The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) has its roots grounded in activism. Since taking a stand against its former parent organization (the AMA) on more socio-medical issues such as civil rights, universal health care, and the Vietnam war in 1967, AMSA has been consistently fostering strong activists in the medical community. AMSA has a long history of focusing on major issues from social justice and health care reform to responsible global health implementation and care. This outstanding student activist award is dedicated to the late Paul Ambrose.

Paul Ambrose was one of AMSA’s most prominent and accomplished national leaders. While in medical school in his native West Virginia, Paul became deeply involved with AMSA and rose to the position of Legislative Affairs Director in 1995- a fulltime student office fellow position of the association. Ambrose created the original AMSA Political Leadership Institute, the later scholars program, one of many original initiatives engaged in teaching broader health policy and advocacy skills to medical student pupils. His seemingly endless dedication to creating change and opportunities wherever he went made Paul a trailblazing activist.

Paul Ambrose was esteemed among his AMSA colleagues, and went on to pursue continued policy work while serving his family medicine residency at Dartmouth Medical School. Paul created his own opportunities and began working among a diverse policy community, including former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. Following residency, he earned a Master's of Public Health from Harvard University and was named to the prestigious Luther Terry Fellowship from the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine. Ambroses’ last work was with the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP). He served under Surgeon General David Satcher on the project to create the “Call to Action” on obesity and Healthy People 2010. It was in this service that Paul Ambrose’s life and potential ended early aboard American Airlines Flight 77 on September 11th, 2001. Paul’s enthusiasm, versatility and dedication to patient values kept him both grounded, serving in family medicine in West Virginia until the end, and aspiring for fundamental justice from within the medical community.

Previous recipients of the award include Marce Abare, Sonia Lazreg, David Marcus, H. Matthew Moy, Chukwuemeka ("Ike") Nwokike, Kristen Pallok, Collin Schenk Kiana Taba, Cole Zanetti, Sarah Ziegenhorn, and Mattie Renn.

For more information about the Health Activist Dinner and awards, visit http://www.healthactivistdinner.org/.