#ACGME2021 - The Annual Educational Conference Theme and What it Means This Year

The 2021 ACGME Annual Educational Conference comes during a unique time in our history. The graduate medical education (GME) community has faced challenges during the last several months that few anticipated when we last met in San Diego in February. The GME community has valiantly continued the essential work of caring for patients and educating learners during these stressful times, working with steady diligence to maintain critical quality levels for departments, curricula, and patient care.

But one of the side effects of the changes brought about by COVID-19 has been isolation in various forms, a danger Dr. Vivek Murthy spoke about as a keynote speaker at the 2019 ACGME Annual Educational Conference.

That’s why the theme of the 2021 conference evokes not one but two key elements to what a conference experience in 2021 must provide. Meaning in Medicine: Mastering the Moment highlights the conference’s dual role in 2021: supporting continued professional development and networking, while rising to the challenges of our times.

The first half of the theme, “Meaning in Medicine” has been part of the conference theme for three years, and has resonated with attendees, presenters, and staff members alike as they discussed, learned, taught, shared, and rekindled their passion for their work. Meaning will be delivered through focused, relevant sessions covering a range of topics, with pre-conferences for program directors, coordinators, designated institutional officials, and attendees from the osteopathic tradition, as well as an array of specific sessions designed to provide essential tools for improving their work.

The second half of the theme, “Mastering the Moment,” highlights a focus on this extraordinary time in our lives. There are sessions covering clinical aspects of COVID-19, as well as the emotional issues the pandemic has engendered. Diversity, equity, and inclusion will be at the forefront, as will well-being. Family-friendly activities will also allow participants to reconnect virtually outside of work during the conference.

The 2021 ACGME Annual Educational Conference offers opportunities to reconnect with colleagues, to rediscover passion, to learn from each other, and to remember that we are not alone in the challenges we face. To learn more, visit the registration area of the conference site.

We hope to see you there.