Chicago, IL – Rahul Vanjani, a student at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, has been named a recipient of the American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation’s 2011 Leadership Award. This award provides medical students, residents/fellows and early career physicians from around the country with special training to develop their skills as future leaders in organized medicine and community affairs.
The AMA Foundation honored 30 individuals with the award at its annual Excellence in Medicine Awards ceremony on February 8 in Washington D.C. Presented in association with Pfizer Inc, recipients of the award are recognized for demonstrating outstanding non-clinical leadership skills in advocacy, community service and education. Mr. Vanjani is one of only 24 medical students in the nation to receive a leadership award.
Currently in the third year of his studies, Mr. Vanjani is pursuing a career in primary care and health advocacy. He co-founded George Washington University’s student-run clinic in the Anacostia section of southeast Washington, D.C. This clinic provides comprehensive primary care services to HIV-positive patients. As a medical student, Mr. Vanjani has investigated the factors associated with poor medication adherence among the District’s HIV-positive population. He also founded Seeding Communities, a non-profit organization with a mission to improve maternal and child health in developing areas worldwide. Mr. Vanjani received a Master of Science degree in Integrated Immunology from the University of Oxford.
“As our nation continues to struggle with issues of access, disease prevention and disparities in care, encouraging the next generation of leaders is critical,” said Barney R. Maynard, MD, AMA Foundation President. “We need individuals like these award recipients who are taking the initiative to tackle health care’s most difficult challenges.”
The AMA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt foundation, is the philanthropic arm of the AMA and is committed to improving the health of Americans through support of quality programs in public health and medical education. Their programs include grants for free clinics and healthy lifestyles projects, medical student scholarships and health literacy initiatives.
