The 2019 ACGME Annual Educational Conference offers so many great educational opportunities that it can be hard to know which sessions to choose. One “must-attend” plenary session focuses on the critically important topic of physician well-being.

As part of its commitment to staff and community well-being, the ACGME is partnering with Hope For The Day, a Chicago-based non-profit organization dedicated to mental health support and suicide prevention.

Join the fun in this year’s #ACGME2019 Exhibit Hall with our Discover the Doc daily scavenger hunt. Follow the clues to find the fictional doctor Funko Pop! dolls hidden among the booths daily! To kick things off, two dolls will be hidden for discovery at this evening’s Welcoming/Poster Reception and Exhibitor Kick-Off. Here are your clues!

Dr. Jordan J. Cohen explored the evolution of medical education in his presentation, “Looking at the Road Ahead through the Rearview Mirror,” as the 2018 Marvin R. Dunn Keynote speaker at last month's Annual Educational Conference, offering his unique perspective as graduate medical education (GME) leader.

“Milestones” has been a part of the ACGME vocabulary for nearly 17 years now. In the final session of the 2018 Annual Educational Conference, Eric Holmboe, MD, MACP, FRCP, senior vice president, Milestone Development and Evaluation, kicked off a discussion about the Milestones today and the Milestones to come.

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.

Andrea Rio’s name – or maybe her e-mail address – is probably very familiar to anyone who’s ever attended any ACGME educational program. Her integral role in the Annual Educational Conference, however, is much more than processing registrations and payments and making sure badges print correctly! As a key member of the ACGME’s Educational Activities team, she is central to the growth and success of the conference. We asked her to share a bit more about what she does and what the conference experience is like for her behind the scenes.

This interview in the Partnerships to Establish and Sustain Rural GME series features Dr. Paulette Wehner of the Marshall Community Health Consortium.