This week's edition of the e-Communication includes information the Annual Educational Conference; ACGME Awards; Review and Comment; and Milestones News.

Health provider shortage areas, comprised of urban and rural regions with high populations of people struggling with multi-morbidity and poverty, often have a challenge with physician recruitment. Dr. Meaghan Ruddy, vice president for Academic Affairs and director of Medical Education for The Wright Center for GME in Scranton, Pennsylvania, describes how a teaching health center family medicine program operationalized as a graduate medical education safety-net consortium.

Dr. Carol A. Bernstein is the 2019 winner of the John C. Gienapp Award and the first ever women to be honored with the award--on International Woman's Day to boot! Dr. Bernstein is Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at New York University. She has spent her entire career engaged in the education and mentorship of the next generation of physicians in addition to maintaining a clinical practice in general psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine.

In 2016, a Castlight Health report named Wilmington, North Carolina, the city with the highest abuse opioid abuse rate in the US. In response, Joseph Pino, MD, MHA, and members of the community sought to safely reduce the number of opioids prescribed, increase adherence to best practices in opioid prescribing, and reduce emergency department visits due to opioid overdose. His poster, presented at the 2019 ACGME Annual Educational Conference, reports the outcome of these multiple initiatives.

The 2019 ACGME Annual Educational Conference offers multiple sessions focused on osteopathic medicine and accreditation and numerous opportunities for attendees from all corners of graduate medical education to learn and connect.

If you’re joining us in Orlando next week, here’s a quick list of tips and information to know before you arrive! See you soon!

Donna Lamb joined the ACGME in 2014 as Executive Director of the Review Committees for Plastic Surgery, Surgery, and Thoracic Surgery. At the end of this week she’ll say goodbye to her ACGME colleagues and pivot to her exciting new role as President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP).