Speakers energized and empowered attendees to raise their voices in the best interest of their patients and to embrace artificial intelligence to improve the physician-patient relationship during the final day of the Annual Educational Conference.
In the morning, ACGME President and CEO Dr. Thomas J. Nasca chatted with Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the pediatrician, professor, and public health advocate who led a national effort to publicize and fix the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, in the Marvin R. Dunn Keynote Address: What the Eyes Don’t See.
Dr. Hanna-Attisha received a standing ovation at the beginning and end of the address, with a crowded ballroom and scores of others watching the talk in a live webcast.
A passionate activist, Dr. Hanna-Attisha created the Michigan State University and Hurley Children's Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative to mitigate the impact of the Flint water crisis. As founder and director of this organization, she combines community and clinical programs, childhood health policy and advocacy, robust evaluation, and ongoing medical training to give children a better chance at future success.
“I am so motivated by your positive energy,” Rachel Hawker, MD, associate program director at the Gundersen Medical Foundation told Dr. Hanna-Attisha during the Q and A portion at the end of the session. “I can feel it going throughout the room.”
Afterward, Dr. Hanna-Attisha signed copies of her powerful book, What the Eyes Don’t See.
Throughout the day, conference attendees continued attending smaller sessions on a variety of important topics, including professionalism, teaming in the clinical learning environment, working with struggling learners, addressing the well-being of underrepresented minorities and women in medicine, and parental leave, as well as specialty-specific updates.
In the Closing Plenary, Dr. Eric Topol delivered his talk, “Towards High Performance Medicine with Deep Empathy,” during which he discussed the intersection of artificial intelligence, technology, and empathic, meaningful patient care.
Dr. Topol is the is the founder and Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, professor of molecular medicine, and Executive Vice-President of Scripps Research.
He discussed the early influences of technology already impacting medicine, as well as the future potential AI has to enhance medicine, including access, diagnostics, research, treatment, and cost savings, which would free up physicians’ time to engage more directly again with their patients.
“The human touch is never going to be replaced,” Dr. Topol said, but, “we can use AI to make medicine, health care, more human.”
Following Dr. Topol’s talk, he signed copies of his book, Deep Medicine, and attendees were invited to a Toast on the Terrace, giving the GME community a chance to meet with ACGME leadership and staff, and celebrate the end of the conference and the beginning of new relationships and collaborations.
Miss this year’s conference? We will continue sharing information and summaries here on the Blog, and through the ACGME’s online learning portal, LEARN at ACGME, in the coming weeks – so stay tuned! And mark your calendars for next year! The 2021 ACGME Annual Educational Conference will be held February 25-28, 2021 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. See you there!