www.fmec.net

August | 2023

The 2023 Annual Meeting will be held at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI from October 13-15, 2023. For more information, visit FMEC 2023 Annual Meeting.

Plenary Speakers

The FMEC is excited to announce our plenary speakers for the 2023 Annual Meeting! On Friday evening, Dr. Izzy Lowell will speak on transgender healthcare. Dr. Lowell trained in New England and currently resides in Atlanta, GA, where she founded Queermed, a telemedicine practice serving transgender and nonbinary people in 25 states. On Saturday morning, Dr. Renee Crichlow will present “We Got This Family Medicine,” stressing the value and need for Family Medicine as a specialty in light of the recent pandemic, social upheaval, and more. Dr. Crichlow holds many titles including Chief Medical Officer of Codman Square Health Center in Boston and current President of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. On Sunday morning, Dr. Manisha Kumar will present “Catalyst for Change: Increasing Access to Safe Abortion Care and Upholding Bodily Autonomy,” sharing her experiences from nearly a decade of working with Doctors Without Borders. Dr. Kumar also trained in New England and was head of the Safe Abortion Care Task Force, an initiative aimed at increasing access to safe abortion care in humanitarian settings.

Preconferences

Even if you’ve already registered, it’s not too late to add a preconference! Sessions include the ALSO Instructor Course, Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Workshops, Cross-cultural Communication and Its Impact on Health Equity, Learning Collaboratives: Meeting New ACGME Requirements, FACTS About Fertility, the IMPLICIT Network Meeting and the FMEC Healthcare Innovators Network. To add a preconference to an existing registration, visit FMEC 2023 Annual Meeting Registration, login, and select "not attending meeting" under the general meeting registration section. Continue to select the preconference(s) you are interested, and they will be added to your registration.

Hotel Update

Despite a larger room block at three properties, as of August 19, 2023, the FMEC’s room blocks have sold out for multi-night stays, with only a few rooms left for Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday. Please continue to check via the links and phone numbers on the FMEC website, because some rooms may become available due to cancelations. If you are holding rooms that you may not need, please cancel them ASAP to allow others to access them. After the cut-off dates, all rooms will go back into general inventory and will not be available to FMEC attendees. If you do not have lodging yet, options include online booking sites such as Expedia, Hotels.com, Airbnb and other services. The weekend is very busy in downtown Providence, and suburban and airport-adjacent properties may be necessary (they are generally 15-20 minutes away from the meeting venue).

Lead a Clinical Camp Table at the FMEC Annual Meeting!

Clinical Camp Tables are an opportunity to lead a hands-on demonstration of a clinical procedure commonly performed in family medicine, using patient models and materials. Any program that is participating in the 2023 Annual Meeting Residency Fair is eligible to run a table, and tables are approved on a first-come, first-served basis. The FMEC will hold 8-10 tables on Saturday, October 14, 2023, in two shifts running concurrently with the FMEC Annual Meeting Poster Sessions (12-12:45pm and 1:15-2pm). The deadline to submit to lead a clinical camp table is September 8, 2023. To register, you must provide the faculty name (who must be registered for the FMEC Annual Meeting) and either choose or enter your preferences for topics. Visit Clinical Camp Tables (login required) for more information.

Thank You to Our Many Sponsors

Dozens of individuals, institutions and companies help sponsor the FMEC Annual Meeting each year, and without their support, the meeting – and bringing 300 medical students to the meeting on scholarships – would not be possible! All donors will be thanked on signs, on the website, and in emails leading up to the meeting, but the FMEC would like to make a special shout out to Independence Blue Cross, which has provided $10,000 for student scholarships for the 10^th year in a row; the R. Claire Weaver Memorial Endowment which has provided $4,000 in scholarship support for at least the last 6 years; and educational program sponsors ChenMed (multi-year support of Preparing to Succeed in Practice) and One Medical (FMEC Healthcare Innovators Network). Thank you to the many others who are donating or supporting the FMEC Partner Program!

Support Students to Attend FMEC: The FMEC has provided more than 7,000 scholarships to students to increase their interest in family medicine and primary care, get experience presenting posters, and meet family medicine residency programs at the Residency Fair. Help us bring students to the 2023 Annual Meeting by donating today.

Questions about Providence, RI? The GoProvidence team is standing by to help you prepare for your visit and ensure a successful stay. Email them anytime at CFoto@GoProvidence.com with all your destination questions.

Whether you're bringing your family, are looking for restaurant recommendations with your colleagues, or have an hour of free time, we can recommend some of our favorite spots. Once you're in town, be sure to stop by the Visitor Information Center, conveniently located on the ground floor of the Rhode Island Convention Center.

