Skip to content

D.O. Students Represent DMU at AMA I-24 Conference

WEST DES MOINES, IA (01/21/2025) Nine doctor of osteopathic medicine students from Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences represented the university at the American Medical Association Interim Meeting of the House of Delegates 2024 in Orlando, Florida, in November 2024. The AMA represents physicians with a unified voice in courts and legislative bodies across the nation, advocating for patient care and training the health care leaders of tomorrow.

DMU representatives actively contributed to the conference by authoring, reviewing and presenting policies, testifying in front of the Medical Student Section, several HOD Reference Committees and the AMA House of Delegates. They also participated in leadership elections and networking opportunities with other students, physicians and health policy leaders from Iowa and nationwide.

The MSS adopted thirty new policy resolutions, referred one policy for study and filed three reports. In the House of Delegates, the MSS worked with other sections and delegations to bring forth 17 MSS-authored resolutions. Twelve of these resolutions were adopted, and two were referred for study. Three of the adopted resolutions were authored by DMU students Kaitlyn Hanson, D.O.'26, and Mallory Britz, D.O.'27. In addition, Adrienne Nguyen, D.O.'26, assisted with authorship on all 10 resolutions brought forward by the Women's Physician Section, all of which were ultimately adopted by the House of Delegates. Parik Suda, D.O.'28, and Nick Maxfield, D.O.'28, also provided verbal testimony in front of the MSS.

Several DMU students currently serve in leadership positions within AMA:

  • Adrienne Nguyen, D.O.'26: Serves as the Medical Student Section representative on the Women Physicians Section Governing Council, Medical Student Regional alternate delegate to the HOD for A-24 and I-24, policy chair for Region 2 of the MSS and vice chair of the I-24 MSS Reference Committee. Nguyen concluded her term as one of 70 MSS Regional delegates to the HOD for A-24 and I-24.

  • Kaitlyn Hanson, D.O.'26: Serves as advocacy chair for Region 2 of the MSS, MSS representative to the AMA DO Caucus, student member of the WPS Policy Making Committee and vice chair for the Women in Medicine MSS Standing Committee, where she organized and hosted a training workshop on Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives for MSS members attending the conference. Hanson was elected as MSS Regional Delegate for A-25 and I-25.

  • Brianna Desharnais, D.O.'26: Served as a member of the MSS Standing Committee on Global and Public Health and provided policy testimony for the WPS on Resolution #206: Protect Infant and Young Child Feeding.

  • Jordan Samuel, D.O.'27: Serves as the chapter alternate delegate to the MSS representing DMU in the MSS Assembly, and as a non-voting member of the MSS caucus in Reference Committee B (Legislation). Samuel also presented his research at the AMA I-24 Poster Showcase. He provided testimony for the MSS on Resolution #213: Sustainable Long-term Funding for Child Psychiatry Access Programs.

  • Mallory Britz, D.O.'27: Serves as the chapter delegate to the MSS representing DMU, student member of the WPS Policy Making Committee and non-voting member of the MSS caucus in Reference Committee C (Medical Education). Britz also represented DMU at the AMA's DO Caucus. She provided policy testimony for WPS on Resolution #903: Improving the Identification of Intimate Partner Violence in People with Disabilities.

  • Jessica Duffy, D.O.'27: Serves as a non-voting member of the MSS caucus in Reference Committee K (Public Health) and was heavily involved in MSS convention committees, including the Social Media Committee and Credentialing Committee. Duffy also presented her research at the AMA I-24 Poster Showcase. She provided policy testimony for the WPS on Resolution #904: Regulation of Ionized Radiation Exposure for Healthcare Workers and for the MSS on Resolution #929: Safety Concerns Regarding Inadequate Labeling of Food Products Upon Ingredient Changes with Known Major Food Allergens.

  • Radhika Misra, D.O.'28: Serves as first-year liaison for the DMU Iowa Medical Society/AMA Club.

  • Parik Suda, D.O.'28: Serves as first-year liaison for the DMU Iowa Medical Society/AMA Club.

  • Nick Maxfield, D.O.'28: Serves as first-year liaison for the DMU Iowa Medical Society/AMA Club.


Located in West Des Moines, part of Iowa's capital metro, Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences offers 10 graduate-level professional degree programs in anatomy, biomedical sciences, health care administration, occupational therapy, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, podiatric medicine and public health. Founded in 1898, the institution offers superior academics in a collaborative environment. DMU students' scores on national examinations, pass rates on board certifications and match rates for medical residency programs are consistently higher than national averages and rates at peer institutions.

View Online: http://dmu.meritpages.com/news/d-o--students-represent-dmu-at-ama-i-24-conference/48296