The first day of the 2025 ACGME Annual Educational Conference vibrated with energy as 5,000 graduate medical education (GME) professionals connected and reconnected for educational sessions, networking, and receptions.
Six Full-Day Courses were offered, each tailored to specific roles and functions in GME, as well as an opportunity to give back in the local community. These were followed by a networking event for coordinators, the annual Marvin R. Dunn Welcoming Poster Reception and Exhibitor Kick-Off, and a celebratory dinner for the 2025 ACGME and ACGME International Award winners.
Be the Best Program Director You Can Be: A Course for Program Directors
This year’s Full-Day Course for program directors boasted the largest attendance for this course to date. With information that’s helpful regardless of an individual’s tenure, the engaging and highly interactive agenda provided attendees with opportunities to learn and network to best fulfill the critical responsibilities of this important role in GME. Sessions addressed topics related to the operations and purview of the ACGME, compliance with Common and specialty-specific Program Requirements, Clinical Competency Committees, learner assessment, program evaluation, and more.
Attendees also had the opportunity to meet and connect with ACGME staff members who support accreditation activities, including Review and Recognition Committee Executive Directors, as well as to hear from their program director peers who shared experiences, tips, and resources.
There were also sessions for those interested in learning more about Osteopathic Recognition and about the process for applying for accreditation of a new program – both in the US and abroad.
ACGME/AOGME Osteopathic Recognition Full-Day Course
The ACGME/AOGME Osteopathic Recognition Full-Day Course opened with Director of Osteopathic Education and program director at OhioHealth Doctors Hospital John Casey, DO, MA offering guidance on providing constructive feedback through an osteopathic lens. Instead of telling learners what they’ve done wrong, make them an active part of the process by asking what they feel they’ve done well and what needs work. It’s a successful technique with highly effective learners, but it’s even more valuable to help identify a struggling learner, as the gaps a learner believes they have may differ from those a faculty member sees. Other topics in the session included designing curricula and helping allopathic learners better understand the osteopathic tradition. In the afternoon, leaders and staff members of the ACGME’s Osteopathic Recognition Committee explained and answered questions about the recognition process.
Full-Day Course for Designated Institutional Officials (DIOs)
With record-breaking attendance for this course as well, new and experienced DIOs came together for informational updates and interactive activities on topics related to the current and future states of Sponsoring Institutions and clinical learning environments for GME.
ACGME Institutional Review Committee (IRC) Chair Cynthia Kelley, DO, FAAFP and Institutional Review Committee Executive Director Elisa A. Crouse, MD shared information about site visits, recognition of Sponsoring Institutions with Non-Standard Training programs, and more. Dr. Crouse reinforced the important support role of the ACGME staff supporting the DIO and institutional community.
In response to positive feedback from previous years, members of the IRC hosted a mock IRC meeting, demonstrating how they complete their reviews and make accreditation decisions. Other IRC members shared pearls of wisdom throughout the afternoon, encouraging attendees to engage in discussions among themselves to share experiences related to overseeing institutional accreditation and promoting GME improvements.
Elevating Clinician Educator Excellence
A new Full-Day Course designed for medical educators aiming to elevate their own skills as educators premiered at this year’s conference. The Elevating Clinician Educator Excellence course featured innovative presentations on improving medical education, from assessment to instructional design, with the ACGME’s Clinician Educator Milestones playing a prominent role in the discussion on how to better innovate precise medical education further towards outcomes focus.
Through the day’s agenda, speakers explored a range of topics, such as opportunities in clinical reasoning assessment aligned with competencies, and utilizing faculty development to improve assessment. Speakers discussed collaborative constructions of individual learning plans and effective feedback skills. Changing the concept of “giving feedback” to “having a feedback conversation” was stressed by University of California, San Francisco Professor Calvin Chou, MD, PhD, who argued that a unidirectional approach “has a higher risk of failure.”
