Program Director’s Corner – March 2018

News from the 2018 APDEM Annual Meeting

Dr. Richard Auchus
rauchus@med.umich.edu
Program Director
University of Michigan

The annual Endocrine Society Meeting is one of the venues for our trainees to present their research, learn from the experts, and network with colleagues. One of my most gratifying experiences is watching a senior fellow stand out at an oral presentation or poster session and earn the badge of scholarship in the eyes of his/her peers. It is also a time when the Program Directors can compare notes, share experiences, and [alas] commiserate on mutual challenges. The APDEM meeting at ENDO covered a lot of ground. For those of you who were not able to attend, here is a summary:

• New slate of officers, led by Chris McCartney of U VA (covered elsewhere in newsletter)
• Financial report from Josh Safer: Thanks to austerity measures and contributions from the Endocrine Society, AACE, and ATA, our assets remain essentially stable >$240K
• Lapsed and non-members: If you know any PD’s who are not APDEM members, give them a nudge! In particular, inform them of the value membership provides, as described below.
• Professional Society Supporters: Dr. Jonathan Leffert, President of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologist; Dr. Charles Emerson, President of the American Thyroid Association; and Dr. Susan Mandel, incoming President of the Endocrine Society, all described their programs for trainees, including reduced or waived dues, resources to support training and transition to post-fellowship employment, and activities at their annual meetings.
• APDEM Projects:
  • Yours truly described the format of the newsletter and goals to provide communication and a forum to share best practices. My impression was that those PD’s who are reading this section regularly appreciate the tips and comparisons. I made a plea for all of you to share the activities in your program that you feel would benefit other programs. Please volunteer to provide me with some ‘copy’!
  • Kurt Kennel, PD at Mayo Clinic, Chair of the Virtual Program Director Resource “Binder” Committee. We are collecting resources to share with PD’s so we all do not “reinvent the wheel” every time we face a requirement. Examples include templates for QI projects, Annual Program Review reports, discipline notices, etc. This is a particularly valuable resource for new PD’s or programs that have not had site visits for several years.
  • Dr. Richard Comi, PD at Dartmouth, Chair of the Bylaws Committee. The committee reviewed the bylaws and found some areas to improve on internal consistency and managing of special circumstances.
  • Dr. Chris McCartney, Chair of the All-In Committee, described the next steps to implementation of the All-In match. All PD’s should return the Memorandum of Understanding, as APDEM is the sponsor of the Endocrinology Match. The MOU does not obligate a program to participating, it simply states that the PD understands what is happening.
• ABIM: Eric McKeeby described the changes to re-certification coming soon. These include the Endocrinology Knowledge Check-In, which launches in 2019. This program is a shorter, lower-stakes assessment taken every two years with immediate feedback. He reviewed additional options for earning MOC, including the 20 MOC point credit annually for fellowship training.
• Lastly, Dr. Alan Dalkin, Endocrinology Member on Internal Medicine Review Committee & Former APDEM President, described the Next Accreditation System 10-year site visit. The Self Study component is essential preparation for the review. A Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis should lead to goals and processes to present at the review. He also provided a summary in the January 2018 edition of this newsletter.