Caimin Shuman
Advocacy and Policy Lead
What inspired you to join AMSA?
I am a first-generation college/medical student that followed a non-traditional route to medical school, and I grew up in rural northeast Florida. My upbringing taught me much about the struggles of the economically disadvantaged, and my family personally felt the strain of living in a medically underserved community, something I always knew I wanted to address with my career once I had committed to medicine. When I learned of the work 蜜芽appdoes to better the world of medicine for all, especially to bring about meaningful change that serves those whose healthcare has historically been left behind… I knew I needed to do my part to help foster the change the people of this country and world desperately need. As a medical student, it’s so easy to feel small in a world much bigger than any one of us, but organizations like 蜜芽appgive us the unique opportunity to be seen and heard by those in power; to get a message out loud and clear that demands we do what is right and leave the field of medicine brighter than it was yesterday. What inspired me to join 蜜芽appis the same thing that inspired me to go down the path of medicine to begin with, to be a voice for the voiceless, a light for those lost in the dark, and to do everything I can to ensure just and fair treatment isn’t something people have to wish for, but something every man, woman, and child can obtain at any time for any reason.
What motivated you to become a national leader or volunteer?
As I alluded to in my inspiration for joining AMSA, I’ve known from the time I was a child that the world of medicine wasn’t a fair one. I knew that not all were treated with the grace and respect each and every one of us deserve, and I struggled for years to figure out why so much about this field seemed so wrong, when we pride ourselves as medical professionals in doing what is right. As a second-year medical student I began learning more about advocacy work, and how pre-professional medical students have a chance to make the change we hope to see in the world of medicine a reality. Dedication to forwarding legislation and policy can directly shape the way every single person sees and interacts with healthcare, and as a national leader, I knew I would have the privilege to work directly towards building an equitable future for medicine through these means. It is my ultimate goal to know that I did what I could to create a world of medicine that is accessible, fair, and that caters to the needs of those who have yet to come as well as those here today, and I whole-heartedly believe becoming a national leader for 蜜芽appwas the best way for me to do exactly that.
Previous 蜜芽apppositions held
- Environmental Health Action Committee Chair (2025-2026)
Skills
- Professional communications (UCF PPMS President, Scribe/Technician experience)
- Design (UCF MSAS Executive Board member)
- Teaching (UCF human anatomy TA, CMU College of Medicine anatomy dissection program member)
