Texas Chapter of the American College of Physicians Annual Meeting Highlights

Nicole Abbott BPR, Cynthia Jumper MD, MPH, Drew Payne DO

Corresponding author: Drew Payne
Contact Information: Drew.payne@ttuhsc.edu

More than 450 members attended the 2019 Texas Chapter of the American College of Physicians Annual Meeting, held in San Antonio, Texas, in October. The educational program offered clinical updates for the internist, sessions focused on wellness, outpatient and inpatient medicine, and breakouts for residents and students.

Educational pre-course sessions offered ABIM SEP Modules, including Updates in Internal Medicine, Updates in Hospital Medicine, and a Point-of-Care Ultrasound Session workshop. Sessions included updates in cardiology, new antibiotics and adult vaccines, pain management, lifestyle medicine, medical errors, Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, diabetes updates, testosterone replacement therapy, immune based therapies for cancer, and obesity management.

An Advocacy Update from the college was presented by Bob Doherty, ACP Senior Vice President, Governmental Affairs and Public Policy. A workgroup session for early career physicians and residents focused on Healthcare Advocacy and the physician’s role in sharing stories.

Wellness highlights included sessions focused on sharing and developing best practices for wellness at work, an annual fun run, family friendly events, including a S’mores Reception for families, and a unique presentation by Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor, MD, MPH, FACP, NASA Astronaut, Flight Engineer, Expedition 56/57, who shared insights from her experience aboard the International Space Station and then signed autographs and took photos with members and their families.

Members shared stories of Resilience in Medicine in the chapter’s first Story Slam, and the Annual Doctor’s Dilemma competition hosted 20 teams from across the state competing for a spot in the National ACP Competition. A total of 120 residents’ abstracts were presented as posters, oral presentations, or non-competition posters in the categories of Clinical Vignette, Research, and Quality Improvement. A total of 55 medical students presented Clinical Vignette abstracts at the meeting.

For more than 100 years, ACP has been the professional home for internists and, later, subspecialists involved in the science and practice of medicine in primary care. The Annual Chapter Meeting continues to provide an opportunity for members to connect with colleagues, sharing expertise and experience in a program that honors the past, present, and future of internal medicine in Texas.