Recognizing the contributions of academic medicine and observing Academic Medicine Week from June 8 through 12, 2026.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1337 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1337

   Recognizing the contributions of academic medicine and observing 
          Academic Medicine Week from June 8 through 12, 2026.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 3, 2026

 Ms. Castor of Florida (for herself and Mr. Fitzpatrick) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Recognizing the contributions of academic medicine and observing 
          Academic Medicine Week from June 8 through 12, 2026.

Whereas the week of June 8 through 12, 2026, is designated Academic Medicine 
        Week to recognize the contributions of academic medicine to medical 
        research, clinical care, medical education, and community health 
        nationwide;
Whereas academic medicine--the Nation's medical schools, academic health 
        systems, teaching hospitals, and resident physicians, faculty 
        physicians, students, and medical researchers--serves a vital and unique 
        role in the United States health care system;
Whereas these providers and institutions, including the AAMC (Association of 
        American Medical Colleges) network of nearly 500 academic health systems 
        and teaching hospitals and 163 medical schools, focus on 4 missions:

    (1) educating and training the nation's health care workforce;

    (2) conducting groundbreaking medical research;

    (3) delivering cutting-edge patient care, including care for the 
sickest and most complex patients; and

    (4) collaborating with communities to improve the health of people 
everywhere, while also serving as vital economic engines;

Whereas the AAMC is celebrating 150 years of leading and serving the United 
        States' medical schools, academic health systems and teaching hospitals, 
        and individuals across academic medicine--including more than 210,000 
        full-time faculty members, 100,000 medical students, 162,000 resident 
        physicians, and 60,000 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in 
        the biomedical sciences;
Whereas for 150 years, the AAMC has served as the national voice and advocate 
        for academic medicine by leading and serving its member institutions to 
        train the next generation of doctors and scientists, deliver excellent 
        care, foster breakthroughs to save lives, and prepare for health crises;
Whereas the unique environment at AAMC-member institutions is essential to 
        advancing lifesaving medical research, training the next generation of 
        physicians and health care professionals, and caring for patients in 
        every community nationwide;
Whereas AAMC-member institutions drive medical research and innovation, and the 
        unique partnership between the National Institutes of Health (``NIH'') 
        and the Nation's medical schools and teaching hospitals, forged just 
        after World War II, deepens the understanding of the mechanisms of human 
        health and disease, leading to advancements in treatments, therapies, 
        and medical technologies that bring hope to patients and families;
Whereas approximately 60 percent of all NIH extramural research is conducted by 
        AAMC-member institutions;
Whereas AAMC-member institutions and the Department of Veterans Affairs (``VA'') 
        have forged and maintained an 80-year partnership, built on the shared 
        missions of strengthening medical education, health care, and medical 
        research, which has improved the lives of veterans and improved health 
        equity for veterans by ensuring they have access to advanced health 
        care;
Whereas through this historic collaboration, the VA has become the largest 
        single provider of medical training in the country, with approximately 
        70 percent of all physicians in the United States completing at least 
        part of their training in VA facilities;
Whereas America's academic health systems and teaching hospitals are a vital 
        part of the nation's health care infrastructure and are where expert 
        patient care and state-of-the-art medical innovation connect to save 
        lives;
Whereas AAMC-member academic health systems and teaching hospitals provide 32% 
        of all hospital-based charity care; 22% of Medicare inpatient days; 29% 
        of Medicaid inpatient days; 100% of all National Cancer Institute-
        designated comprehensive cancer centers; 56% of all level-one trauma 
        centers; and 65% of all pediatric intensive care unit beds;
Whereas the AAMC continues to project that physician demand will grow faster 
        than the supply (primarily driven by a growing, aging United States 
        population), leading to a persistent physician shortage?, so action is 
        needed now to address the physician shortage, AAMC-member teaching 
        health systems and hospitals train 70 percent of medical residents;
Whereas a key element of addressing the physician shortage and ensuring access 
        to care for all communities is strengthening the physician workforce and 
        increasing Medicare support for graduate medical education, which will 
        help patients receive care when they need it, particularly in rural and 
        other underserved areas;
Whereas continued support is needed for the Health Resources and Services 
        Administration Title VII health professions and Title VIII nursing 
        workforce development programs--which invest in K-16 health outreach and 
        education programs through partnerships between health professions 
        schools and local community-based organizations--that are critical to 
        addressing workforce shortages by training and supporting a robust 
        health care workforce, including in rural and other underserved areas, 
        through scholarships, mentorship, community-based and interdisciplinary 
        training, and well-being programs;
Whereas the perspectives of learners have been represented and augmented through 
        the AAMC on important issues--including pathways to careers in medicine, 
        STEM education, student loans, faculty mentorship, and training 
        programs--and bipartisan approaches to strengthening medical education 
        continues;
Whereas AAMC-member institutions equip medical students with the knowledge, 
        skills, and behaviors to positively impact patients, health care 
        organizations, and society generally by improving the clinical learning 
        environment, health care quality, health outcomes, and patient 
        satisfaction;
Whereas medical schools, academic health systems and teaching hospitals 
        collaborate across rural, urban, and underserved areas to address the 
        physician shortage by building the physician workforce and strengthening 
        the pathway for international physicians who are willing to practice in 
        underserved areas after completing residency training;
Whereas AAMC-member institutions support the physician workforce by expanding 
        training for medical students, especially in communities with health 
        professions shortages;
Whereas medical schools, academic health systems, and teaching hospitals 
        contributed in 2019 more than $728 billion in gross domestic product 
        (``GDP''), 3.2% of the United States' GDP, an economic impact comparable 
        in size to other important sectors such as transportation, warehousing, 
        and food services;
Whereas AAMC-member institutions generate approximately $2,218 in economic 
        impact per person and support more than 7.1 million jobs in the United 
        States across multiple industries, which was approximately 4.4% of the 
        2019 labor force nationwide, and paid an average of more than $68,000 in 
        wages, salaries, and benefits per job;
Whereas academic medicine's four mission areas are so deeply interconnected that 
        inadequate financing or reductions in funding for one mission area limit 
        the effectiveness of the others;
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of ``Academic Medicine Week'';
            (2) affirms the unique and critical impact of academic 
        medicine on patients and communities nationwide;
            (3) recognizes the importance of ensuring strong federal 
        support for programs that support academic medicine's 
        leadership in medical research, cutting-edge patient care, 
        innovative medical education, and critical community 
        collaborations; and
            (4) encourages the people of the United States to recognize 
        the critical role of the Nation's medical schools, academic 
        health systems and teaching hospitals in improving the health 
        of all.
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