LACMA President Jerry P. Abraham, MD, MPH, CMQ, family physician and director of Kedren Vaccines at Kedren Health, a community health center and psychiatric hospital in South Los Angeles, spoke with the American Medical Association (AMA) about how the Medical Justice in Advocacy Fellowship, an education initiative from the AMA and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine, is helping him advance equity in his day-to-day practice and his work with policymakers and other key decision-makers.
“No matter how educated I am or how many degrees I have, I still need to grow,” Dr. Abraham said during an interview at the 2023 AMA Annual Meeting. “Anyone who says they’re done growing actually has a lot of growing to do, and I hope I go to my grave still growing.”
One of his major passions involves addressing the health risks posed by climate change. However, he is equally motivated to enhance the well-being of physicians. In reality, considering the strong interconnection of both issues with social determinants of health, they can scarcely be perceived as distinct and isolated from each other.
“Both are emergencies,” Dr. Abraham said. “We need work-life balance. We have to figure out how to do this work but also be family members and normal people who look after their health. That's really why this fellowship is so important—because everyone needs to get to their next level, and whether you're an expert or novice, that requires infrastructure and support and space and time.”
Read the full Q and A Here.