date:08/21 Year:2025
Letter from the President: Milestones and Momentum: ACPM’s Path Ahead
When I started my term as President, I committed to several aspirational goals and objectives: Strengthen our financial foundations given the fiscal challenges we face; transform our strategic vision and plan given health care’s evolving landscape; elevate our impacts through sustainable partnerships and more effective advocacy; and nurture the next generation of preventive medicine leaders through mentorship, pipeline development, and better career building pathways.
Let me provide a brief update on a few key initiatives for ACPM in furtherance of these priorities. The year ahead promises to be a transformative one for the College, and we are all working to make ACPM the valued professional home you all deserve. As we launch into the next chapter of our journey, we welcome your leadership and engagement in our efforts, so reach out and get involved.
date:08/07 Year:2025
On Our Challenges, Leadership and Fellowship in our College
This is a defining moment for preventive medicine and public health. You can feel it in conversations with colleagues, see it in the headlines and sense it in the shifting landscape of our health systems, data ecosystems and communities. From emerging technologies like AI to infrastructure under pressure—the call for bold, courageous steps to address emerging health issues demands action—preventive medicine should be at the forefront of the solution, especially as health and public health systems undergo transformation.
The demands in our field are growing—even as the very infrastructure meant to support that work has been chronically underfunded, reshaped or, in some cases, left behind. Preventive medicine faces challenges ahead including evolving expectations, emerging technologies and earning the public's trust. Our collective mission—advancing population health, preventing disease and improving systems—has never been more relevant. But the way we lead must evolve with the moment.
Leadership today isn't about titles. It's about stepping up when something needs coordination, creativity and meaningful collaboration. It's about showing up—when something important needs attention, when others are waiting for clarity, when you sense that maybe you're the one to help move it forward.
date:07/24 Year:2025
ACPM Launches Groundbreaking AI Certification Course for Physicians
The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) has officially launched its Artificial Intelligence in Preventive Medicine & Public Health Certification course, marking a major step forward in preparing physicians for the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in clinical and public health practice. This 10-module, self-paced program offers 11.5 CME credits is designed to equip clinicians with both foundational knowledge and applied skills for selecting, managing and evaluating AI tools across healthcare settings.
The course covers a wide range of essential topics including AI and machine learning fundamentals, data literacy, ethical considerations, health equity, legal and regulatory frameworks and real-world applications. Each module is led by physician subject matter experts in informatics, data science and public health. Notably, the course places strong emphasis on equity, transparency, interdisciplinary collaboration and clinical integration — key elements to ensure AI enhances rather than disrupts care delivery.
“The Large Language Models & Preventive Medicine lecture provided very valuable background information on how LLMs work which is what I was hoping to gain from this course,” said one participant. “The overall discussions involving ethics and clinicians role in AI implementation were interesting to broaden my knowledge of AI.”
date:07/16 Year:2025
American College of Preventive Medicine Encourages Continuity of USPSTF Business
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) is calling for the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) meeting, originally scheduled for July 10, 2025, to be rescheduled and for business to resume as normal. These meetings allow experts to convene, deliberate and provide evidence-based recommendations for Americans to choose upstream, insurance-covered preventive services.date:07/10 Year:2025
A Prevention-First Approach: If We Want to Keep Americans Healthier and Out of the Hospital, We Need More Physicians Trained Outside of Hospitals
Considering President Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s charge to “Make America Healthy Again,” we at ACPM are aligned in the perspective that our health system should transform into one that prioritizes upstream prevention rather than focusing all our energies on treating people after they have become ill. ACPM advocates that we can’t “Make America Healthy Again” until our physician population is well-versed in disease prevention and health promotion.
In 2024, the American Board of Preventive Medicine reported that 2,931 physicians were certified in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine, representing less than 0.5% of the physician workforce. Now, more than ever, it is necessary to increase the number of physicians with expertise in public health and prevention to solve problems upstream, prevent chronic disease, enable Americans to live longer, healthier lives and ease the increasingly overwhelming burden on our healthcare system.
date:06/26 Year:2025
Lifting the Veil of Leadership
It is with deep gratitude that I write my first article as ACPM’s newly appointed Executive Director. I am honored to step into this role and have the opportunity to serve such a dedicated, accomplished and passionate community of physicians.While I enthusiastically accept the role, I also am reminded … “Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It's about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work, and inspiration is about empowering those around you." The author and leadership guru Robin Sharma gets credit for so eloquently capturing my sentiments in taking on this leadership role for the College.
In my nearly five years with the ACPM, I have witnessed the impact of our members, not only in your day-to-day professions but also in your contributions to ACPM in support of our mission. While the College has made marks along the way in its 75-year history, there is much more to do, more results to achieve, and more opportunities to make a difference — to see your impact — in improving the well-being of so many individuals and communities.
date:06/19 Year:2025
Men's Health Month: "Get Up and Move!"
The CDC estimates the prevalence in adults of inactivity outside of work as greater than 25% 1 Furthermore, the American Heart Association (AHA) reports that only 1 in 5 adults are achieving the recommended 150 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, increasing their risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colon and lung cancers, and early death2. A sedentary off-work lifestyle is only compounded by the frequently sedentary work environment for many office workers. Long commutes behind the steering wheel are just the icing on the cake. A Mayo Clinic article describes findings from several large studies that suggested, “…people who sat for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity had a risk of dying similar to the risk posed by obesity and smoking. But 60 to 75 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity a day offset the effects of too much sitting3.”
date:06/12 Year:2025
Ferrari Named ACPM Executive Director
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) recently announced Melissa Ferrari, CAE, as its new Executive Director. Ferrari has served as Interim CEO since June 2024, after joining the College in November 2020 as Vice President, Membership and Operations. Ferrari brings an extensive background in association management having held executive management roles in several mission-driven and trade membership-based organizations.date:06/12 Year:2025