Reflections: A Trip to the White House

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Five GUSOM students visited the White House on June 24 to participate in a discussion with President Barack Obama about health care reform. The students joined physicians, patients, and other major stakeholders as part of a special taping for an ABC News television program – Primetime’s “Questions for the President: Prescription for America.” The show, moderated by ABC anchors Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer, aired nationwide and addressed President Obama’s health care initiative.

“As a medical student, I felt my trip to the White House was as much symbolic as it was exciting,” said Erica Joy Adams (M’10). “As students, we are on the front lines of the inheritance of an unsustainable [health care] system, and whether or not we choose to help direct the course of reform, we will be managing the consequences.”

Joining Adams at the White House were J. Ryan Macdonell (M’10), Joseph Murray (M’11), Ian Tuznik (M’12) and Mary Vigil (M’12). All were chosen from a group of 46 Georgetown medical students who submitted questions for the President at the invitation of ABC News.

Below are some reflections from students who visited the White house:

“During commercial breaks, President Obama went around the room and shook hands and spoke with almost every single person in the room,” said Joseph Murray. “One question I came away with at the end: A lot is being said about using the best evidence to improve quality of care while reducing quantity of care. Who will fund, research and decide what evidence is best?”

Mary Vigil was called on by host Charlie Gibson. “I told them of my commitment to family medicine and serving the underserved,” said Vigil. “But that I was concerned for how I was going to serve that with a high medical education debt.” Vigil thinks more National Health Service Corp scholarships should be made readily available and that government funds should be increased so students can be committed to serving our nation’s needs. Vigil added, “now my DC experience is complete. I have been the White House as a guest and met the first minority President, and I’m in medical school at Georgetown.”

On behalf of the entire SOM student body, Murray handed President Obama a letter from student body president, Claiborne Childs, which included 46 additional questions on health care reform from GUSOM students. To read the letter and the questions sent to President Obama, please click here.

By Karen Mallet, excerpted from the GUMC Update