NMA Welcomes Senator Bernie Sanders to its 8th Annual Professional Development Series at the CBCF

The National Medical Association Welcomes Senator Bernie Sanders to its 8^th Annual Professional Development Series at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference Silver Spring, MD – The National Medical Association (NMA) is hosting its 8^th Annual Professional Development Series (PDS) at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference, Wednesday, September 20, 2023, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt Vernon Pl. NW, Washington, DC. The NMA partners its development series with CBCF’s Legislative Conference in order to connect with elected officials and address relevant issues, recently introduced legislative proposals and initiatives surrounding the disparities that exist with access to care, redetermination, viability of the physician workforce and physician reimbursement. In accordance with the theme of NMA’s 124^th President, Yolanda M. Lawson, MD, The Quest for Healthcare Transformation, this year’s Development Series will focus on key elements that most impact communities of color. Topics addressed will be nutrition and health, drug pricing and its impact on health equity, changes to Medicaid and its impact on communities of color, increasing the number of Black physicians in the workforce, the evolving landscape of maternal and reproductive health, updates on a national plan to end the HIV epidemic and NMA’s involvement in advancing a national cancer plan. Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership at Harvard Medical School, Joan Y. Reede, MD, MD, MPH, MBA, the lunch keynote speaker, will address Breaking Barriers: Recognizing and Confronting Attacks on Diversity and Inclusion. Afternoon sessions will include an informative discussion on Increasing the Black Physician Workforce. Moderated by Cedric M. Bright, MD, 112^th NMA president and interim vice dean, associate dean for Admissions, Brody School of Medicine, Leonard “Len” Marquez, senior director, Government Relations and Legislative Advocacy, American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), and Sheila Pradia-Williams, deputy associate administrator, Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resource and Services Administration will share ways their respective agencies can and are actively working towards increasing diversity in the physician workforce. Later in the afternoon, Senator Bernie Sanders (VT), who sits on the Senate Budget Committee, and is chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, will offer remarks to attendees with regards to Increasing the Black Physician Workforce. Senator Sanders is the longest serving independent member of Congress in American history. He has always fought for the rights of working-class people and the disenfranchised, and fervently fights against corporate greed. The day concludes with a presentation on the National Cancer Plan: How NMA Can Be Involved, by 116^th NMA President, Edith Peterson Mitchell, MD, MACP (London), clinical professor of Medicine and Medical Oncology, Brigadier General (Ret.) United States Air Force. ### The NMA promotes the collective interests of physicians and patients of African Descent. We carry out this mission by serving as the collective voice of physicians of African Descent and a leading voice for parity in medicine, elimination of health disparities and promotion of optimal health.   Yolanda M. Lawson, MD                                              Contact:  Michael Peery NMA 124^th President                                                     (312) 217-2260 mlp@lengarmedia.com Joy D. Calloway, MBA, MHSA Executive Director Stay connected with the National Medical Association (NMA) on  Twitter andFacebook.