Council of Public Members

The Council of Public Members includes the Public Directors from the ACGME Board of Directors, as well as the public members who sit on each of the ACGME's Review and Recognition Committees.

Help shape the future of physician education by joining an ACGME Review or Recognition Committee as a non-physician public member!

Public members can:

Bring the voice of the public and patients to the ACGME
Advise the Board of Directors from the public’s perspective
Help shape learning environments that prepare physicians to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care

The ACGME is a not-for-profit organization that sets and monitors educational standards for preparing physicians to deliver safe, high-quality medical care to all Americans. Graduate medical education (GME) refers to the period of education in a particular specialty (residency) or subspecialty (fellowship) following medical school; the ACGME oversees the accreditation of residency and fellowship programs in the US.

The ACGME Review and Recognition Committees are volunteer groups that evaluate whether physician residency and fellowship programs meet those national standards for education, patient safety, and care quality. Public members play a unique and essential role on these committees by representing the perspectives of patients and the public during their six-year membership terms. Their lived experience, professional expertise, and commitment to the public good provide a critical perspective to the accreditation and recognition processes.

Expectations/Responsibilities

Fulfillment of a six-year term on a Review or Recognition Committee.
Attendance at one observational meeting, an ACGME orientation, and all scheduled Review/Recognition Committee meetings. (Meetings typically occur two to three times per year—usually in January, April, and September—and last about eight hours over one and a half days.)
Dedication of approximately 20 hours to review assignments prior to each committee meeting.
Participation in subcommittee work, conference calls, and preparatory sessions for each committee meeting.
Attendance at two Council of Public Member meetings. (These meetings occur in May and November, with an option to join remotely via Zoom.)

Note:

Public members should not work directly in GME programs or institutions.
The ACGME will reimburse travel, lodging, and meals associated with attending meetings.