The agenda also promoted discussions on the benefits of coaching, mentoring, and advising, as well as the role the Clinician Educator Milestones play in career advancement. ACGME Senior Vice President, Competencies, Milestones, and Faculty Development Laura Edgar, EdD, CAE, cited the importance of collaboration in achieving the milestones, rather than trying to do it all on one’s own. In doing so, she stressed, “you end up helping the entire learning environment.”
Program and Institutional Strategies for Inclusive Learning Environments
Acknowledging rapidly changing circumstances impacting GME, this course was designed for GME leaders, educators, and administrators interested in learning skills and strategies for increasing resident/fellow and faculty member recruitment and retention, and for creating inclusive environments.
Speakers focused on a range of topics and resources to provide support and suggest approaches to navigating the shifting environment. Session topics included: how to create conditions for people to thrive in GME; empowering change; strategies for inclusion; recruitment in challenging times; achieving health equity; and building restorative practices.
Breakouts allowed attendees time to reflect individually and in groups and the course closed with a “Path Forward” panel Q and A.
Coordinator Forum: Navigating with Confidence
The largest of the Full-Day Courses, and another one with its highest attendance on record, the 15th annual Coordinator Forum: Navigating with Confidence, opened with a special address from ACGME Chief of Staff and Chief Education Officer Timothy P. Brigham, MDiv, MS, PhD.
Alternating between periods of silent reflection and spirited sharing, Dr. Brigham asked attendees to meditate on confidence, perfection, and the Japanese concepts of shoshin –approaching the world with the wonder and curiosity of the “beginner’s mind” – and wabi-sabi – the beauty of imperfection.
Coordinators attended breakout sessions on topics ranging from social media to improving efficiency to managing toxic perfectionism. In the afternoon’s plenary, Juliet Arthur, MHA, C-TAGME; Kino Williams, MS, PHR, CPHQ, C-TAGME; Natalie Arrindell, MBA; and Chantal Littrean, MPH shared tips and strategies for hosting successful professional development initiatives. The Forum was immediately followed by a Coordinator Networking Reception, where attendees continued building and strengthening meaningful connections through games and activities.
A Unique Community Engagement Volunteer Opportunity
In lieu of attending a Full-Day Course, some ACGME conference attendees participated in a unique community engagement event, ACGME Paving the Path to Medicine, in which they gained first-hand experience and participated in a pathway program they can replicate at their own institutions for a lasting impact. Hosted at Meharry Medical College, the event opened with a panel presentation featuring leaders from the ACGME, Meharry Medical College, Vanderbilt University, and Belmont University. Volunteers then led breakout sessions for local college students, providing them with information and experience related to careers in medicine, including advice about financial wellness and academic preparation. Participants also engaged in simulation activities.
Approximately 120 students participated in the event alongside 50 volunteers. This was the second year that the ACGME facilitated this activity in conjunction with the Annual Educational Conference.
Ending the Day in Celebration
The annual Marvin R. Dunn Welcoming Poster Reception and Exhibitor Kick-Off gathered everyone in the Exhibit Hall for mingling, connecting, fun and meaningful activities, and more. ACGME and ACGME-I staff members in the ACGME Hub answered questions and shared exciting initiatives underway, while more than 60 academic posters were on display, and their authors connected and discussed their research and innovations with attendees throughout the evening. The Exhibit Hall’s Career Resources area offered several activities and booths to allow attendees to connect with professional development experts, and there were various opportunities throughout the Hall to unwind and relax. Conference attendees packed 1,000 meal kits with the Second Harvest Food Bank to distribute across the local community, and contributed their artistic talents at the Foundation for Hospital Art booth. And we celebrated National Pet Day with the Nashville Humane Association’s Puppy Park!
Finally, more than 30 individuals, organizations, and institutions were recognized for their dedication to GME and patient care at a special dinner celebrating the 2025 ACGME and ACGME-I Awardees.
Looking Ahead
Day 2's agenda includes the conference’s Welcome and Opening Remarks, the President’s Plenary, four Featured Plenaries, and a day packed with more exciting and insightful educational sessions, networking opportunities, and activities. Come back to the ACGME Blog for the recap!