
00:22:52
Andrea Price-Carter
The activity will occur probably after the Congressional August recess that we'll see you know first steps in terms of what may be put forward.
00:23:04
Andrea Price-Carter
And the outcome could be the funding and ways in which Congress would support the recommendations that were put forward by the administration, as well as whether the restructuring will occur this year.
00:23:20
Andrea Price-Carter
So it's, you know, while it's laid out in terms of a recommendation, it's not to say that this will actually move forward as recommended. But again, going back to this is this administration's way in which they have you know laid out the changes in the programs. They largely are not supportive of targeting you know funding or programs to DEI and just would like to see it being done in a different way.
00:23:52
Andrea Price-Carter
And so it's to be determined in terms of how things would turn out. But I also see this as an opportunity for for your organization and your members to ah contact your members of Congress to speak to,
Advisors' Role in Advocacy and Funding
00:24:07
Andrea Price-Carter
you know, these are advantages that the programs have had.
00:24:07
Zuri
Thank you.
00:24:11
Andrea Price-Carter
There certainly ways in which we could find out or assist with the level of grant funds that institutions have received as it relates to Title VII and Title VIII, and how they've been beneficial to the community and the health professions.
00:24:26
Andrea Price-Carter
And so there you know there certainly is data and an awareness that the programs do have success, that they have been largely seen as ones that have assisted with providing underserved areas with physicians as well as healthcare care providers.
00:24:49
Andrea Price-Carter
When there are times when other professionals would not be there, these programs have been targeting and providing beneficial assistance.
00:24:59
Andrea Price-Carter
And so that ultimately certainly helps, you know, with the outcome of healthcare care to persons in the country. So it's it's been proven that the programs are successful, and I think it's not that's not what is in question.
00:25:17
Andrea Price-Carter
Certainly the administration is just putting a different slant in terms of how they want to see the funds and the programs allocated.
00:25:29
Zuri
okay Okay. You kind of quickly mentioned ways that advisors can be part of this. um To kind of pivot off of that, like our roles are very student facing.
00:25:44
Zuri
um And so um as we think about how we provide quality support to our diverse student population, the historically underserved and students whose identities have been marginalized,
00:26:00
Zuri
um what additional strategies, maybe aside from reaching out to our own representatives and things like that, could we be, um should we be utilizing? And so um I guess personally, you know, i know John and everything, we always say like, this is our advice, you know, ah this is how historically it's been done.
00:26:21
Zuri
um
00:26:22
John Moses-Brownson
Mm-hmm.
00:26:22
Zuri
But then, but tomorrow's another day. and so we might have a different response. So understanding that it is continually, like you said, these are plans and proposals, but um there's still time. But as of right now, like if there's anything that um any tips or strategies that we could be utilizing with our students.
00:26:44
Andrea Price-Carter
I would encourage certainly that, as I've mentioned, that AMC leads the Health Professionals in Nursing Education Coalition. And you could go to the HIPNIC website, which is hpnec.org,
00:27:02
Andrea Price-Carter
and you can find background materials in terms of talking points, tables that give you some context of the funding, where it currently stands, what's at stake.
00:27:17
Andrea Price-Carter
And you can engage with the coalition and i'm certainly reach out to your members of Congress to speak to why it's important to increase support ah for health professions in particular.
00:27:31
Andrea Price-Carter
and why the programs should continue to be authorized or reauthorized as Congress is also looking at ways in which that may be unfolding.
00:27:43
Andrea Price-Carter
There's also on AAMC's website an opportunity for you to engage through an action advocacy campaign that we're currently undertaking on these programs. And so that is another way.
00:28:01
John Moses-Brownson
Um, so I am someone that is sometimes I'm a quick processor, but I feel like with these things, I'm a slow processor. I need to like read and sit with it.
00:28:12
John Moses-Brownson
And sometimes there's just so much to look at and to understand. Is there a good place for me or anybody that's learning to just get like
00:28:26
John Moses-Brownson
not a 20,000 foot view, but maybe like a 5,000 foot view of like what's happening in Washington every week. I just feel like I can get lost trying to chase all the tales of all the different things that are happening.
00:28:41
Andrea Price-Carter
Yes, and you know I would go back to um certainly the AMCA or I should say AMCAction.org
00:28:50
John Moses-Brownson
her Okay.
00:28:51
Andrea Price-Carter
could be helpful. We also have within the Office of Government Relations the Washington Highlights, that is a weekly newsletter that comes out that will provide just an overview of the key issues and a way in which you can just be certainly advised of what actions AAMC is undertaking.
00:29:17
Andrea Price-Carter
And so it's also very short articles and I think key points
00:29:22
John Moses-Brownson
okay
00:29:23
Andrea Price-Carter
that will just give a broad scope of the status of issues that are important to us.
00:29:29
John Moses-Brownson
Yeah, and and for those listening, we will get these links and we will include them in the episode description so that you do not have to chase them down.
00:29:37
Zuri
Yeah.
