With overdose as the leading cause of death for Americans under 50, it is imperative that the nation—including the entire medical community—take responsibility for its role in creating this epidemic and identify and enact strategies that can address it. This is Dr. Leana Wen’s position. The former Baltimore Health Commissioner and current president of Planned Parenthood spoke about the steps she and the City of Baltimore took to address opioid addiction in the community, and what role she sees physicians playing in solving this problem that is devastating the nation.

Jamie Dow, EdM, is assistant director for resident education and training at the University of Florida. Her poster, Mindfulness in Neurosurgery: Improving Neurosurgeon Wellness in Training and Beyond (with co-authors W. Christopher Fox, MD, Associate Program Director, University of Florida, and Gregory Murad, MD, Program Director, University of Florida), looked at wellness in neurosurgery, which Dow says “has traditionally been considered an oxymoron.” However, as priorities among neurological surgery residents evolve and the effects of physician burnout are increasingly recognized across specialties, life balance and overall well-being have become areas of emphasis and an opportunity for program improvement.

John V. Pamula, MD, FACP, led a quality improvement project focused on reducing burnout and increasing well-being among its residents. His poster, Multipronged Strategies to Improve Wellbeing and Work-Life Balance of Residents, was presented at the 2019 Annual Educational Conference, Engaging Each Other: Rediscovering Meaning in Medicine.

Discover information about the Annual Educational Conference, the National Learnign Community of Sponsoring Institutions meeting, Review and Comment, and more.

Register for the National Learning Community of Sponsoring Institutions Meeting taking place this week; read about changes to how Letters of Notification and Site Visit Announcement letters are distributed; and participate in the Review and Comment process.

This week's e-Communication includes details on how to join the ACGME Equity Matters Learning Community; information on the 2024 Annual Educational Conference; how to participate in shaping Program Requirements for certain specialties and subspecialties; and more.

The documents and resources in this section are provided by the Review Committee for Internal Medicine for ACGME-accredited programs and those applying for accreditation.