News in Brief: Professional Development Opportunities

This roundup includes the following professional development opportunities briefs:

Advance registration is now open for the AAFP's 2009 National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students.

The conference will be held July 30-Aug. 1 in Kansas City, Mo. This year's conference theme is "Health Policy: Building a Better Health Care System."

The event encompasses a variety of workshops, lectures, a leadership forum, social events, and access to the Exposition Hall and its more than 400 family medicine residency program and other exhibits.

Among featured speakers this year will be AAFP President Ted Epperly, M.D.; the 2009 AAFP Family Physician of the Year William Ellert, M.D.; and Gloria Wilder, M.D., M.P.H., president and CEO of Washington-based Core Health, a company that focuses on community wellness, social justice and economic development.

Ten U.S. medical schools were honored for contributing to the family medicine training pipeline during the 2009 Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, or STFM, spring conference April 30-May 3 in Denver.

Daniel Ostergaard, M.D., AAFP vice president of professional activities, presented STFM's "Top Ten Awards" to the schools in recognition of their exemplary performance in matching graduating medical school seniors into family medicine residency programs from 2005-2008.

Award recipients and the percentage of their graduates who chose to enter family medicine residencies are

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, or ACGME, is soliciting nominations for the inaugural David C. Leach, M.D., Award. (3-page PDF; About PDFs)

Named in honor of ACGME's former executive director, this annual award recognizes residents, fellows and resident/fellow teams (residents, fellows, faculty, program coordinators, allied health professionals, etc.) who have developed projects or activities that improve graduate medical education in one or more of the following areas:

Program directors or coordinators, teaching hospital CEOs, designated institutional officials, and ACGME residency review committee members may nominate individuals or teams for recognition. Nominations are due July 1. Five awards will be presented during the ACGME's annual educational conference in March 2010. E-mail or call Emily Vasiliou at (312) 755-7486 with questions or for more information.