We are a group of students (mostly pre-meds, but everyone is welcome!) dedicated to giving back to the community, learning about medicine today, and creating a welcoming and supportive community at Cal. Founded a little more than a decade ago in the 90's by UC Berkeley students, it is a affiliated with the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States-- the national American Medical Student Association (AMSA), which is known to have a half-century history of medical student activism.

Today, UC Berkeley AMSA is a student-governed, UC Berkeley organization supported by the ASUC and is committed to representing the concerns of future physicians-in-training. With a membership of more than 1,000 pre-medical students, UC Berkeley AMSA continues its commitment to providing a support network and resource for pre-medical students interested in health and medicine.

How is UC Berkeley AMSA different from other pre-medical organizations at UC Berkeley? When you join UC Berkeley AMSA, you become more than just a part of  a pre-medical organization on campus.  On a national level, you also become part of a vital force of future physicians who believe that patients and health professionals are partners in the management of health care and that access to high-quality health care is a right and not a privilege. At AMSA, activism is a way of life. Student idealism is transformed into meaningful public service, innovation and institutional change.

We participate in a number of short and long term volunteer projects including work with Foster Care kids, the disabled and the homeless. Our Action Committees are dedicated to exploring humanistic and current social developments in the medical world.

We also work to create a support network for premeds at Cal. Currently, we are working to put on a Pre-Health Career Fair in the spring and provide access to useful pre-med workshops and resources.

The mission of AMSA Premed is to provide information, support and leadership development for future physicians-in-training. As activists, we seek to foster our philosophy of diversity and community service in the premedical student, while providing benefits and service which aid future physicians-in-training as they prepare for a career in medicine.

For more than a decade, UC Berkeley AMSA has represented the voice of future physicians-in-training in their efforts to best serve the students and the public. In 2007, national AMSA leaders selected the following four strategic priorities to focus the activism of its 62,000-plus membership. UC Berkeley AMSA is dedicated to allocating time, energy and resources toward fulfilling our goals within these priorities set by the national AMSA.

Quality, Affordable Health Care for All

    AMSA mobilizes students in advocating for quality, affordable health care for all. AMSA works through state and national coalitions to improve existing public programs and to advocate for a public national health insurance program.

Global Health Equity

    This encompasses the issues of wellness, safety, opportunity and environment that make up a healthy society. It also highlights the interconnected nature of all people and our responsibility for rational and proportional assistance for all people, regardless of the country in which they live. Justice and equity are paramount to assuring that race, religion, income, gender, sexual preference or nationality are not factors limiting access to quality care.

Enriching Medicine Through Diversity

    As the world becomes more integrated and mobile, the need for a health care workforce to reflect our society grows more acute. AMSA’s independence was fueled by the civil rights era and continues today in advocacy for culturally-appropriate care, underrepresented providers in medicine, and admission criteria that do not disadvantage those from different backgrounds.

Professional Integrity, Development and Student Well-Being

    Physicians have long had a sacred social mission and AMSA seeks to help create physicians who uphold their duties to patients and society alike. An important aspect of professionalism, however, entails self-care, and we are dedicated to helping physicians-in-training through undergraduate, medical and residency training while maintaining balance and retaining commitment to personal and professional growth.

Got a question? A comment? Or just want someone to talk to? We're right here for you! You can contact any of the board members and have your question referred to the right person eventually, or if you know what your question is about, check the lists below for the right e-mail address. Click Here