ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSORS OF GYNECOLOGY AND OBSTETRICS

April 2018 e-Bulletin

PLEASE WELCOME NEW APGO PRESIDENT MAYA HAMMOUD, MD, MBA
Maya Hammoud, MD, MBA, took office as President of the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Friday, March 2, 2018, at APGO’s annual business meeting during the CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland. Doctor Hammoud succeeds Past APGO President, Roger P. Smith, MD. She is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Professor of Medical Education at University of Michigan Medical School.

A Message from APGO President Maya Hammoud, MD, MBA
I will never forget the time I was asked to write down three professional goals on a small piece of paper and hand it to the person sitting next to me. I was a scholar in the APGO Scholars and Leaders Program (formerly known as APGO/Solvay Educational Scholars Development Program) and I had just met Joanna Cain, MD, the first APGO woman 

president, the year before. I was so impressed by her accomplishments that I wanted to be her when I “grew up.” As I was thinking about my three goals, I knew that becoming APGO President was one of them. I too, wanted to make a difference in educating our future physicians in women’s health, but I did not know how at that time. I also did not want the scholar sitting next to me – who happened to be Nadine Katz, MD – to make fun of my very ambitious goal. But still, I decided to go for it and I handed her that piece of paper with my goals. I was overwhelmed by her reaction as she was very supportive, and she said “Well, let’s do this together!” Since then, we became best friends.

Nadine represents one of the many friendships I developed over the last 18 years since I became an APGO member, and the APGO Scholars Program was the foundation that helped me develop as a leader. As I participated in APGO’s Thank a Mentor campaign, I had the time to reflect on all those APGO leaders and members who have provided me with so many opportunities to develop myself and others around me. I feel so honored and privileged to be able to lead this amazing organization for the next two years.

APGO is as strong as it has ever been. It continues to occupy a unique position in offering contemporary teaching and learning tools for physician-educators and students, so they can provide optimal health care to women, and it continues to enjoy a strong commitment from its membership. The recent incredible response to the APGO Academic Scholars and Leaders Frank T. Stritter, PhD, Endowed Faculty Fund Campaign is only one example of the loyalty and passion APGO members share. So, APGO is very well positioned to continue its leading role in transforming medical education and preparing learners to improve health care for all patients.

Health care transformation often requires the acquisition of new skills for many present-day providers. To align with these changes, undergraduate and graduate medical education must expand required competencies related to Health Systems Science, including quality, safety, and high-value care, as well as the related areas of improvement, population health, policy, informatics, teamwork, leadership, change management, and systems thinking. As women’s health care providers, we are well positioned to take the lead in this domain. My “Presidential Initiative” will focus on promoting innovations in the curriculum in Health Systems Science as well as the development of new assessment tools and smoother transitions from UME to GME to help align education with the needs of health systems and the needs of the nation.

Again, I am truly privileged to be given the opportunity to lead APGO through the next two years. While I had no idea in 2003 how I would make a difference in educating our future physicians if I were APGO President, today I feel very strongly that we must educate our physicians in Health Systems Science. I hope that you will all join me in these efforts and I welcome your thoughts and innovative ideas on how to best accomplish our goals to provide the best health care for women in our nation and beyond.

SCHOLARS PROGRAMS DEADLINES EXTENDED
If you missed the deadline to apply for the next classes of APGO Scholars, now you have a second chance! The 2019-2020 Academic Scholars and Leaders (ASL) Program and the 2018-2020 Surgical Education Scholars (SES) Program are accepting applications until Monday, April 30, 2018.

The purpose of the APGO Academic Scholars and Leaders program is to provide faculty with the opportunity to grow and acquire the skills critical to advancing as teachers, education program administrators and leaders. This course focuses on the importance of taking an evidence-based approach to support

education-related decision-making relevant to curriculum design, instructional methods, program and performance evaluation and administrative issues.

The Surgical Education Scholars program teaches ob-gyn faculty how to develop and implement surgical education curricula at their home institutions and prepares them to conduct multi-institutional research and validation of surgical education methodologies. Ideal scholars for this course will already be proficient in ob-gyn surgical procedures and will be interested in transitioning into formal leadership roles as ob-gyn surgical faculty who are experts at surgical teaching, supportive of other faculty in providing excellent surgical teaching and ready to conduct research in surgical education.

Learn more about the SES program.
Learn more about the ASL program.

APGO BOARD NOMINATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED
APGO is seeking applicants for three positions on its Board of Directors. Visit the APGO website for more information, including eligibility requirements, selection criteria, job descriptions and how to apply.

Learn more and make a nomination.
Deadline: July 16, 2018

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: 2019 FACULTY DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR
APGO is now accepting abstract submissions for the 2019 APGO Martin L. Stone, MD, Faculty Development Seminar, Sunday, January 6 – Wednesday, January 9 in Maui, Hawaii. Submit an abstract for a workshop, round table, and new this year, video presentations!

