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.

A Q and A with 2024 Debra L. Dooley GME Program Coordinator Excellence Awardee Kino Williams, MS, PHR, CPHQ, C-TAGME.

In the poster “Stop, Collaborate and Listen: Creating a Culture of Coordinator Collaboration and Mentorship through the Formation of a Subspecialty Organization,” a team of coordinators evaluated the impact of creating a fellowship-specific coordinator organization. Kelly Maas answered our questions on behalf of her team.

Jessica Hans, MEd answered the ACGME’s questions on behalf of the team behind the poster, “Balance, Resident Wellness,” presented at the 2023 ACGME Annual Educational Conference.

Justin Dreyfuss is the Media Communications Manager at the ACGME. At the Annual Educational Conference, he helps cover sessions for the ACGME Blog, live tweets, takes photos during times that the conference’s professional photographer is covering other sessions, sets up interviews and coordinates with the videographer, and gathers the pulse of the conference. We asked him to share his experience.

A summary of the Featured Plenary, Deciphering GME Finances: Navigating the Complexities of Medical Education Funding, from the 2024 ACGME Annual Educational Conference.