By now the dates should already be saved and hopefully you’re registering or in the process of registering for the 2020 ACGME Annual Educational Conference. With a theme of Meaning in Medicine: Compassion and Connection, 145 sessions, 300+ speakers, and numerous networking and learning opportunities, we want to be sure to highlight key must-attend sessions. Two of these are the Marvin R. Dunn Keynote Address on Friday and the new Closing Plenary on Saturday afternoon.
2020 Marvin R. Dunn Keynote Address: What the Eyes Don’t See
In a Fireside Chat setting, ACGME President and CEO Dr. Thomas J. Nasca will speak with Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the pediatrician, professor, and public health advocate who led a national effort to publicize and fix the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
As a pediatric residency director in the summer of 2015, Dr. Hanna-Attisha was busy welcoming new residents, triaging resident and faculty member concerns, anticipating ERAS applications, and caring for patients. That all upended when she learned that a change in the city’s water source resulted in lead leaching into the drinking water. The astronomical levels of lead in the water terrified her, and she was shocked that the government ignored complaints, protests, and reports from citizens, journalists, and experts. She knew the only way to protect her patients would be to present undeniable proof on a national platform.
In a tremendous act of bravery, Dr. Hanna-Attisha held a press conference where she revealed her team’s findings before they were peer-reviewed, prioritizing the health of her community over the risk to her career. Dr. Mona faced a brutal backlash, but her persistence paid off: the city switched the water back to its original source and President Obama declared a federal emergency. She has since been called to testify twice before the US Congress, was awarded the Freedom of Expression Courage Award by PEN America, and was named one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.”
A passionate activist, Dr. Hanna-Attisha created the Michigan State University and Hurley Children's Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative to mitigate the impact of the Flint water crisis. As founder and director of this organization, she combines community and clinical programs, childhood health policy and advocacy, robust evaluation, and ongoing medical training to give children a better chance at future success.
Her powerful book, What the Eyes Don’t See, will be available in the new Exhibit Hall bookstore, and Dr. Hanna-Attisha will hold a book signing following the Keynote plenary.
New Closing Plenary: Towards High Performance Medicine with Deep EmpathyAddressing one of the most current technologies impacting future medicine, Dr. Eric Topol will present the conference’s Closing Plenary on the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, technology, and empathic, meaningful patient care.
Dr. Topol's is the founder and Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, professor of molecular medicine, and Executive Vice-President of Scripps Research. As a researcher, he has published over 1,200 peer-reviewed articles, with more than 250,000 citations, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, and is one of the top 10 most cited researchers in medicine. His principal scientific focus has been on genomic and digital tools to individualize medicine.
In 2016, Dr. Topol was awarded a $207M grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to lead a significant part of the Precision Medicine (All of Us) initiative, a prospective research program enrolling one million diverse participants in the US. This is in addition to his role as principal investigator for a flagship $35M NIH grant to promote innovation in medicine. Prior to coming to Scripps in 2007, he led the Cleveland Clinic to become the #1 center for heart care, and was the founder of a new medical school there. He has been voted as the #1 Most Influential Physician Leader in the United States in a national poll conducted by Modern Healthcare.
Dr. Topol three bestselling books on the future of medicine: The Creative Destruction of Medicine, The Patient Will See You Now, and Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again, will be on sale in the Exhibit Hall bookstore, and Dr. Topol will hold a book signing following his session.
Stay tuned for more highlights and previews of exciting speakers and opportunities at #ACGME2020 here on the ACGME Blog! Learn more about the 2020 Annual Educational Conference and register today by clicking here! Be sure to take advantage of the Early Bird registration discount by registering before January 3!