Meeting Recap: 2019 CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting
The Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG) and the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) welcomed more than 1,200 obstetrics and gynecology educators and administrators February 27 – March 2 in New Orleans, Louisiana for the 2019 CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting. This year, the theme was, “Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler Let the Good Times Roll: Unmask Your Potential in Medical Education.” The program, helmed by Co-Chairs Maria Manriquez, MD, and Lori Berkowitz, MD, offered attendees new perspectives and fresh tips on health equity, the UME – GME Transition, patient safety, well being and more.
General Session and Plenary Speakers
The meeting kicked off with a joint CREOG & APGO Leadership Address from CREOG Chair Mark Woodland, MS, MD, and APGO President Maya Hammoud, MD, MBA. The opening session also included two plenary speakers. John Andrews, MD, of the American Medical Association spoke on “The Future of GME,” and Joia Adele Crear-Perry, MD, President of the National Birth Equity Collaborative gave a talked called “Root Causes of Inequities in Patient Outcomes.” Doctor Crear-Perry also spoke that evening at the Diversity & Inclusion Networking Reception.
Other plenary sessions included “Competency-Based Medical Education Across the Continuum” from Alison Whelan, MD, of the Association of American Medical College, and “Taking the Hell Out of Being Healthy” by Alice Domar, PhD, Executive Director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health. The Medical Student Educators’ Luncheon, presented by APGO’s Undergraduate Medical Education Committee (UMEC), featured Anjali Bhagra, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, who spoke on “Building Resilience.” The Saturday morning sessions, with a focus on Gender Equity, began with the discussion “Sexual Harassment of Women in Academic Medicine: Presentation and Comments on the 2018 Consensus Study Report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.” Members of the panel included Timothy Johnson, MD, University of Michigan, Eve Espey, MD, MPH, University of New Mexico, Erika Banks, MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Laura Baecher-Lind, MD, MPH, Tufts University School of Medicine.
Pre-Meeting Programs
The Annual Meeting itself wasn’t the only opportunity for faculty development. The current class of APGO’s Academic Scholars and Leaders (ASL) met for the second time, a three-day program from Sunday to Tuesday. On Tuesday, the CREOG & APGO Transition to Residency School for Educators was held. This was the second year of the program, and the first time registration was open to everyone. 54 attendees learned how to develop a transition to residency boot camp at their home institutions. And on Wednesday morning, UMEC hosted the APGO Advanced Clerkship Directors’ School: Put the Spice in Your Clerkship Jambalaya!
Awards & Graduation Luncheon
The Friday luncheon is an opportunity to recognize and congratulate commitment to professional development and excellence in medical education. The newest group to complete the ASL Program received their certificates in the graduation ceremony. Awards handed out included CREOG Empower Awards, Excellence in Education Research, Oral Abstract Presentation Awards and Poster Presentation Awards. This year, APGO recognized past president Susan M. Cox, MD, and her husband Doug Morris for their generous endowment of the Susan M. Cox, MD, Clerkship Directors’ School. And finally, APGO honored retiring executive director Donna Wachter with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Special Events
The Exhibit Hall officially opened Wednesday evening with the Welcome Reception, where attendees could network with friends and colleagues while checking out all the exhibitors had to offer. Additionally, there was the party within a party, Countdown to Mardi Gras, the APGO/ACOG Foundation Joint Fundraiser, where attendees could pose for photos with the King and Queen of Mardi Gras, pet a baby alligator, and bid on silent auction items while sipping on hurricanes. And on Thursday, APGO hosted the Alumni Bash at Vintage Rock Club to honor graduation scholars and celebrate the successful completion of the ASL 20th Anniversary Campaign.
Special Thanks
APGO would like to thank Program Co-Chairs Maria Manriquez, MD, and Lori Berkowitz, MD, members of the Program Committee, and the 2019 meeting faculty, and, last but certainly not least, thanks to meeting attendees and the entire APGO membership for their continued support and dedication to medical education and women’s health.
Looking Ahead
The 2020 CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting will take place February 26 – 29, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Florida. Follow @APGOnews on Twitter for the latest information about next year’s meeting.
For more information on the CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, APGO Clerkship Directors’ School and other APGO programs and awards, please visit www.apgo.org.