00:29:37
Andrea Price-Carter
All right.
00:29:37
John Moses-Brownson
um
00:29:38
Andrea Price-Carter
And you can subscribe to the Washington Highlights newsletter that comes out weekly.
00:29:38
John Moses-Brownson
Just don't fret.
00:29:44
Andrea Price-Carter
And so I think that that will also be helpful. And so it looks like we may be able to share that with you this morning.
00:29:52
John Moses-Brownson
Yeah, i think i think this is the two the two resources in particular that you've shared, I think is great for us to sort of ah understand what our impact can and maybe should be looking like externally to our institutions as we sort of think about like what we want to be pushing for at those higher levels.
00:30:10
John Moses-Brownson
Do you have any advice on maybe what we could be doing? at a more instance institutional level? I mean, we all are working at very different institutions, you know, Zuri and are are very different institutions, um but what might be something that we can be doing on our own campuses to do something about what's happening because I often feel very powerless in this process.
00:30:36
John Moses-Brownson
And i I think a lot of advisors are really looking to feel some level of empowerment around being able to actively do something for our students.
00:30:46
Andrea Price-Carter
And I would say that you can reach out to your members of Congress. ah We're approaching the August recess period. And so this is an ideal time to engage ah while they're in the community.
00:31:01
Andrea Price-Carter
Special time to talk with them about the importance of the health professions portfolio that's carried out at HRSA, why they should be continued and come with data
00:31:08
John Moses-Brownson
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:31:14
Andrea Price-Carter
with the number of persons that are hired through the programs, you know, scholarship opportunities that have been provided, trainings, how in particular faculty members were eligible or were able to obtain assistance and what that means if it stops.
00:31:34
Andrea Price-Carter
Because I think the broader context is that oftentimes the decisions are made because it's just a budget
00:31:34
John Moses-Brownson
OK.
00:31:42
Andrea Price-Carter
You know, we have to find savings, for instance. It's not the programs itself, but this is a way in which savings can be obtained. But until there is some communication about what this actually means within communities, within states, I think that that's what needs to be shared.
00:32:03
John Moses-Brownson
Yeah, I think the big thing that i I'm personally taking away is that obviously we need to take a data informed approach. I think data always talks. But I am now thinking about how this isn't just a lift that I need to make, right? How can I mobilize my campus or or like key people at my institution to use our collective voice to discuss this?
00:32:27
John Moses-Brownson
Right. i'm I'm not at a Hopkins. Right. I don't have a medical school attached ah to my institution, but I do have a PA school program. I have a DPT program. I have wonderful nursing programs.
00:32:38
John Moses-Brownson
And this affects all of us. um And so I think bringing our collective voice to our representatives, I think, is a good way for us to think about this, not just as like a on a larger scale, but like, what can we do as a local community?
Collective Advocacy for Healthcare Education
00:32:52
John Moses-Brownson
We can be having discussions about how we're going to be approaching our representatives, what that looks like, how can we do this as a group to not just say like, I'm one random human that did all this research, but this is a ah community of people, ah community of practice in healthcare care who will be greatly affected by it that are telling you what this is doing. so
00:33:15
John Moses-Brownson
I appreciate that. Now, sort of switching into like a more larger scale on that sort of in this sort of vein, what can we do as like an institution of advisors, right? So we are part of a national organization,
00:33:32
John Moses-Brownson
right What can the the the National Association of Advising in the Health Professions be doing Can we be collaborating with the AAMC in any way to support advisors through this challenge, ah to better support our students through these these things? What can we be doing as a community, I guess, of like the professionals in the field?
00:33:55
Andrea Price-Carter
Well, I just you know would go back to, from an advocacy perspective, you know we serve as a national voice for our communities by advancing policies based on evidence, research, impact, and feedback that we get from our members.
00:34:03
John Moses-Brownson
Mm-hmm.
00:34:11
Andrea Price-Carter
And so this is, again, an opportunity to build on your coalition building and grassroots mobilization. So I would just encourage you to you know gather your faculty members and be able to raise up the concerns, particularly being able to state the impact on the academic medicine community through individual action.
00:34:25
John Moses-Brownson
yeah
00:34:38
John Moses-Brownson
Mm-hmm.
00:34:40
Andrea Price-Carter
So there may be opportunities to even attend town hall meetings
00:34:46
Zuri
Yeah.
00:34:46
John Moses-Brownson
Mm-hmm.
00:34:46
Andrea Price-Carter
There may be opportunities for you to write letters to and editor through your local publications, news publications. Certainly there could be opportunities to engage through a letter writing campaign or sign-on letters that allow for a collective voice to you know really speak to the concerns that we're seeing.
00:35:13
Andrea Price-Carter
And I think the most important thing is to be vocal and to be engaged. And from the grassroots level, that grassroots mobilization certainly makes a difference.
