ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE
THE CONFERENCE IS THIS WEEK
On-Site Registration Available
#ACGME2026 begins in just a few days! Join colleagues from across the globe at the ACGME’s signature learning event and the world’s largest graduate medical education (GME) gathering on February 19-21, 2026 in San Diego, California.
Centered on the theme of Meaning in Medicine, the Annual Educational Conference invites attendees to engage with purpose over three inspiring days of curated experiences, forward-thinking content, and meaningful networking. From seasoned leaders to first-time attendees, participants will find opportunities to reflect, recharge, and collaborate with learners, educators, and visionaries shaping the future of GME.
Annual Educational Conference Job Board
The Job Board is an excellent resource for those seeking new opportunities in GME. The Job Board will remain active through March 31, 2026.
View Current Job Opportunities
Email questions to conferencejobboard@acgme.org.
NEW! Requirement Revisions Approved
At its February meeting, the Board of Directors approved the following:
Major revision of the Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation effective July 1, 2026. The Requirements are available under the “Program Requirements Effective 7/1/2026” heading on the Program Requirements and FAQs and Applications page of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation section of the ACGME website.
Interim revision of the Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine, effective July 1, 2026. The Requirements are available under the “Program Requirements Effective 7/1/2026” heading on the Program Requirements and FAQs and Applications page of the Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine section of the ACGME website.
NEW! Accreditation Site Visit Office Hours
Session: March 13, 12:00-1:00 p.m. Central
Zoom Link: Click here to register
These office hours provide an informal opportunity to ask questions about accreditation site visits. Accreditation Field Representatives and other Field Activities staff members will be available to answer questions.
Email questions to Director, Field Activities Operations Andrea Chow.
THURSDAY! Clinician Educator Journal Club
Next Session: February 19, 12:00-1:00 p.m. Central (10:00-11:00 a.m. Pacific for those attending the Annual Educational Conference)
Article: Leading Through Complexity: Managing Cognitive-Emotional Load and Building Resilience
Speaker(s): James P. Orlando, EdD, PCC; Wendi Wills El-Amin, MD; and Monica L. Lypson, MD, MHPE
Congratulations to Dr. Orlando, who will receive the Parker J. Palmer Courage to Lead Award later that evening at the conference!
This group meets online on the third Thursday of each month to discuss journal articles and timely topics in medical education. Participants should read the article ahead of time and come with questions.
Continuing medical education (CME) is now available for attending these meetings. View CME information.
Missed a session? View on-demand recordings of past meetings.
Send registration questions to virtualevents@acgme.org.
ACGME Resident/Fellow and Faculty Surveys
The ACGME’s annual Resident/Fellow and Faculty Surveys for programs in the US are open and will close April 10, 2026.
Sponsoring Institution and program leaders will receive survey alerts throughout the administration period and must notify survey takers using the existing mechanisms in the Accreditation Data System (ADS).
Programs should review and, if necessary, update their Resident/Fellow and Faculty Rosters in ADS.
New This Year
Residents/fellows who started in the program this academic year and currently hold a status of “Started program off-cycle” WILL be scheduled to participate in the survey as long as they have been in the program for at least 60 days.
Email questions to ads@acgme.org.
Back to Bedside Funding Available for Resident- and Fellow-Driven Projects
The ACGME's Back to Bedside initiative is designed to empower residents and fellows to develop transformative projects that foster meaning and joy in work and allow them to engage on a deeper level with what is at the heart of medicine: their patients. The Request for Proposals for 2026-2028 is now available.
This initiative supports resident- and fellow-directed innovations that are shared on a national platform. Awardees participate in Learning Collaboratives throughout the funding period to workshop and refine their projects and develop leadership skills. Grant recipients will also present their projects at the 2028 ACGME Annual Educational Conference in Orlando, Florida.
NEW! A travel stipend is included to help cover costs associated with meetings.
Proposals are due by April 20, 2026.
2027 ACGME Award Nominations
The ACGME Awards nomination applications are now online! Learn more by visiting the individual Award pages and submit a nomination by March 18, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Central.
Access the ACGME Awards Section
Email questions to acgmeawards@acgme.org.
ACGME Seeks Appeals Panelists
The ACGME is seeking physicians to serve on standing Appeals Panels for the following specialties:
- Allergy and Immunology
- Child Neurology
- Colon and Rectal Surgery
- Medical Genetics and Genomics
- Nuclear Medicine
- Ophthalmology
- Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine
- Radiation Oncology
Applicant Criteria
- Must be certified by the relevant American Board of Medical Specialties member board or American Osteopathic Association certifying board.
