The 2021 SACME Annual Meeting—An Agenda to Meet the Challenges of Our Times

The 2021 SACME Annual Meeting—An Agenda to Meet the Challenges of Our Times

By Asha Maharaj, MBA, Chair, Program Planning Committee

The Program Committee is excited to announce a finalized agenda for the 2021 Annual Meeting. The theme for this year’s event, “The Art and Science of CPD: New Technology, New Knowledge, New Learning”, serendipitously was chosen before the onset of the pandemic and the historic momentum of the social justice movement. Indeed, the theme is quite relevant in our new reality today, as SACME continues to integrate scholarship and best practices in CPD. The 2021 program agenda offers many “firsts” in learning experiences—virtually—along with a stellar line-up of plenary speakers, further distinguishing SACME’s reputation as the premier organization nationally for CME/CPD.

A longitudinal curriculum to maximize your engagement and learning experience…

As one of our meeting “firsts”, the Planning Committee has adopted a longitudinal curriculum to engage learners over a period of weeks, not just days. Last spring, the SACME Virtual Learning Task Force was convened by the Board to study three curriculum models for the 2021 Annual Meeting and determined that a longitudinal curriculum was not only possible in a virtual learning environment, but preferrable. (See Task Force full report on curriculum models here.)While the core of the Annual Meeting’s live presentations will occur between February 24 to 26, there will be learning activities leading up to the core presentations and then followed by post-Annual Meeting sessions. Instead of our traditional consolidated curriculum occurring over three days, participants may register for sessions that will be held as early as February 3rd. Pre-conference workshops are typically 2-3 hour sessions and offer a more intensive, in-depth review of their topic. Faculty for these sessions are experts in their field and we encourage you to participate in these unique learning opportunities. (See links to detailed pre-conference worshops below.)

Core program sessions that will provoke and challenge your thinking about critical issues…

For the ”core” sessions which occur February 24-26, a line-up of dynamic plenary speakers and panelists will discuss the issues impacting medical education today. Keynote speaker, Julio Frenk, MD, MPH, PhD, President, University of Miami and Professor of Public Health Sciences, Health Sector Management and Policy, and Sociology, will share his insights, wisdom, global perspective, and ideas on educational reform along with his upbeat and energetic view on the promises of tomorrow vis-a-vis medical education.

Panels to be convened are focused on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; Technology; Music & Wellness; Value Proposition of CME/CPD Innovation.See full panel descriptions.  

A user-friendly, virtual meeting platform which will assure your satisfaction…

After months of study and due-diligence by a dedicated group of members serving on the Virtual Learning Task Force, SACME engaged the Pathable Virtual Events Platform for the Annual Meeting. This platform was selected based on its outstanding features and characteristics that will serve to support and enhance the learning experience.  It offers many options for presenters and learners to interact directly with each other through Q&A, in-session polls, discussion forums, themed “conversation cafes”, networking activities, and live video networking opportunities.  The Committee’s goal is to maximize opportunities for attendees to engage with the content for the full duration of the program, pre-, intra-, and post-meeting sessions.  Brief presentations of selected research and best practice abstracts will be available for viewing and discussion with the authors.  There will be time set aside during the core program days to interact with the presenters and ask questions. Comprehensive research and best practices presentations will be available for viewing and authors will have scheduled time in the agenda for live question and answer discussions with our attendees.

Lastly, the Committee has included opportunities for our attendees to find out about more about SACME and the work that happens through the Committees and the Academy, as well as dedicated time to visit vendor exhibits, for social networking and activities to fuel personal growth and wellness.

We look forward to welcoming and interacting with our attendees beginning early next year, over the live programming days and post the Annual Meeting. Don’t delay and register today!

Asha Maharaj, MBA, is Director, Community and Continuing Education, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto.

2021 SACME Pre-conference Workshops (Separate registration and fee required.)

Strategic Leadership in CPD*

Continuing Professional Development (CPD): A Framework for Embedding Equity, Diversity and Inclusion into Instructional Design

Program Evaluation and Assessment

The Basics of Journal Manuscript Review: Learning Research Through Critical Review

Writing Up a Scholarly Project: Transforming Ideas into Words

Funding CME/CPD Programs in Virtual Environments

Creating a Faculty Development Program for CPD

Exploring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with Interprofessional Continuing Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

*This workshop has reached capacity.

