UofL physicians, trainees advocate for patients

Internal medicine doctors take their case to national legislators in Washington, D.C.
UofL physicians, trainees advocate for patients

Drs. Clayton Smith and Sara Ellingwood represented the University of Louisville at the annual ACP Leadership day in Washington, D.C.

By Clayton Smith, M.D.

Clayton M. Smith, M.D., FACP, Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Program Director of the University of Louisville Internal Medicine Residency Program, and Sara Sadeghi Ellingwood, M.D., a PGY-2 Internal Medicine resident, recently traveled to the nation's capitol, Washington D.C., to advocate for internists and the patients they proudly serve.

The duo represented the Kentucky Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP) at its annual Leadership Day where they spoke to members of Congress, or their staff, from all of Kentucky's Congressional delegation, promoting the ACP's agenda, which prioritized the following agenda items:

  • The High Cost of Prescription Drugs
  • The Epidemic of Firearms-Related Injury and Death
  • Fund Federal Workforce, Medical and Health Services Research
  • Physician Payment under Medicare
  • Expand Coverage and Stabilize the Insurance Market
  • Reduce Unnecessary Administrative Tasks on Physicians and Patients
  • Healthy Women and Families Congress
  • Medical Education Training and Debt Congress


The Internal Medicine Residency Program prioritizes patient advocacy, and welcomes anyone who would like to contribute to the conversation. Please contact Dr. Smith at clayton.smith@louisville.edu if you have ideas about improving the health of Kentuckians, or sustaining their access to the healthcare system.

Visit https://www.acpservices.org/sites/default/files/shared/documents/leadership-day/19/priority-issues/2.pdf to learn more about the conversations Drs. Smith and Sadeghi had on behalf on the citizens of the Commonwealth.