- Must be able to devote sufficient time to the Appeals Panel work.
- Should have at least three years’ experience as a program director, department chair, associate/assistant program director, and/or core faculty member.
- Applicants not currently serving in one of these roles may be considered if they held one of these positions within the last three years.
- Applicants’ programs must have a status of Continued Accreditation.
Apply by April 30, 2026.
Email Senior Administrator, Governance, Appeals, Policies, and Procedures Lisa Davis for more information.
Review and Comment for Proposed Program Requirements
The following Program Requirements and accompanying Impact Statements are posted for review and comment, here:
TWO WEEKS! COMMENT DEADLINE: MARCH 6, 2026
- Emergency Medical Services
- Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
- Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine
NEW! Seeking Child Neurology Program Directors for Interviews
The Review Committee for Neurology will soon begin work on the 10-year major revision of the Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in Child Neurology.
To inform the next set of Program Requirements, the ACGME seeks current child neurology program directors who are interested in participating in a one-on-one, one-hour interview to provide their perspective on the future of child neurology residency education. The ACGME is also seeking current child neurology program directors interested in participating in a Stakeholder Summit, scheduled to take place in person in Chicago on December 14-16, 2026.
A series of activities designed to gather relevant information is planned, including a literature review; interviews with members of key stakeholder groups; development and administration of a survey on key issues relevant to child neurology education; and the stakeholder summit.
Participate in Interviews and/or Stakeholder Summit
Email questions to shapinggme@acgme.org.
NEW! Seeking Neurology Program Directors for Interviews
The Review Committee for Neurology will soon begin work on the 10-year major revision of the Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in Neurology.
To inform the next set of Program Requirements, the ACGME seeks current neurology program directors who are interested in participating in a one-on-one, one-hour interview to provide their perspective on the future of neurology residency education. The ACGME is also seeking current neurology program directors interested in participating in a Stakeholder Summit, scheduled to take place in person in Chicago on December 14-16, 2026.
A series of activities designed to gather relevant information is planned, including a literature review; interviews with members of key stakeholder groups; development and administration of a survey on key issues relevant to neurology education; and the stakeholder summit.
Participate in Interviews and/or Stakeholder Summit
Email questions to shapinggme@acgme.org.
Stakeholder Survey for Osteopathic Recognition Requirements Revision
The Osteopathic Recognition Writing Group solicits stakeholder input to inform the Osteopathic Recognition Requirements revision in several key areas. Feedback is requested from those involved in programs with Osteopathic Recognition. Current designated osteopathic residents/fellows or recent designated osteopathic resident/fellow graduates are encouraged to complete the survey.
Responses are due March 9, 2026.
Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine Case Log Update
The Review Committee has expanded the list of treatment techniques available to residents when logging patient encounters. Additional information can be found in the Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine Announcement available on the Documents and Resources page of the Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine section of the ACGME website.
Email questions to Executive Director Tiffany Moss.
NEW! ACGME Seeks Public Member
The following Review Committee seeks its next public member for a six-year term beginning July 1, 2027. Public members share the perspective of the public, foster public accountability, enrich the work of the Review Committee through outside expertise, and create transparency. While nominees cannot be physicians, other health care professionals are permitted if they are not employed by an organization with ACGME-accredited residency or fellowship programs.
OPHTHALMOLOGY
Details: Additional information is available under Documents and Resources in the Ophthalmology section of the ACGME website.
Contact: Shellie Bardgett
Deadline: April 6, 2026
ACGME Seeks Resident/Fellow Member
The following Review Committee seeks nominations for its next resident member for a term beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2028.
OSTEOPATHIC NEUROMUSCULOSKELETAL MEDICINE
Details: Additional information is available under Documents and Resources in the Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine section of the ACGME website.
Contact: Kayla Stroner
Deadline: April 6, 2026
NEW! Rural and Underserved GME Interest Group
Date and Time: March 10, 12:00-1:00 p.m. Central
Topic: Internal Medicine GME in Rural and Underserved Areas: Part 2
These Zoom calls are open to the entire GME community. Recordings of past sessions are available in the Rural and Underserved GME Resource Center in Learn at ACGME. (Note: A free Learn at ACGME account is required to access the recordings.)
