Distinguished Lecture with David Skorton: 5 Takeaways

Nearly 700 people joined the virtual presentation of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine’s Sesquicentennial Distinguished Lecture with David Skorton, MD, on Sept. 21.

Skorton, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), former president of the UI, and a former faculty member in the Carver College of Medicine, spoke of his time on campus and offered his perspective on opportunities and obligations of academic medical centers in the current climate of a global pandemic, issues of systemic racism, and calls for social justice.

A recording of Skorton’s talk is available online (HawkID required).

Here are five key takeaways:

Addressing racism in academic medicine

Skorton said one lesson he’s learned throughout his career—including from colleagues at Iowa—is the importance of becoming involved in public discourse, emphasizing that “staying quiet is not an option.” Faculty, staff, and students at America’s medical schools and academic health systems can bring value to discussions about racial equity and social justice as well as science-based discussions about the pandemic and other public health issues.

Skorton announced that the AAMC soon will issue guidance on addressing racism in academic medicine. This initiative tackles the issue from four perspectives:

• Looking within ourselves as individuals—determining what we can do personally to better understand systemic racism and cultural bias, and our own areas that need work.
• Considering what changes can be made within the AAMC’s internal operations to address and eliminate racism and better serve its member institutions.
• Learning from the collective work of AAMC members and collaborating with them to make lasting changes in the communities they serve.
• Sharing what has been learned and speaking out with a strong local and national voice on these issues.

Learning from the lessons of the past year

Skorton shared three lessons he’s learned over the past year and how they can help reshape the future of medical schools and academic health systems:

• Academic medicine must meet the health needs of our communities through greater diversity, equity and inclusion. “Racism is antithetical to the oaths and moral responsibilities we accepted as health professionals dedicated our lives to advancing the health of all people,” he said. As the AAMC launches its new strategic plan in the coming weeks, it will include a fourth component to the traditional three-part mission of medical education, research, and patient care: community collaborations. This will help bring a wider range of voices and perspectives to inform how academic medical centers look to the future.
• The mental health and well-being of medical faculty, staff, and students, and the communities they serve, is critical during this time of increased pressure and upheaval. The global pandemic and issues of racism in America require even more information-sharing and best practices to improve mental health and avoid burnout among providers, educators, learners, and patients and community members.
• Academic medicine has proven to be nimble and adaptable to change, and this flexibility will be important moving forward. Sharing curricula, a practice not traditionally embraced by medical schools, may be an effective way to strengthen medical education across the nation.

Reflecting on the Carver College of Medicine

Skorton shared memories and expressed gratitude for his colleagues and relationships he developed throughout his 26-year career at Iowa. He noted that the UI was one of the founding members of the AAMC in 1876 and was a national leader as one of the first medical schools to accept women as well as men.

He also reflected on his time as a cardiologist and faculty member in the Department of Internal Medicine. Skorton credited fellow cardiologists Francois Abboud, MD, professor and former department chair, and Allyn Mark, MD, professor emeritus, for bringing him to Iowa in 1980.

Abboud and Mark “took a chance by hiring me, back when I was a young, unproven doctor and aspiring researcher many decades ago,” Skorton said. “They didn’t have to, and I credit them and many other mentors at the UI for contributing to my own personal and professional growth.” Skorton noted that Abboud founded the college’s multidisciplinary cardiovascular research center in the 1970s, which established Iowa as a “national treasure” for studies on heart disease, stroke, and hypertension.

Understanding how the coronavirus has created challenges—and opportunities

The global pandemic has stressed the nation’s health systems and public health infrastructure, placing academic medicine on the front lines. In fact, Skorton said, academic medicine has defined the frontline response to COVID-19, whether at the research bench or patient’s bedside. Medical education—and academic medicine, in general—has had to reinvent itself in this era of social distancing and personal protective equipment. Care providers also have had to deal with the psychological burden of treating extremely ill patients.

Skorton also acknowledged the increased financial pressures on the nation’s medical schools, teaching hospitals, and academic health systems, adding that he has been impressed with the “forward-looking management” UI Health Care leaders have demonstrated during the pandemic. He noted that Carver College of Medicine faculty and staff at Iowa are seizing opportunities to make a positive difference in response to COVID-19—for example, telehealth services, vaccine trials, and epidemiological expertise, and community collaborations, including Facebook Live sessions in Spanish for Latino communities.

This summer, the AAMC issued “A Road Map to Reset the Nation’s Approach to the Pandemic,” which includes steps to address shortages of supplies and increase COVID-19 testing, and longer-term actions to broaden health insurance coverage for millions of at-risk Americans and strengthen the nation’s public health infrastructure.

Working together, now more than ever

The history of the Carver College of Medicine is one of positive milestones, but it also reflects 150 years of lessons learned, Skorton said, adding that each academic medical center is closely connected to the communities, students, and patients it serves.

The AAMC’s pandemic “road map” document calls for greater collaboration as a nation, he noted. This is relevant not only to the global pandemic but also can and should be applied to many different contexts. Skorton encouraged us to consider what changes we’d like to see across academic medicine in the future and then make that happen in a collaborative way.

“Working together, we can achieve even more in the next 150 years,” Skorton said.

About David J. Skorton, MD

David J. Skorton, MD, is president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), a not-for-profit institution that represents the nation's medical schools, teaching hospitals, and academic societies.

Skorton began his leadership of the AAMC in July 2019 after a distinguished career in government, higher education, and medicine.

Before joining the AAMC, Skorton served as the 13th secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, where he oversaw 19 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo, numerous research centers, and education programs.

Prior to that, he served as president of two universities: Cornell University (2006-2015) and the University of Iowa (2003-2006), where he also served on the faculty for 26 years and specialized in the treatment of adolescents and adults with congenital heart disease. A pioneer of cardiac imaging and computer processing techniques, he was co-director and co-founder of the University of Iowa Adolescent and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic.

Throughout his career, Skorton has focused on issues of diversity and inclusion. A nationally recognized supporter of the arts and humanities, as well as an accomplished jazz musician and composer, Skorton believes that many of society's thorniest problems can be solved by combining the sciences, social sciences, and the arts and humanities.