Authors: Vjeko Hlede, PhD, DVM, CHCP; Marianna Shershneva, MD, PhD; Lori A. Deitte, MD; Carol Pizzuti, MRes, PhD
At a Glance
- Background:
Members of SACME have used its listserv since 2004. It has been a place to solve problems, exchange resources, and debate emerging CME/CPD issues. Listserv conversations provide a unique record of the everyday concerns and evolving priorities of the CME/CPD community. - Project scope:
An initial qualitative study will investigate how the subjects discussed by SACME members have changed over time. This is a longitudinal thematic analysis – a study spanning 22 years of SACME listserv dialogue (2004-2026). Due to the sample size (6500 posts, 22000 pages of text), the study will use a structured combination of human interpretation and AI-assisted thematic analysis methods. - Key questions addressed by this project:
- How has the focus of SACME’s professional dialogue changed over the past two decades?
- What can that evolution teach us about the recent developments and future direction of CME/CPD?
- Anticipated methodological questions addressed by this study:
- How can AI support large-scale qualitative analysis while maintaining human ownership of the process and results, transparency, and scholarly rigor?
- How do different large language models compare in the codes, themes, and interpretations they generate from the same qualitative material?
- Project status:
The big administrative steps and preliminary scoping analysis have been completed. The listserv archive has been de-identified. The project has received a Not Human Subjects Research determination from the BRANY Institutional Review Board.
SACME leadership has confirmed we are now ready to move into the qualitative analysis phase and we are positioning this research project as a community-based opportunity for those interested in qualitative research. All SACME members are invited to help us conduct this analysis.
- Preliminary scoping analysis:
The results presented at the SACME 2026 Annual Meeting revealed that the collective consciousness of SACME has progressed through three distinct macro-historical epochs, mirroring the maturation of academic medicine:
| 1. COMPLIANCE ERA (2004–2010) | 2. SCHOLARSHIP ERA (2011–2019) | 3. INTELLIGENCE ERA (2020–2025+) |
|---|---|---|
| Focused on ACCME standards, Letters of Agreement, and establishing ethical boundaries to protect independent education from commercial support | Shifted toward quality improvement, outcomes science, interprofessional teams, and learning-from-teaching frameworks. | Dominated by pandemic-driven agility, equity, wellness, and the emerging governance and clinical integration of Generative AI. |
Critical Shift: The long-arc trajectory maps a profession moving rapidly from compliance to scholarship to systems intelligence.
An Open Invitation
All SACME members are invited to join the research team. Early-career members can gain mentored hands-on experience in qualitative and AI-assisted research. Experienced members will have the opportunity to contribute their methodological expertise, share insight into historical context, and provide mentorship. To express your interest in joining the research team, please complete the participation form.
- Approach:
We aim to use AI tools as helpers to identify themes across large portions of text. We will process the data using multiple distinct large language models (LLMs) and compare their coding and thematic analysis outputs against each other and against human-only thematic analysis. During that process, researchers will review source excerpts, evaluate proposed codes and themes, examine alternative interpretations, and document analytical decisions.
Here is the overall research flow for this project
Join the Research Team – Dedicated Focus on Early-Career Scholars
This project is being developed as an open, community-driven initiative. Therefore, we welcome both newer researchers seeking practical experience and experienced SACME members who can contribute research expertise or historical knowledge of the organization and the CME/CPD field.
Participating researchers will receive structured onboarding and support in:
- Qualitative coding and thematic analysis
- Working consistently with a shared coding framework
- Evaluating and validating AI-generated analytical outputs
- Interpreting historical changes in CME/CPD
- Developing conference presentations and scholarly manuscripts
Participants who make substantive contributions will have an opportunity for co-authorship on conference presentations and journal publications.
NOTE: Potential subsequent studies within the project may include focusing on emerging AI-enhanced, human-in-the-loop qualitative research methodologies or analyzing the same body of work through different qualitative lenses.
Call to Action
Whether you are an experienced researcher, a longtime SACME listserv participant, or someone seeking your first collaborative research opportunity, please consider participating in this important project.
To express your interest in joining the research team, please complete this brief participation form. Or, to learn more about the project, please contact us at info@SACME.org.
