As the days get shorter, the nights get colder, we prepare to celebrate the holidays with family and friends, and we consider which resolutions we will make (and let’s be honest, likely break) in the fast-approaching New Year. I want to share with you the wonderful work our Education Committee and Subcommittee volunteers have accomplished this past year and will continue to pursue into 2024 and beyond.
The Education Committee continues to partner with the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM), the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide Members with information on board eligibility, initial certification, and re-certification requirements, as well as relevant preventive medicine training options and other continuing medical education opportunities.
The Continuing Medical Education (CME) Subcommittee and Dr. Soju Chang are working to support the transition to the ABPM’s Continuing Certification Program, to include the implementation of Practice Enhancement Activity projects and the introduction to the Longitudinal Assessment Program. For those still needing CME credits before the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve (and for anyone wanting to learn and to explore the many facets of our incredible specialty), the Subcommittee supports the College’s robust catalog of incredible educational offerings. In the coming year, the Subcommittee will also assist with showcasing the exciting, inspiring presentations slated for Preventive Medicine 2024 this April in Washington, DC. If you’ve not done so already, be sure to register today to experience this premier event for public health leaders.
Dr. Heather O’Hara and the Graduate Medical Education Subcommittee continue to design content to supplement preventive medicine residency education and to align our specialty’s clinical privileging document with both the current ABPM Blueprint and ACGME Milestones. The Subcommittee has worked to ensure all eligible residency programs are registered to participate in the 2024 Standardized Acceptance Process and is determining the next steps for Public Health/General Preventive Medicine to join the National Resident Matching Program in 2025. Be sure to also look for the Subcommittee’s annual Program Director Workshop to be held in conjunction with Preventive Medicine 2024.
The Undergraduate Medical Education Subcommittee, under the tutelage of Dr. Penny Stern, continues to work to raise awareness of preventive medicine early in medical school curricula. The Subcommittee is surveying schools to determine the status of existing preventive medicine training, to gauge interest in adding preventive medicine elements to existing curricula, to explore augmenting preventive medicine interest groups to the medical school experience and to extend training to those schools with an interest in adding preventive medicine components to their current courses of study. This next year, the Subcommittee plans to encourage medical student attendance at Preventive Medicine 2024 in an effort to inspire interest in the specialty and motivate more students to choose careers in preventive medicine.
Before those last sips of eggnog are gone, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to the many committee and subcommittee volunteers who continue to diligently develop an integrated educational program to cultivate the careers of our specialists and advance our preventive medicine pipeline. If you would like to join one (or more!) of our Subcommittees and share your unique knowledge, skills and experiences with our preventive medicine community, please see the ACPM Volunteer website for additional information. Happy Holidays!
Michele A. Soltis, MD, MPH, FACPM
Chair, Education Committee