119-hres531

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 531 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 531

 Recognizing the contributions of academic medicine and observing 
 Academic Medicine Week from June 23 through 27, 2025.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 June 23, 2025

 Ms. Castor of Florida (for herself and Mr. Fitzpatrick) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
 Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Recognizing the contributions of academic medicine and observing 
 Academic Medicine Week from June 23 through 27, 2025.

Whereas the week of June 23 through 27, 2025, is designated Academic Medicine 
 Week to recognize the contributions of academic medicine to medical 
 research, clinical care, medical education, and community health 
 nationwide;
Whereas academic medicine, the Nation's academic health systems and teaching 
 hospitals, medical schools, resident physicians, faculty physicians, 
 students, and biomedical researchers, serves a vital and unique role in 
 the United States health care system;
Whereas these providers and institutions, including the Association of American 
 Medical Colleges (``AAMC'') network of nearly 500 academic health 
 systems and teaching hospitals and 160 medical schools, focus on four 
 missions--

    (1) educating and training the nation's health care workforce;

    (2) conducting groundbreaking medical research;

    (3) delivering cutting-edge patient care, including care for the 
sickest and most complex patients; and

    (4) collaborating with communities to improve the health of communities 
everywhere;

Whereas the AAMC leads and serves the United States medical schools, academic 
 health systems and teaching hospitals, and the millions of individuals 
 across academic medicine, including more than 210,000 full-time faculty 
 members, 99,000 medical students, 162,000 resident physicians, and 
 60,000 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the biomedical 
 sciences;
Whereas AAMC-member institutions drive medical research and innovation, and the 
 unique partnership between the National Institutes of Health (``NIH'') 
 and the Nation's medical schools and teaching hospitals, forged just 
 after World War II, deepens the understanding of the mechanisms of human 
 health and disease, leading to advancements in treatments, therapies, 
 and medical technologies that bring hope to patients and families;
Whereas, approximately 60 percent of all NIH extramural research is conducted by 
 AAMC-member institutions;
Whereas the AAMC continues to project that physician demand will grow faster 
 than supply (primarily driven by a growing, aging United States 
 population) leading to a projected total physician shortage of up to 
 86,000 physicians by 2036, action is needed now to address the physician 
 shortage;
Whereas every community nationwide relies on medical schools and teaching 
 hospitals to prepare future physicians and researchers who will serve 
 all patients, and AAMC-member teaching health systems and hospitals 
 train over 70 percent of medical residents;
Whereas a key element of addressing the physician shortage and ensuring access 
 to care for all communities is increasing Medicare support for graduate 
 medical education, which will help patients receive care when they need 
 it, particularly in rural and other underserved areas;
Whereas continued support is needed for the pathway programs funded and 
 administered by Health Resources and Services Administration title VII 
 health professions and title VIII nursing programs, which invests in K-
 16 health outreach and education programs through partnerships between 
 health professions schools and local community-based organizations to 
 play an important role in training and supporting a health care 
 workforce in rural and other underserved areas through scholarships, 
 mentorship, community-based and interdisciplinary training, and well-
 being programs;
Whereas the perspectives of learners have been represented and augmented through 
 the AAMC on important issues including pathways to careers in medicine, 
 STEM education, student loans, faculty mentorship, training programs, 
 and bipartisan approaches to strengthening medical education continues;
Whereas AAMC-member institutions equip medical students with the knowledge, 
 skills, and behaviors to positively impact patients, students, health 
 care organizations, and society generally by improving the clinical 
 learning environment, health care quality, health outcomes, and patient 
 satisfaction;
Whereas medical schools and academic health systems and teaching hospitals 
 collaborate to address the physician shortage by increasing the number 
 of Medicare-supported residency positions and international physicians 
 who are willing to practice in underserved areas after completing 
 residency training, and to share expertise, resources, and 
 responsibility for achieving common goals;
Whereas AAMC-member institutions support the primary care workforce by expanding 
 training for medical students in states with the highest primary care 
 workforce shortages;
Whereas AAMC-member institutions and the Department of Veterans Affairs (``VA'') 
 have forged and maintained a 79-year partnership, built on the shared 
 missions of education, health care, and medical research, which has 
 improved the lives of veterans and improved health equity for veterans 
 by ensuring they have access to advanced health care;
Whereas, through this historic collaboration, the VA has become the largest 
 single provider of medical training in the country, with approximately 
 70 percent of all physicians in the United States completing at least 
 part of their training in VA facilities;
Whereas maintaining predictable and reliable investments in medical research, 
 physician training, and patient care leads to lifesaving advancements, 
 stronger patient health outcomes, and improved health of the Nation;
Whereas medical schools and academic health systems and teaching hospitals 
 contributed more than $728 billion in gross domestic product (``GDP''), 
 3.2 percent of the United States GDP, in 2019, an economic impact 
 comparable in size to other important sectors such as transportation, 
 warehousing, and food services;
Whereas AAMC-member institutions generate approximately $2,218 in economic 
 impact per person and supported more than 7.1 million jobs in the United 
 States across multiple industries, which was approximately 4.4 percent 
 of the 2019 labor force nationwide, and paid an average of more than 
 $68,000 in wages, salaries, and benefits per job; and
Whereas academic medicine's four mission areas are so deeply interconnected that 
 inadequate financing or reductions in funding for one mission area limit 
 the effectiveness of the others: Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

    (1) supports the designation of ``Academic Medicine Week'';

    (2) affirms the unique and critical impact of academic 
 medicine on patients and communities nationwide;

    (3) recognizes the importance of ensuring strong Federal 
 support for programs that support academic medicine's 
 leadership in medical research, cutting-edge patient care, 
 innovative medical education, and critical community 
 collaborations; and

    (4) encourages the people of the United States to recognize 
 the critical role of the Nation's medical schools and academic 
 health systems and teaching hospitals in improving the health 
 of all.
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