As the United States enters another period of transition in both federal and state governments, including the White House, Intealth™ reaffirms its commitment to our organization’s core values and mission — advancing quality in health care education worldwide and supporting international medical graduates (IMGs) and the essential contributions they make to U.S. health care.
Regardless of the election outcomes, our nation will continue to face a critical shortage of physicians. IMGs — comprising citizens of both the United States and other countries — are one-quarter of our nation’s physician workforce and more likely to practice in primary care as well as rural and other vulnerable communities. Intealth is uniquely positioned to inform and address this workforce challenge as a leader in medical education and research, with a robust portfolio of services designed to verify qualifications and support IMGs throughout their journey.
Intealth will advocate for policies that support IMGs, ensuring that these physicians are not adversely affected by potential changes that can occur with any transition in government. We will work to protect and enhance the pathways to U.S. medicine, including graduate medical education (GME) and professional licensure. For IMGs who are not U.S. citizens, we will promote immigration processes that are fair, predictable, and efficient. Importantly, as the sponsor of J-1 exchange visitor visas for medical residency, we will also continue to collaborate with the U.S. Department of State to enrich these educational and cultural exchange experiences.
Central to Intealth’s advocacy efforts is our commitment to educate the public and policy makers about the significant contributions of IMGs to health care in the United States and beyond. We look forward to working with others in academic medicine and government to ensure a robust and inclusive health care workforce that serves the U.S. public effectively.