Third-year medical student Casey Smiley and fourth-year medical student Nick Christian represented the Boonshoft School of Medicine.
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They met with Sen. Rob Portman and three Republican congressmen including Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio’s 15th District, Brad Wenstrup of the 2nd District and Bill Johnson of the 6th District. They also met with legislative aides for three other Republicans including Rep. Steve Chabot, Rep. Warren Davidson and Rep. Patrick Tiberi.
Smiley discussed the opioid addiction epidemic with the legislators and legislative aides while Christian spoke about improving the care of patients with chronic disease, according to WSU.
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“I shared personal stories about my time in the hospital and clinics working with patients addicted to opioids,” Smiley said. “Personal anecdotes were key to conveying the importance and urgency of these issues during these meetings.”
The annual advocacy day of the American College of Physicians brought together 430 members from 47 states and the District of Columbia. Medical students and doctors who attended were divided into teams based on the state where they live, according to WSU.
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