Each year, the largest graduate medical education (GME) community gathering in the world, the ACGME Annual Educational Conference, features a wide selection of curated experiences and educational content for both seasoned and first-time attendees. In addition to educational sessions, the conference allows participants to network with thousands of GME colleagues and changemakers who are shaping the future of academic medicine. #ACGME2025 will do all of that and then some. Building on the success of past conferences, this year’s event will give those who attend access to new information and innovations, as well as facilitate connections and opportunities to find meaning through a variety of venues. This post will preview events and activities being offered at the conference that will let attendees volunteer, relax, and replenish, underscoring the conference theme of Meaning in Medicine. More details and updates can be found on the Activities page on the conference website and will be available in the Conference Mobile App when it’s released closer to the conference dates.
Wednesday Evening Raffle
Attending a Full-Day Course on the first day of the conference? If you get in on Wednesday, be sure to come to the Registration area that evening to print your badge and select your bad ribbons so Thursday morning. While you’re there, be entered to win a raffle basket valued at $100.00, filled with goodies from local underrepresented small businesses in the Nashville area!
Conversational Badge Ribbons
Once again, conversational ribbons will be available in the Registration area for attendees to add to their badges. As soon as you’ve checked in and registered, head to the Ribbon Wall and choose from a range of identifiers that will help you strike up conversations, interact, and engage with other attendees throughout the conference!
Meaning in Medicine Wall
In their evaluations each year, ACGME conference attendees reflect on how the conference helped them find new meaning and connection with their work. Featured near the Registration this year, a Meaning in Medicine Wall will allow attendees to add their thoughts about what working in medicine means to them. Be sure to add your own notes and to come by the wall throughout the conference to find inspiration from others’ responses.
Evening Yoga and Meditation
Now a fixture of our conference, beginner/intermediate yoga/meditation sessions will be offered on both Friday and Saturday evenings. Join other attendees to relax and stretch out after long days of learning and enhance both your physical and mental well-being. A limited number of mats will be provided.
Sound Bath
New this year, conference attendees will have an opportunity to experience a deeply immersive, full body listening experience. Sound baths use rhythmic sound to nurture the mind and body, inviting a deeper state of consciousness that allows you to unplug from external stressors while falling into a more profound relaxed condition. This activity will be available in two sessions on Friday afternoon only.
Medical Improv – Improv for Teamwork
Medical improv is the application of improvisational performance techniques to help develop communication, interprofessional collaboration, and professionalism skills for health care professionals. It channels joyful play into the work of personal and professional development. This new activity is designed for anyone who wants to experience a fun sampler of improv games and exercises in a safe and supportive environment. Attendees and facilitators will play together, connect, share, and reflect on how improv principles can apply in their lives.
Volunteer and Give Back
#ACGME2025 will feature a few opportunities to actively support the local community.
ACGME Gives Back with Second Harvest
The ACGME will once again partner with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, a non-profit organization that distributes food and other products to approximately 450 non-profit partner agencies in 46 counties in middle and west Tennessee. On Thursday evening, during the Marvin R. Dunn Welcoming Poster Reception and Exhibitor Kick-Off, attendees are invited to help assemble hundreds of meals for distribution. This opportunity is historically quite popular among ACGME attendees – so get there early to help!
Foundation for Hospital Art
The Foundation for Hospital Art, an organization that aims to bring comfort and hope through art to people in health care facilities around the world by involving volunteers to create colorful, soothing artwork that is donated to hospitals to help soften the hospital experience. Attendees are invited to grab a paint brush and a canvas in the Exhibit Hall and create artwork that will be donated through the Foundation to hospitals around the country.
Other Exhibit Hall Opportunities
Vintage Camper Photo Booth
Grab your group and head to a vintage camper-turned-photo booth! Find fun, country-themed props and receive a photo strip to take home.
Professional Headshot Photo Booth
Looking to update your professional headshot? Visit the professional headshot photo booth in the Exhibit Hall’s Career Resources area during Thursday night’s reception for a free sitting. Attendees will have access to a gallery of their photos to select from after the conference.
Nashville Humane Association Puppy Park
Get ready for some cuteness! #ACGME2025 will celebrate National Pet Day by hosting a Puppy Park in the Exhibit Hall during the conference! From natural disaster relief, cruelty cases, and transporting pets from overpopulated shelters, the Nashville Humane Association supports pets and pet-people in the local Nashville community. Attendees will be able to interact with adoptable pups to help de-stress and unwind in a comfortable and fun setting. And the ACGME’s donation helps support their efforts. Note: While adoptions are not available on site, the Nashville Humane Association will have adoption information available.
Golden Ticket Game
Be sure to participate in the Golden Ticket game in the Exhibit Hall this year! Exhibitors have a limited number of golden tickets to hand out each day to attendees they feel were engaged in product discussions. Once attendees earn a ticket, they fill out the contact information on the back and place it in the raffle bin in the Hall. Drawings will take place at the end of the day and winners will be announced through the Conference Mobile App.
Family Movie Night
For attendees bringing their families with them to Nashville, a family movie night event will be hosted on Saturday evening, February 22, after the conclusion of the conference, showing Disney Pixar’s Elemental. Come early to grab popcorn and find a seat. Note that all children must be accompanied by an adult.
Connect, Reflect, Relax!
This is just a sampling of all that will be available at the 2025 ACGME Annual Educational Conference. For more information about these and other fun and engaging activities, visit the conference website’s Activities page. And once it’s available, be sure to check the Conference Mobile App regularly for updates and information about times, locations, and additional activities!
Conference registration is open! Register today for the 2025 ACGME Annual Educational Conference on the conference website – and we’ll see you in Nashville!