Blake For Board

11/13/2019

My decision to pursue a career in surgery is due to, in no small part, to the mentorship I've experienced in the Medical Student Section. As a first-year, I was connected with a group of female medical students with similar aspirations, many of whom are now surgery residents! Over the past three years, these women have become good friends, mentors, and the support system I didn’t realize I needed. Welcomed and empowered, I felt lucky to have a built-in community of people who supported each other in both organized and clinical medicine.

However, hashtags like and exist for a reason. While the demographics of the surgeon workforce are changing, and diversifying, we still have a long way to go. As of 2015, approximately 80% of practicing general surgeons were men. Diversification of the physician workforce, not only in regards to gender but race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status is no easy undertaking. It requires fearless commitment and meaningful support from institutions across the medical education continuum. The American Medical Association has offered an essential space to learn, grow, and evolve as a future female surgeon -- and I could not be more grateful. From networking to research, residency navigation tools to study resources, the American Medical Association provides students an array of resources and support to navigate medical school and beyond. As your next Trustee, I promise to be a champion for the changing face of medicine. And, if you want to read more on the "Evolving Surgeon Image" check out this pieces in the AMA's Journal of Ethics: https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/evolving-surgeon-image/2018-05

11/11/2019

During my time as GRAF, I had the opportunity to travel to six Region Meetings in Denver, Chicago, New Orleans, Gainesville, Indianapolis, and Philadelphia in addition to over 30 school chapters across the country, meeting hundreds of medical students along the way. Outside of our incredible Interim and Annual meetings, I know student members work hard to engage colleagues at their home institutions. We need leaders who understand the drivers and barriers to involvement in organized medicine, in order to better support student leaders. The American Medical Association is dedicated to helping members move medicine and as your Trustee, I will use my on-the-ground experience to inform and enhance decision-making regarding membership strategy.

As an aside, the time spent traveling offered dedicated space to build relationships with some amazing medical students from coast to coast. Many of those people have supported me in this campaign for the Board of Trustees, so it only seems fitting to recognize those tremendous individuals on this platform. Thank you to Ali H. Bokhari, Ro Ras, Rafa Rahman, Pauline Huynh, Mia Rienstra Bareman, Dan Pereira, Jennings Dooley, Michael Brendan Bagg, Faith Mason, Avni Patel, Closehad Gamsorry, Rohan Khazanchi, Dory Askins, and Ajeet Singh. I could not have gotten this far without you all!

11/05/2019

The AMA-MSS National Advocacy Week came to a close last Friday -- a nationwide opportunity to learn about and organize around some of the biggest issues facing the medical community today. The opioid epidemic, firearm violence, the high cost of prescription drugs, and the physician shortage crisis will affect how we, the next generation of physicians practice medicine. Our incredible GRAF, Hari Iyer, worked with our committees to provide a set of resources to engage students at the grassroots level.

Organizing National Advocacy Week (NAW) and the Medical Student Advocacy and Region Conference (MARC) was one of the highlights of my time in Washington. When medical students organize, we produce results. I’ve led efforts as GRAF to empower our Section in the advocacy space. As a member of the BOT, I will work relentlessly to ensure our perspective is understood and our priorities are elevated. When given a seat at the table, I will never be afraid to use my voice for the betterment and progress of our Section.

10/25/2019

My Boys - The Ultimate Stress Reliever

Throughout my time in medical school, I’ve chosen to be honest with myself, my colleagues, and my friends and family about my experiences with burnout, anxiety, and stress during my pre-clinical years. The reality is that navigating medical school, residency, and your professional career as a physician is anything but easy. Medical students feel the stressors of securing residency positions, while residents navigate the challenges of their training responsibilities. My feline children have often helped mitigate those moments of hardship and uncertainty. I'm here to tell you that pet therapy is real. So, without further ado, meet Crush and Mack Murphy Gudmundson Farr! And to learn more about the AMA’a resources around burnout, check out the link here:
https://www.ama-assn.org/topics/physician-burnout

10/24/2019

A shot from the "Hearing on Costs of Rural Health Care" held by the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security. This was one of my first congressional hearings as the Government Relations Advocacy Fellow in the AMA’s federal advocacy department. I still remember the change in energy when Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Ranking Member Sanders (I-VT) walked in the room. As I furiously typed my notes, I can often recall the impassioned statements from Senators calling on the committee to make more than empty promises to Americans living in rural communities. Tackling the care delivery and financial challenges of rural health care is not something that can be accomplished in a 4-hour hearing. However, it did represent a start to ongoing and important conversations about the health and well-being of populations acutely affected by the physician shortage crisis.

During my time as GRAF, I had the opportunity to understand, analyze and advocate for increased GME funding as a means to support rural and urban underserved communities. To learn more about just some of the AMA’s efforts to support GME expansion, check out the link here:
https://www.ama-assn.org/education/gme-funding/save-graduate-medical-education

10/17/2019

Dear Friends,

My name is Blake Murphy, and I’m excited to announce my campaign to join the American Medical Association Board of Trustees! I’ve had the chance to meet with many of you, hear about your experiences as AMA members, and the issues that matter most. During my time working as the Government Relations Advocacy Fellow (GRAF) in the AMA’s federal advocacy office, I got to be a part of the policy implementation process, in real-time. During my tenure, the AMA’s advocacy teams fought to protect immigrant health care rights through opposition to the public charge, called for CDC funding to study gun violence, defended the Affordable Care Act in federal court, and mounted a historic battle against the largest healthcare merger in American history.

In the next two years, it is imperative that our AMA spearhead the national discourse around issues such as Graduate Medical Education, Federal Health System Reform, and Health Equity. I believe that my unparalleled experience in this organization makes me uniquely equipped to represent not only our policy priorities, but also our passion. I’m asking for your support this November to bring your voice directly to the Boardroom. I invite you to take a look at my platform, like and follow the page to learn more about the campaign!

I’m here for each and every student member, so do not hesitate to reach out at blake.e.murphy@gmail.com or 773.420.8259. I can’t wait to see you all in San Diego!

10/17/2019

Check out this podcast episode where I talk about health policy, organized medicine, and my experience on the Hill this past year!

https://medicuspodcast.com/ep14/

Episode 14 | Healthcare on the Hill: Working for the AMA Listen here! Listen as current medical student Blake Murphy coaches us on how to get educated about healthcare policy and become involved in…