Allison Montgomery, a fourth-year medical student pursuing a career in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, was selected as one of ten students nationwide for the inaugural class of the AMA Leadership Development Institute.
The Institute offers medical students entering their final year of school a unique opportunity to gain individualized insight into the skills needed to foster their careers and the future of medicine. Through quarterly group web conferences and a retreat at the AMA offices, participants interact with knowledgeable professionals who are leaders in their fields and offer advice on topics that go beyond the classroom and the clinic, such as communications techniques and networking strategies. Throughout the year-long program, participants are paired with a nearby mentor in their field who is an experienced and currently practicing physician and leader. Through monthly meetings and conversations, participants will receive personal career consultation and guidance while expanding their professional networks.
Montgomery seeks to be a change agent by pairing academic research with physician leadership and patient advocacy. She is especially interested in rural and international healthcare initiatives and gynecologic oncology research. As a medical student, she serves as president of her class and as an AAMC OSR representative—serving as the student representative on the Group on Regional Medical Campuses Steering Committee. Allison gained an appreciation for governmental affairs and policy as an undergraduate through the Blackburn Institute at the University of Alabama and a summer internship with Van Scoyoc Associates in Washington, DC.
"I was honored and excited to be invited to join the AMA Foundation's Leadership Development Institute, and after attending the fall retreat earlier this month in Chicago, I am looking forward to continuing through the curriculum with such an amazing group of peers,” said Montgomery. “I hope that this program will give me concrete advice on how to seek out valuable opportunities and how to be successful in creating change as a physician leader throughout my career.”