CEO Update: 08/3/2023

Recently, I reviewed the results of the ACPM membership survey and noted several items worthy of mention:

• Appreciation - Many thanks to those of you who took the time to respond and offer your input. We can only address improvements or introduce new concepts to fill gaps noted by our members, so this information is extremely important.  Given the low response rate, we will be embarking on a few oversampling exercises as well as conducting some qualitative research through virtual focus groups with various segments of our membership.
• Information - One issue generating significant concern among survey respondents is public mistrust in science. As we have shared in previous newsletters, ACPM is a member of the Coalition for Trust in Health and Science alonsgside more then 70 partner organizations from across the health ecosystem to include medical groups, and other healthcare stakeholders. ACPM is also engaged with efforts by medical societies on the same topic led by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies and staffed by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM).
• Fellows - This segment of membership includes our most engaged members. We appreciate the value placed on this important credential and demonstration of volunteer service to the College and the profession writ large. It is not too late to submit your application for Fellowship. The requirements have been updated and clarified and the application process streamlined for those interested in becoming a Fellow of ACPM.
• Residents - Residents are among the most important membership segments, given the unique needs of these early careerists and opportunities to engage them in the work of the College and the profession. We have an orientation scheduled on September 14 for the new class of residents, an opportunity to share highlights of engaging with the College and to enable them to connect with their fellow residents from across the country. Perhaps unknown to many residents is the ACPM Career Center with various job postings specifically tailored for the skills and training of preventive medicine physicians.  Well over 1,000 potential employers have posted to the Career Center, so please be sure to check out the resources as you prepare for life following your training experience. 
• Awareness - There was collective commentary on the lack of awareness about Preventive Medicine found among the feedback in the member survey. This has been an ongoing challenge for the field and the reason we created the This is Preventive Medicine campaign and collateral assets. The video launched at the annual conference as well as fact sheets, social media posts and other materials specifically focusing on a few key audiences (medical students, elected officials, hospital/health service leaders and other medical specialties). Several of the preventive medicine ambassadors have included these messages into their work and are amplifying the awareness of the field and the many skills and competencies you bring to your practice. I truly hope more of you will pick up the baton and run with the materials provided to join your colleagues in raising awareness of this important field of medicine.