Register TODAY for the SACME Annual Meeting at sacme.org/Annual-Meeting.

Pre-Conference Workshops

Schedule at a glance

Workshop Descriptions

Strategic Leadership in CPD – This workshop has reached capacity.
February 3, 2021 – 9:00 am CT

Barbara E. Barnes, MD, MS, FSACME
University of Pittsburgh Associate Vice Chancellor for Continuing Education and UPMC Vice President for Continuing Education

Morris J. Blachman, PhD, FACEHP, FSACME
Distinguished Clinical Professor Emeritus, University of South Carolina

This three-hour workshop is designed for CPD professionals who are interested in developing and exercising their leadership skills to advance the strategic value and contribution of CPD within their institution and/or within the broader field of CPD. The workshop will begin with a brief discussion of core leadership principles and how they can help a leader be effective in one’s own institution and external organizations.  Participants will be asked to present opportunities they would like to pursue as well as challenges they have encountered when they have contemplated or assumed leadership roles.  The workshop leaders will facilitate group and intra-group discussion and provide recommendations for how these opportunities can be leveraged and barriers overcome. The session will conclude by guiding participants in designing and implementing their own personal leadership plans.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD): A Framework for Embedding Equity, Diversity and Inclusion into Instructional Design – This workshop has reached capacity.
February 3, 2021 – 10:00 am CT

Branka Agic, MD, MHSc, PhD
Assistant Professor, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Natalia Ronda, PhD
Manager, Instructional Design and Learning Technologies, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

This three-hour interactive workshop will provide a framework for embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into CPD instructional design and delivery. The workshop will combine didactic and interactive elements, including practical examples and applications, and provide participants the opportunity to discuss how to apply what they learn into their own work to promote learning environments and experiences that respect learner diversity, accommodate different learning styles, foster inclusion, and are free of biases and stereotypes. Participants will learn how to integrate equity and inclusion in the planning, development, and implementation of online and in-person educational and training initiatives.

Program Evaluation and Assessment
February 3, 2021 – 10:00 am CT

Walter Tavares, PhD
Assistant Professor, Post-MD Scientist, Post MD Education, The Wilson Centre, University of Toronto

David Wiljer, PhD
Executive Director, Education, Technology & Innovation, University Health Network, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto

This three-hour interactive workshop is targeted to CPD professionals engaged in the analysis, design, and assessment of educational activities. The program will focus on key theories and principles that inform evaluation and assessment plans. Participants will examine different theoretical perspectives that undergird program evaluation and outcome frameworks that support assessment. Practical tools for evaluations in CPD will be reviewed and approaches to communicating and disseminating the results of the evaluation will be explored. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be able to identify and apply appropriate elements of the frameworks discussed to the development of their own evaluation designs.

The Basics of Journal Manuscript Review: Learning Research Through Critical Review
February 3, 2021 – 1:00 pm CT

Jack Kues, PhD, CHCP, FACEHP
Associate Dean for Continuous Professional Development and Professor Emeritus, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Simon C. Kitto, PhD
Professor, University of Ottawa, and Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions Editor

This two-hour workshop is designed for individuals who include, or wish to include, research and scholarship as part of their jobs and careers by introducing them to the skills and process of being a manuscript reviewer for a professional peer-reviewed journal. The workshop will be divided into four components: (1) overview of the manuscript review process, (2) interactive “walk-through” of a manuscript review, (3) perspectives and tips from master reviewers, and (4) Q&A/discussion. Presenters will provide an overview of the peer-review process and the general principles of critically reading manuscripts. They will also describe the general principles of providing constructive feedback to authors and journal editors. Most of the session will be devoted to hands-on exercises involving actual reviews of manuscript segments.

