#ACGME2024’s Featured Plenaries: Something for Everyone

November 30, 2023

The 2024 ACGME Annual Educational Conference will offer myriad sessions of specific interest to coordinators, designated institutional officials (DIOs), program directors, and others involved in and passionate about health care and medical education. Among these sessions are four Featured Plenaries on timely topics of import to all those involved in graduate medical education (GME).

ACGME President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Thomas J. Nasca will open the conference with his President’s Plenary, discussing the ACGME’s vision and strategies to improve health care and population health by assessing and enhancing the quality of resident and fellow physicians' education through advancements in accreditation and education. Immediately following that session are the Featured Plenaries, which we’ll summarize here.

Four truly exceptional plenary choices are available, each presented by renowned leaders in the field and addressing a specific topic of profound importance to the GME community.

What Everyone Needs to Know about GME Finances
Understanding GME funding is critical to successful program planning and management. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of the GME funding basics and review common funding sources, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) “cap” on GME funding, and various CMS funding streams. Understanding the financial implications for the resources to support accreditation requirements and education and training needs will be explored. At the end of this session, attendees will be able to describe the complex funding for a typical GME program, as well as the financial resources needed to manage an effective accredited program.

Closing the Gaps in the Care of the Disabled: The Role of Graduate Medical Education
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that up to one in four adults has some form of disability. Medical literature, government agency reports, and court decisions demonstrate that individuals with disabilities face discrimination at every stage of the medical treatment process. This discrimination leads to disparate medical outcomes for these patients, increasing their morbidity and mortality. One of the major factors in this discrimination is the gap in education and training of physicians to address their implicit bias in meeting the needs of the patients with disabilities. The development of disability clinical care curricula and training for GME programs could help physicians provide more clinically-competent and non-discriminatory care to their patients. This panel will discuss the lived experience of people with disabilities and the elements of a GME program to address this gap in physician development.

The Generative AI Revolution: Innovations and Opportunities in Medical Education
In this timely presentation, speakers will discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with new generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems, such as GPT-4. A short lecture and AI demonstration will be followed by a panel discussion. Leaders in the field will discuss potential use cases for generative AI in curricular design, assessment, and feedback, as well as how the availability of increasingly powerful AI tools will—and should—push us to modernize the content of medical education.

Graduate Medical Education following the SCOTUS Affirmative Action Decision
This session will discuss the United States Supreme Court’s decisions in key affirmative action cases and provide attendees with insights into the latest developments in GME following these decisions. Hear experts delve into specific GME implications of the decision and chart the way forward.

Don't miss the opportunity to be part of a transformative event in GME. Visit the conference website and browse all of the exceptional learning opportunities being offered. We encourage you to register by December 20 before registration fees go up!