The FMEC thanks GoProvidence and our expert helper Carley Foto!

The FMEC will expand its Board of Trustees in 2023 to 17 positions, in order to add both a medical student and a family medicine resident. Terms will be one-year with the option to serve again. Candidates must be actively enrolled in a medical school or family medicine residency training program in the FMEC region (14 states +DC – see the list on the FMEC website) or at an international medical school which has an active FMEC Partnership (see FMEC Partner list). Please read the full announcement for additional important details.

Applicants will be required to submit the following: a short letter of application that states you will fulfill the commitment; your CV; a short, recorded video answering the question “Why do you want to serve on the FMEC Board of Trustees?,” and a letter from your dean or program director stating that you are in good standing in your school or program and that you will be supported to fulfill the requirements of Board service. When ready, please visit FMEC Student/Resident Board Position Application to submit your application.

The deadline for applications is October 27, 2023, but we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible. Applicants will be notified of their status immediately after October 27, 2023, and terms for the student and resident selected will begin on November 1, 2023. The term will end October 31, 2024.

The FMEC is committed to providing students, residents, and faculty in our region with volunteer opportunities that develop their skills, advance their new ideas, and create connections with other family medicine experts throughout the region. Currently, we engage scores of doctors and others throughout the region through our Host Committees and Planning Committees (which plan the Annual Meeting, and vet educational program submissions, respectively) and the many juries that choose our annual awards. We also have advisory committees for our projects on integrative medicine, breast cancers, medical humanities, preterm birth/low birthweight, and more. To join those groups, please contact Lisa Schwieterman at lisa.schwieterman@fmec.net.

The FMEC Board of Trustees is establishing new committees to help advance core FMEC goals. These will include:

• Leadership/Mentorship
• Medical Student Education
• Faculty Development
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion



We are currently seeking co-chairs and members for these groups. If you are interested, please contact Scott Allen at scott.allen@fmec.net. Or, you can visit the FMEC table during the exhibits at the FMEC Annual Meeting to learn more and sign up. We hope to start convening these groups virtually starting in late 2023.

For the fourth consecutive year, the FMEC is offering virtual meetings to introduce interested medical students and others to the many outstanding Family Medicine Residency Programs in the northeast U.S. Please help the FMEC and our residency program partners by circulating this to medical students who may be interested! More sessions will be scheduled through November 2023 – watch your email!

Tuesday, August 29, 2023, at 6pm Eastern

Contraception, Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency

Click here to register

Thursday, August 31, 2023, at 6pm Eastern

Women in Medicine, UPMC Altoona Family Physicians

Click here to register

Tuesday, September 12, 2023, at 6pm Eastern

Comprehensive Family Medicine Forbes Family Medicine - Allegheny Health Network,

Click here to register

Monday, September 18, 2023, at 6:30pm Eastern

Power of Advocacy, Bayhealth Family Medicine Residency

To receive an invitation, email FMResidency@Bayhealth.org

Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at 6pm Eastern

Obstetrics in Family Medicine, Lancaster General Health/Penn Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program

Click here to register

Wednesday, September 20, 2023, at 6pm Eastern

Lifestyle Medicine, UPMC Altoona Family Physicians

Click here to register

Tuesday, September 26, 2023, at 6pm Eastern

STI Prevention: PrEP and DoxyPrEP, Allegheny Health Network

Click here to register

STFM Award Nominations Open

The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) is currently accepting nominations for many awards, so the FMEC encourages you to apply or nominate colleagues and show the country how strong family medicine training is in the northeast U.S.!

Awards include the STFM Advocate Award, the STFM Diversity Award, the STFM Excellence in Education Award, the STFM Innovative Program Award, and the Lynn and Joan Carmichael STFM Recognition Award. All applications and nominations are due September 18, 2023. Visit the links above to learn more and submit.

Relational Leadership Convening 2023

Intend Health Strategies 2023 Relational Leadership Convening will be held in Atlanta, Georgia from October 11-13, 2023. This inaugural convening is a gathering for those who envision a human-centered healthcare system built on a foundation of connection and collaboration, in which everyone is seen, heard, and valued. Attendees will connect with others who are committed to driving positive change in healthcare by focusing on what matters most: the people; learn practical strategies to cultivate connection within your team and organization; adopt relational practices by tapping into the stories and collective wisdom of the RL community; and strengthen their teams with tools and resources from experienced relational leaders. The early-bird deadline to register is August 30, 2023. The FMEC is a sponsor of Intend Health Strategies RL Convening, and Intend Health Strategies is a sponsor of the FMEC 2023 Annual Meeting!