Writing Up a Scholarly Project: Transforming Ideas into Words
February 17, 2021 – 9:00 am CT

Savithiri Ratnapalan, MBBS, MEd, PhD
Professor, University of Toronto, Hospital for Sick Children

This three-hour workshop is designed for clinicians, educators, and researchers involved in health education who perceive they may not have the time, talent, or training to embark on scholarly activities. This interactive session will provide the necessary tools to identify activities that can be modified into scholarly projects. The workshop will redefine scholarship in everyday practice and describe the ethos, pathos, and logos of scholarly writing with examples. Participants will discuss their clinical or educational activities that are amenable to scholarly presentations or publications, work in small groups to identify one scholarly activity from their practice, and write up a summary that can be further developed and presented at a scientific conference.

Funding CME/CPD Programs in Virtual Environments
February 17, 2021 – 12:00 pm CT 

Annette Mallory Donawa, PhD (Moderator)
Assistant Provost of Continuing Professional Development
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University

Richard H. Wiggins, MD
Associate Dean of CME
University of Utah Health Sciences Center

Robert A. Martin, MBA
Assistant Dean and Director of Continuing Medical Education
NYU Winthrop Hospital

Anne Grupe, MSEd
Director, Continuing Education
American Society of Clinical Oncology

Leticia Bresnahan, MBA, CHCP
Director
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Dana F. Price, MS, CHCP
Grant Development Manager
Boston University School of Medicine – Office of Continuing Medical Education

This three-hour interactive workshop is intended for CPD professionals engaged in obtaining grant and exhibitor funding to support their education activities. The session will aid participants in developing a flexible funding toolkit that can be adapted to their own unit. The workshop will focus on strategies that have proved successful in funding activities that have been transitioned to a virtual environment.  Robust discussions and engagement from participants will help to frame what funding may look like in the future and how the community can proactively prepare for funding shifts. Participants will share approaches to funding acquisition, challenges, and opportunities in pairs and small groups to develop a suite of tools and action items. Participants will be able to assess and select from the aggregated tools and strategies to develop models applicable to their own individual environments.

Creating a Faculty Development Program for CPD
February 17, 2021 – 1:00 pm CT

Don Moore, PhD
Professor of Medical Education and Administration
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Gary A. Smith, PhD
Associate Dean of Continuous Professional Learning, School of Medicine
Professor, Organization, Information & Learning Sciences
University of New Mexico

Nels L. Carlson, MD
Professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation
Assistant Dean, Continuing Professional Development
School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University

Yvonne Steinert, PhD
Professor, Department of Family Medicine
Director of the Institute of Health Sciences Education
Richard and Sylvia Cruess Chair in Medical Education
McGill University

Miriam Uhlmann, PhD
Manager of Faculty Development
AO Education Foundation

The goal of this interactive three-hour workshop is to provide an opportunity for individuals to become aware of expanded notions of faculty development in CPD and to develop the capabilities to introduce an expanded faculty development program at their own institution. The facilitators will pair those who have some experience with creating CPD faculty development programs with others who have not had the experience. The workshop will begin with a panel that will review the concept of CPD faculty development and provide examples of emerging CPD faculty development programs. This will be followed by small group discussions in which workshop participants will be guided in conversation on developing a CPD faculty development program at their institution. Ideas will be shared and feedback given by the panel.

Exploring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with Interprofessional Continuing Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
February 17, 2021 1:00 pm CT

Cassandra Nytes, MD-MPH Candidate, Class of 2024
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Barbara Anderson, MS
Director, Continuing Professional Development
University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine & Public HealthThis two-hour interactive workshop is intended for CPD leaders and professionals, as well as faculty who teach in CPD programs. The workshop will utilize the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Tool Kit for Planners and Presenters, developed at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Designed to create inclusive and equitable education for healthcare professionals, the toolkit is tailored for use in continuing education. The workshop will examine the components of the toolkit and lessons learned during its creation and implementation. Participants will explore the origins, components, and implementation of the toolkit in practice, map out a plan for incorporating similar values in education development at their own institutions, and receive and provide feedback on the plans developed by peer participants. They will also establish steps for implementing their plan for faculty in their own organizations.