AAMC Celebrates Academic Medicine Week June 8-12

The AAMC and the nation's medical schools, academic health systems, and teaching hospitals will celebrate Academic Medicine Week June 8-12 to recognize the unparalleled contributions of academic medicine to improving the health of patients and communities across the country.

A trusted source of information to policymakers, the AAMC is celebrating 150 years of leading and serving academic medicine since 1876. This year's observance offers a special opportunity to highlight how the AAMC supports its member institutions as they advance patient care, train future physicians, conduct groundbreaking biomedical research, and strengthen communities nationwide.

The academic health systems, teaching hospitals, medical schools, faculty physicians, researchers, resident physicians, fellows, and medical students that make up the academic medicine community play a critical role in transforming the nation's health care system. To honor these achievements, Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) have introduced a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives to recognize Academic Medicine Week.

Through the resolution and the formal designation of Academic Medicine Week, the House of Representatives affirms that "academic medicine - the nation's medical schools, academic health systems, teaching hospitals, and resident physicians, faculty physicians, students, and medical researchers - serves a vital and unique role in the United States health care system."

As part of Academic Medicine Week, the AAMC announces four recipients of its 2026 Champion of Academic Medicine Award, which recognizes members of Congress for extraordinary leadership in strengthening the health care workforce, advancing lifesaving medical research, promoting the nation's public health, and supporting federal programs - particularly those critical to academic medicine.

"We are proud to honor the extraordinary dedication of these four members of Congress who work to improve the health of not only their own constituents but also communities nationwide," said David J. Skorton, MD, AAMC president and CEO. "We commend Reps. Fitzpatrick and Sewell and Sens. Baldwin and Collins for their consistent efforts to champion the needs of patients by supporting the critical missions of academic medicine."

The 2026 Champion of Academic Medicine Award recipients are:

• Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.): As a dedicated champion of legislative initiatives to strengthen the health care workforce pipeline-serving on the Labor-HHS Appropriations Committee as Subcommittee Ranking Member and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee-Sen. Baldwin has worked closely with the AAMC to support and protect critical health care programs, medical research funding, and medical training.

• Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine): As Appropriations Committee Chair, Sen. Collins has been a strong and dedicated voice not only for medical research funding but also for maintaining the facilities and administrative costs that make that research possible. She is also a lead cosponsor of the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (S.2439). Additionally, Sen. Collins has supported the reauthorization and expansion of the Conrad State 30 Program, which allows J-1 visa doctors to remain in the U.S. to practice in underserved areas.

• Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.): A longtime champion of graduate medical education (GME), Rep. Fitzpatrick is a cosponsor of the AAMC-supported Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (H.R. 4731). He has also led a bipartisan letter calling for at least $51.3 billion in NIH fiscal year (FY) 2027 funding to strengthen medical research.

• Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.): An influential member of the House Ways and Means Committee and a chief deputy whip for the House Democratic Caucus, Rep. Sewell is a longtime champion for expanding GME. For the past four congresses, she has been an original cosponsor of the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act to increase federal investment in Medicare-supported GME, which now has 122 cosponsors.

"The support of these champions for issues like investing in medical research and strengthening the physician workforce exemplifies how Congress can work together, across party lines, to put America's patients first," said Danielle Turnipseed, JD, MHSA, MPP, AAMC chief public policy officer. "We are proud of the deep connections that the AAMC has made with these lawmakers, and we are thrilled to call them our champions of academic medicine."

In addition, the AAMC will commemorate Academic Medicine Week by:

• Bringing a group of medical students to Capitol Hill to share why they are pursuing careers in medicine and urge their lawmakers to help strengthen the physician and health care workforce;

• Convening a meeting of government relations representatives from member institutions to discuss shared advocacy priorities; and

• Hosting a Capitol Hill reception to showcase how AAMC-member academic health systems, teaching hospitals, and medical schools are shaping the future of health care.

Throughout Academic Medicine Week, the AAMC and its member institutions will highlight on social media how academic medicine works for America and illustrate the critical contributions of the nation's physicians, medical students, residents, faculty, researchers, and health care professionals to improving the health of people everywhere.