The STFM Conference on Practice and Quality Improvement will be held September 11-13, 2023, at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark in St. Louis, MO. Many FMEC members will be represented and sharing the exciting work they are doing at their residency programs! Of note, FMEC President Dr. Leon McCrea will be presenting the general session, “Moving Anti-Racism Forward: Making a Difference in Healthcare Delivery” on Tuesday, September 12 from 12:45pm-1:45pm. In addition, FMEC’s hereditary cancer and narrative medicine learning collaborative results will be shared during “Let Me Tell You a Story - Narrative Medicine as a Tool to Foster Impactful Conversations around Hereditary Cancer in Women,” presented by Dr. Susanna Evans of Temple Health Chestnut Hill/Drexel University College of Medicine and FMEC CEO Scott G. Allen, MS on Tuesday, September 12, from 9:15am-9:45am. We hope to see you there!

Narrative Medicine and Breast Cancer

The FMEC’s learning collaborative of 10 family medicine residency programs has wrapped up, and results will be posted and circulated soon. The project increased providers’ comfort with hereditary cancer discussions, and nearly all participants expect to use and teach about the CDC’s Bring Your Brave campaign materials. The FMEC is excited that the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors and the CDC have approved funding for a continuation of the project. The FMEC will develop a clinic-based QI project, with expected American Board of Family Medicine approval as a performance improvement project, on identifying and screening for hereditary breast cancer using narrative medicine. We are recruiting clinics to participate now and hope to launch the educational sessions and Qi cycles in December 2023. To join the collaborative, email Rebecca Bouck at rebecca.bouck@fmec.net. We will also develop CME modules on hereditary cancer screening, referral and genetic testing, as well as narrative medicine and the role of empathy in medicine, which you can learn from and integrate into your training program.

Integrative Health

Watch for more information from the FMEC as we launch educational programing on integrative and whole-person health, and convene faculty who are teaching it for networking, later in 2023. If you are interested in being involved, please reach out to Rebecca Bouck at rebecca.bouck@fmec.net. In the meantime, yet another article on the FMEC’s 2020-2022 Integrative Health Learning Community has been published. Through the learning community, 16 clinics representing more than 220 clinicians serving approximately 39,000 patients made positive changes to integrative whole-person healthcare practices. Read “Implementing Whole Person Primary Care: Results from a Year-Long Learning Collaborative” by Dr. Elena Rosenbaum et al, published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

IMPLICIT poster receives Student Award at AAFP National Conference



FMEC’s IMPLICIT Project was well represented at the AAFP National Conference. A poster, “Interconception Care: Expanding Maternal Care to Well Child Visits through the IMPLICIT Model” was presented by the team at the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Penn State College of Medicine. In addition, “Early fourth trimester visits: Improving health outcomes and optimizing achievement of antenatal goals for birthing people” from the team at University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Department of Family Medicine won a student poster award. Congratulations to all who are implementing IMPLICIT and helping to share their results!

Thanks to new and renewing partners!

A hearty THANK YOU to the health systems who have recently renewed their FMEC partnerships or joined as new partners. The support of these FMEC partners is critical to the FMEC’s success.

• Albany Medical College
• Butler Family Medicine Residency
• Cooper University Health Care
• Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
• Heritage Valley Family Medicine Residency
• Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
• Meritus Health
• New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM)
• The Ohio State University College of Medicine
• Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine

Become a partner or member today

Joining the FMEC as an individual or institution not only helps support the FMEC mission and promote family medicine, but it gives you tangible benefits and discounts. Read more about FMEC Memberships and Partnerships now and join or renew. And don’t forget to watch the FMEC Special Edition email newsletter for job and fellowship openings. 

A selection of upcoming family medicine and primary care meetings, nationally and in the FMEC region, in the next 3 months. If you have a meeting to be listed, please email jennifer.stamper@fmec.net.

October 13-15, 2023: FMEC 2023 Annual Meeting, Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, RI

September 11-13, 2023: STFM Conference on Practice & Quality Improvement, St. Louis, MO

September 29 - October 1, 2023: Family Medicine Midwest Conference, NIU Conference Center, Naperville, IL

October 13-15, 2023: FMEC 2023 Annual Meeting, Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, RI

October 26-30, 2023: AAFP FMX, Chicago, IL

September 19-21, 2024: FMEC 2024 Annual Meeting, Philadelphia Marriott, Philadelphia, PA