Fourth-year medicine student Rommel Morales elected speaker of AMA-MSS

Rommel Morales, a fourth-year student in the College of Medicine, was elected speaker for the Medical Student Section of the American Medical Association at the group’s annual meeting held June 7-9 in Chicago.

As speaker, Morales joins the AMA-MSS Governing Council, which directs the programs and activities of the section on a national level. The group provides a voice for students within the AMA for improving medical education and advocating for the future of medicine. In his role as speaker, Morales will preside over all business matters, organize national elections and plan national meetings. He will also serve as the liaison for the Committee on Bioethics & Humanities and the Committee on Health Information Technology.

“I look forward to elevating the voices of our membership in their advocacy goals and priorities and engaging all our chapters at medical schools nationwide in leadership, outreach opportunities and community-building,” Morales said.

During his third year in the College of Medicine, Morales served as chair of AMA-MSS Region 5, which includes Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, and served as lead organizer for the 2022 Physicians of the Future Summit. He also was named Mentor of the Year for AMA-MSS and received the Outstanding New Policy Leader Award at the 2022 AMA annual meeting.

“Rommel is passionate about organized medicine, improving health disparities and advocating for health inequities,” noted Corrie Stofcho, M.D., assistant dean of student affairs, in a letter recommending Morales for the position of speaker. “Rommel is a highly motivated medicine student with a strong work ethic, who continues to excel in the classroom and has a passion for leadership and advocacy.”