In April 1999, George Soros, speaking at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, announced the creation of the program on Medicine as a Profession to promote professional values in medicine. There is broad agreement among MAP board members, as well as physicians and commentators more generally, on what constitutes the core values of professionalism in medicine. First, physicians must be dedicated to the well-being of their patients, and must not compromise patient interests to serve their own financial ends. Second, physicians must maintain their own technical expertise and regulate the performance of their colleagues. Third, physicians should participate in the civic life of their communities, particularly in advocating for the least empowered and most vulnerable of their patients.