In a Pandemic, AMCs Lead the Way

The University of Mississippi Medical Center is Mississippi’s ONLY academic medical center. There’s not another institution in our state that is like us.

You see or hear this fact brought up many times, but it’s so important that it can never be overshared. Academic medical centers are a vital cog in our country’s health care machine and I’m proud that UMMC is among that elite group.

The importance and value of academic medical centers may have never been clearer than over the past couple of years as the entire world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. Health science centers like us across the country have been leaders in the response to COVID-19. Each institution like us has put forward all of our resources to care for members of our communities and beyond – taking care of patients who are fighting the effects of this deadly pandemic, tirelessly researching how best to treat patients and fight back the very virus itself, and setting a new high bar for the level of education the next generation of health care professionals receive so we will be even more ready the next time.

While our role as a health care leader in our state – as is the case for all academic medical centers in the state each resides – is a badge of honor, it’s also put us in a unique position to bear the weight of many aspects of this pandemic. But I wouldn’t change our responsibility a bit. We've stepped up in so many ways and demonstrated the meaning of #UMMCStrong. I’m glad we are the safety net hospital and a leader of all things COVID-19 in our state.

To highlight the role academic medical centers are playing in this pandemic, the Association of American Medical Colleges created a short documentary that showcases just a portion of this remarkable work. Leaders from many fellow academic medical centers are featured in this video, but the accounts they share are certainly not unique to their institution or community. UMMC has played an equally important role over the past two years as any other similar institution. And that is largely because of YOUR work. The faculty, staff and students that make up this institution are our most precious resources and the reason Mississippians can rely on us to continue to stand on the frontlines of any health care issue, including the deadliest pandemic the U.S. has ever experienced.

I hope you will take a few minutes to watch this video as a reminder that you stand with other academic medical centers in this fight and how important our role is in the effort of fostering A Healthier Mississippi.

(You'll even see a few shots of video of our health care heroes taking care of Mississippians in need.)

This is What We Do: Academic Medicine Rising to the Challenge of COVID-19 from AAMC on Vimeo.

Thank you!