00:35:29
John Moses-Brownson
Okay, i think we're sort of like winding down a little bit. Is there anything that we didn't touch on that you think we should be thinking about, things that we should know, be doing that we haven't already discussed? I think you've given us some like good action plans. And I think a lot of it is, you know, this these grassroots efforts, which that requires like bringing people together, having these conversations.
00:35:56
John Moses-Brownson
unpacking the impact, not just at the national level, I think that's relatively easy to sort of look at, but what is the actual impact at our individual institution and how can we use that for a collective voice?
00:36:07
John Moses-Brownson
But beyond that, is there anything that we haven't talked about that you think is important for us to be doing?
00:36:15
Andrea Price-Carter
I think we've hit the highlights.
00:36:17
John Moses-Brownson
Mm-hmm.
00:36:17
Andrea Price-Carter
um Certainly, you know, stay engaged. There are scenarios where I mentioned a number of issues that are currently before us in terms of congressional action.
00:36:29
Andrea Price-Carter
i would, you know, just stay tuned to also the administrative actions that are occurring, particularly that impact DEI.
00:36:40
Andrea Price-Carter
We are, you know, always mindful and engaging. and what is being disseminated from the administration as far as particular executive actions.
00:36:54
Andrea Price-Carter
And so, know, in this case, I would just say continue to be vigilant and looking at the appropriations and authorizing process in terms of the status and how you can continue to certainly just be mindful of the steps that are occurring within Congress.
00:37:14
Andrea Price-Carter
and how it impacts the medical schools and the health workforce.
00:37:23
John Moses-Brownson
It is It's hard sometimes to feel like we have a grasp on things when they change so frequently. But I think with the resources that you've given us, I think that, you know, I think our job right now is to is to be talking about it and not just letting it sort of wash over us and through us.
00:37:41
John Moses-Brownson
One of the things that the president of my institution has said that for me personally has been, i think sort of how I'm framing all of this is, is it feels like this is all a really big push back at people.
00:37:56
John Moses-Brownson
And she said, you know, you have two choices when you've been pushed is you can fall over or you can stand up taller and um stand your ground.
00:38:08
John Moses-Brownson
Right. And I think that for me personally, I really see, this next year, especially as we get closer to sort of the deadlines that a lot of these things have sort of struck and hit is is what does standing up taller look like for advisors?
00:38:23
Zuri
Yeah.
00:38:24
John Moses-Brownson
And I think I am and having conversations about it, even with my colleagues who are like, this isn't that big of a deal. I'm like, this is a very big deal.
00:38:35
John Moses-Brownson
And we need to be talking about it. we need to be proactive and we need to be thinking about the impact. um to all of our students and the communities that we serve as an institution, right? A lot of times, especially at private schools, it can feel like, you know, you're just a little bubble in the middle of wherever.
00:38:53
John Moses-Brownson
um But I know that my institution has a very big dedication and and commitment to serving the community in which we're entrenched. And so I think that it's a good way for us to really say that like, you know, this is a problem that we should be talking about.
00:39:08
John Moses-Brownson
And this is something that we should be actually trying to face and force some action on. So I really want to thank you, Andrea, for all of your your time and insights.
00:39:16
Zuri
yes
00:39:20
John Moses-Brownson
I do not envy your job. I don't care how much it pays me. I would never do it You could pay me bajillion dollars and be like, no, no, I'm good. So i want to thank you for all of the work that you do of sort of parsing through this, understanding the impacts, using your voice to advocate on behalf of a lot of of folks in the workforce. A lot of our students that we work with on a daily basis are directly impacted by the work that you do. and And so personally, I just want to share my gratitude for all of the work that you do.
00:39:53
John Moses-Brownson
um Zuri, before i sort of close this up, is there anything that you'd like
00:40:00
Zuri
No, I mean, it's just another sincere thank you. i think, um you know, I don't know how many people aware of how CDI, NAPCDI, has been liaisoning with AAMC in various capacities. And um Andrea, you've been um been able to provide insights and things that we, in fact, make part of our conversations and we make sure are um on the list of our current ah needs of of topics to discuss or find ways to bring information to advisors. And this is just another way that we're able to do this. So we really appreciate um the commitment that you, the follow through of being able to be here with us.
00:40:51
Zuri
And we really, um we look forward to updates that you're able to share. We will also follow up on a lot of the, resources you've given, it's giving me a couple ideas about ah what that might look like in terms of, um you know, like, what does that mean in terms of advocacy as in my role as a as an advisor? And how can I even galvanize my students to be part of this on campus? So I think just those insights have been very valuable. and So just thank you. Thank you for your time.
00:41:28
John Moses-Brownson
Alright, so as we bring this episode to a close, we want to thank everyone across the membership for tuning in to another episode of The Lunch Hour. We know this one was a bit um heavier than some of our other episodes, but there's a lot of big impacts, a lot of things to be thinking about, but thankfully some actions that we can take to make a difference.
00:41:50
John Moses-Brownson
um So, Thank you for joining us, but keep striving for a more inclusive and just health professions community. Until next time.
00:42:30
John Moses-Brownson
Thank you.