Watch the recordings of previous sessions in this specialty series:
- January 2026 – Internal Medicine GME in Rural and Underserved Areas: Part 1
- December 2025 – Family Medicine GME in Rural and Urban Underserved Areas
- November 2025 – Psychiatry GME in Rural and Underserved Areas
- October 2025 – Obstetrics and Gynecology GME in Rural and Underserved Areas
Register for the March Interest Group
ACGME Seeks Members for Rural and Underserved GME Advisory Group
The ACGME seeks nominations of residents/fellows and a non-physician member of the public for the Rural and Underserved GME Advisory Group. This group provides consultation concerning implementation of the ACGME’s Rural and Underserved GME Framework. Nominations are due by April 19, 2026. Self-nominations are accepted for both roles.
The public member will serve up to three years with the option to renew for an additional three-year term.
Resident/fellow members will serve two-year terms.
Details: Additional information is available on the Rural and Underserved GME Advisory Group page of the ACGME website.
Contact: Laney McDougal
Deadline: April 19, 2026
NEW! Self-Empowerment Workshop for Coordinators
Session: March 9-17, 2026
Details: This is a seven-day online workshop with one interactive, live session on March 12 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. Central. Participants must begin Day 1 on March 9.
Learn practical strategies for acting as a leader in the coordinator role, successful networking, overcoming challenges to professionalism, promoting achievements, and effectively navigating complex interpersonal situations.
Continuing Education Credit
This activity has been approved for continuing education credit by the Training Administrators of Graduate Medical Education (TAGME). Participants who complete the course in its entirety are eligible to receive 10 education credits in the content area of professional development.
This free workshop is repeated monthly.
Email questions to learn@acgme.org.
Leadership Skills Training Program for Chief Residents
This program prepares physicians for the role of chief resident, enhancing self-awareness and understanding of personal leadership attributes; developing knowledge and appreciation of group and interpersonal dynamics; and teaching skills critical to success and satisfaction as a clinician and leader. The program will be offered throughout the spring and summer at the ACGME office in Chicago, Illinois:
April 13-15, 2026
April 26-28, 2026
April 29-May 1, 2026
May 11-13, 2026
May 18-20, 2026
May 21-23, 2026
June 10-12, 2026
June 15-17, 2026
June 18-20, 2026
July 14-16, 2026
July 27-29, 2026
August 24-26, 2026
August 27-29, 2026
TWO WEEKS! Developing Faculty Competencies in Assessment
Sessions: March 1-6; March 29-April 3, 2026
Details: Space is limited; interested individuals should register soon.
Participants learn how to build effective assessment programs for their residency or fellowship, with topics including assessment methods, direct observation, feedback, Clinical Competency Committees, and more. New for 2026 will be a session on AI in assessment.
Email questions about the course to facultydevelopment@acgme.org.
Email registration or payment questions to registration@acgme.org.
Faculty Development Hubs
The ACGME collaborates with institutions and organizations in the US and abroad to offer scaled, tailored versions of its Developing Faculty Competencies in Assessment course. See below for open courses and visit the Faculty Development Hubs web page for more information.
Mountain Area Health Education Center(in person; Asheville, North Carolina)
Washington University (in person; St. Louis, Missouri)
NEW! Journal of Graduate Medical Education Articles of the Week
Understanding the Cognitive Load of Cross-Cover Care: The Resident’s Perspective
Catherine McDermott, MD, MEd; Molly McNeely, MD; Alexandra Vinson, PhD; Sarah Hartley, MD, MHPE; David T. Hughes, MD; Lauren A. Heidemann, MD, MHPE
This study used cognitive load theory to characterize residents’ perceived cross-cover challenges, examining intrinsic load (inherent complexity), extraneous load (avoidable demands unrelated to the task), and germane load (mental effort devoted to learning and schema development). Extraneous load emerged as the most impactful barrier, with PGY-1 residents experiencing higher burden from intrinsic and germane loads than PGY-2 and above.
Extend or Fast-Track Medical Training Based on Competencies Acquired Through Personal Illness?
Peter Deschamps, MD, PhD; Janielle van der Velden, MD, PhD; Karen Stegers-Jager, PhD
Inspired by the authors’ lived personal experiences, this Perspectives article explores the value of residents’ experiences as patients through the lens of both time-based and competency-based education. The article provides steps for how programs can incorporate learning from outside formal training and argues for more research to further understand learning that occurs during significant personal illness or in caring for others.