Deans’ Distinguished Lecture
Dr. Ronald Davis, Dr. William McDade, and Members of the Pritzker AMA Chapter
Members of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and the Harris School of Public Policy communities welcomed Dr. Ronald M. Davis, President of the American Medical Association and alumnus of both Pritzker (MD’83) and Harris (AM’81) on January 30, 2008 as part of a combined Deans’ Distinguished Lecture.
In his presentation, “Healthcare Reform: How to Cover Everyone and Keep Them Healthy,” Dr. Davis addressed the ways in which policy makers and those in the medical field can do their part to ensure a healthy community. Expanding medical coverage for the uninsured is one of five priorities of the AMA’s health care advocacy agenda. “Our simple plan is to give people money to buy health insurance,” explained Davis. The plan includes providing individuals and families with tax credits, which would be available at the start of the year and would be inversely related to income.
The AMA is in the second year of its three-year campaign to make this plan a reality. In 2009, which will give our country a new president and new Congress, Davis said, “There will be no excuse for not dealing effectively with this problem once and for all.” In his closing comments, he stressed the words of transportation pioneer Henry Ford and their relevance to those in the audience: “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”
Prior to his presentation, Dr. Davis met with the Pritzker School of Medicine’s student chapter of the American Medical Association. Dr. Davis continued the discussion with student attendees after the lecture during a reception in the Goldblatt lobby.
—with assistance from Elizabeth Jenkins, Communications Associate, Harris School of Public Policy Studies
