Dr. Jane Weida, professor of family, internal and rural medicine with CCHS, was appointed to the Bridge Year Standing Work Group, an apprenticeship program for new medical school graduates who didn’t initially match into residency programs. The group was created by the Alabama Physician Workforce Act, which took effect Aug. 1, 2023, and seeks to address the state’s physician shortage. In her role with the group, Weida will help develop a pathway program for unmatched medical school graduates that will allow them to practice under the on-site supervision of a licensed Alabama physician as they re-apply to residency programs.
Dr. Pamela Payne-Foster, professor of community medicine and population health with CCHS, was elected vice chair of the Community Medicine/Preventive Medicine Section of the National Medical Association. The NMA is the largest and oldest national organization in the U.S. representing African American physicians and their patients. The NMA works to bring about parity and justice in medicine and the elimination of health disparities.