Last Monday, June 13, 2016, as part of the work I do with Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform, I had the pleasure of sitting on a panel sponsored by the American Medical Association's Medical Affairs Section. The title of the session was Social Determinants of Health. Reverend Carmin Frederick opened with an emotional personal story about her 11 year-old son's witnessing a police shootout and the lasting effect it had on him. I was in the middle and spoke passionately about the physician's duty to be involved in criminal justice reform as the long-lasting negative consequences that can result from criminal justice interaction are well-characterized. Dr. Carl Bell finished with a compelling talk about the impact of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) on lower-income populations, and our lack of appreciation as physicians and as a society about the impact FAS continues to have on people's ability to function well into adulthood.

Mr. Michael Winters wrote a fantastic overview of the session for AMA WIRE.  You can read it in its entirety by clicking here.