This year’s FDS program “The Road to Hana: Your Journey to Educational Paradise” will encompass the following subthemes:

• Finding Your Sunshine
• Riding the Wave
• When the Volcano Erupts

Learn more and submit your abstract.
Deadline: May 14, 2018

SUBMIT A PROPOSAL: MEDICAL EDUCATION ENDOWMENT FUND GRANT PROGRAM
APGO is now accepting proposals for the 2018 APGO Medical Education Endowment Fund Grant Program. Projects will be eligible for up to $15,000 per grant and must focus on one of the following areas in ob-gyn education:

• Innovations in Health Systems Science
• Alternative Metrics for Medical Student Evaluation

Learn more and apply now.
Strict Proposal Deadline: June 11, 2018

SPOTLIGHT ON APGO RESOURCES
APGO Effective Preceptor Series Videos
Are you aware of this great resource? The APGO Effective Preceptor Series provides residents and preceptors with practical tools for teaching and evaluating students. The series includes 12 easy-to-read PDFs, 10 companion videos and 40 follow-up questions to be used as a teaching tool. This resource is available to APGO members free of charge, and is available for purchase through the APGO Bookstore for non-members. APGO member institutions can purchase an institutional subscription for use by all of your residents and volunteer faculty at a discounted rate. To view a flyer explaining this resource, visit the APGO website.

APGO PrepforRes Exam
The APGO Preparation for Ob-Gyn Residency Knowledge Assessment Tool (PrepforRes) is an interactive, web-based examination to measure the didactic knowledge of incoming ob-gyn interns based on the ACGME level 1 Milestones. Institutions have also been using this tool for their boot camp/residency preparation. The exam is available to medical schools and residency programs through an annual subscription to the APGO uWISE program. This exam is also available as a stand-alone subscription for schools who do not already subscribe to APGO uWISE. Questions were just updated this month.

2018 CREOG & APGO ANNUAL MEETING
The 2018 CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting was held February 28 – March 3 in National Harbor, Maryland. The theme of the meeting, “Anchors Away: Navigating Your Course in Medical Education,” covered topics including diversity and inclusivity, wellness, simulation training, burnout, and more. Speakers included Anna Lembke, MD, Jed Gonzalo, MD, MSc, Oluwaferanmi Okanlami, MD, MS, and ACOG President Haywood Brown, MD.

Congratulations to award winners, including Robert Rebar, MD, winner of the 2018 APGO Lifetime Achievement Award, and to the graduating classes of APGO’s Academic Scholars and Leaders and Surgical Education Scholars programs.

Thank you to all who attended the Academic Scholars and Leaders and Surgical Education Scholars Alumni Bash at Bobby McKey’s Dueling Piano Bar. Proceeds from the event benefitted the APGO Academic Scholars and Leaders (ASL) Frank T. Stritter, PhD, Endowed Faculty Fund, in honor of ASL’s 20th anniversary.

For an Annual Meeting recap and a list of oral, poster and special award winners, read the APGO Apple Tree Blog article.

Thanks to all who attended, and a special thank you to program co-chairs Hope Ricciotti, MD, and Maria Manriquez, MD, for a successful meeting. 

APGO ACADEMIC SCHOLARS AND LEADERS 20TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN
A special thank you to everyone who  participated in the Thank a Mentor matching campaign. From January – March, APGO raised $8,625 by thanking 240 mentors for their guidance and inspiration, and with matching funds the campaign raised $17,250.
 
We are excited to tell you that we are in the home stretch of the APGO ASL 20th Anniversary Campaign! Since last July APGO has raised more than $517,000 of our $550,000 goal. The class challenges are  going strong and will end in December 2018. Right now, the classes of 2005 and 2014 are in the lead. 
 
The classes that raise the most money or have the highest percent participation will get special recognition at celebratory events being held in January and March. There are currently 275 graduates that haven’t participated yet – if each of you contributes as little as $120 we will meet our goal. Please consider making a donation today!

APGO UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Immediately following the CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, Brittany Star Hampton, MD, assumed the position of UMEC Chair. The committee also welcomed three new members, Christopher Morosky, MD, University of Connecticut, Celeste Royce, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Shireen Madani Sims, MD, University of Florida. We would also like to thank the outgoing members of the committee for their unwavering commitment to the work of the committee over the past six years, Archana Pradhan, MD, Chair (2016-2018) and members Sarah Page-Ramsey, MD, Samantha Buery-Joyner, MD.

UMEC SPOTLIGHT ON FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
By David A. Forstein, DO, Susan Bliss, MD
2018-2020 APGO Undergraduate Medical Education Committee (UMEC)

The UMEC Spotlight on Faculty Development Series is back for 2018! This month’s interview features Sarah Shaffer, DO. Doctor Shaffer presented the breakout session Revitalizing ‘PORE’ Assessment Practices: Valid and Reliable Assessment Tools in Medical Education at the 2018 Martin L. Stone, MD, Faculty Development Seminar. Find out how the presenters coordinated their busy schedules to plan the session, why Doctor Shaffer took an interest in assessment in medical education and more.

Read the full interview at APGO’s Apple Tree Blog.

NEW ON THE APPLE TREE BLOG: APPLE SLICES
This new blog series is a bite-sized educational research update brought to you by the APGO Technology Committee. Articles will provide you with brief summaries and reviews of recently published educational research from both within and especially outside the traditional obstetrics and gynecology journals.

First up, Melissa Wong, MD, looks at the article “Association Between Teaching Status and Mortality in US Hospitals.” Read the full  article on the Apple Tree Blog.

POST A POSITION TO OUR JOB BOARD
Looking for an academic position? Visit APGO’s online Academic Positions Report for open academic ob-gyn positions from around the country. Click here to fill out a vacancy announcement for your department.

Please note: academic posting is a benefit of Department Membership.

NEW APGO TEACHING RESOURCE: VAGINITIS
APGO is pleased to announce its newest teaching resource developed for members as part of the Educational Series on Women’s Health Issues. The module summarizes current standards of care and knowledge to diagnose and treat vaginitis to improve physician competence in providing optimal care for patients. Access the module here.

This module is also available to non-members, such as students and residents, for a promotional period of 90 days, now through July 12, via this link.