AMA policy review, educational sessions and networking opportunities with academic physician colleagues were all included as parts of the Academic Physicians Section (APS) virtual meeting on Nov. 7.

Approximately 65 participants—comprising deans and faculty from a wide range of medical schools, graduate medical education programs and academic health systems nationwide—voiced their opinions and reached decisions on recommendations for more than 10 reports and resolutions to be acted upon by delegates at the November 2020 Special Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD), Nov. 13-17.

Alma B. Littles, MD, APS delegate, led the discussion of these reports and resolutions, and will represent the APS during the HOD meeting.

The APS Governing Council authored two of the resolutions that were discussed and then approved by the APS for subsequent consideration and then action by the HOD:

• Resolution 307, USMLE Step examination failures during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Resolution 406, Face masking in hospitals during flu season

The APS-approved resolutions and positions on proposed AMA policy will be forwarded to the applicable AMA reference committees, for their consideration and action during the AMA meeting.

The continuing medical education component of the meeting, “Impacts on the medical education ‘supply chain’ in the residency program application and selection process,” considered various impacts of the current pandemic upon the processes critical to moving students and residents through steps in the educational continuum, such as matching to a residency and completing licensure examinations.

Faculty for the session were:

• James Docherty, DO, MS, MS, PGY-1 resident physician, family medicine, UHS-Wilson Medical Center
• Michael Barone, MD, vice president, Licensure Programs, National Board of Medical Examiners
• Donna Lamb, DHSc, MBA, BSN, president and CEO, National Resident Matching Program

In addition:

• Niranjan “Bonki” Rao, MD, chair of the Council on Medical Education nominations committee, presented on opportunities for service on national medical education organizations (PDF).
• Susan Skochelak, MD, MPH, the AMA’s chief academic officer, updated APS members on the ongoing work of the AMA’s Accelerating Change in Medical Education initiative.

The APS meeting was led by APS chair Gary M. Gaddis, MD, PhD. Reflecting on the November 2020 meeting, Dr. Gaddis noted:

“Despite the exigencies of holding a virtual rather than live meeting, attendees and participants alike enjoyed the opportunity to meet and take action on important AMA issues related to medical education and the interests of academic physicians. We hope that the next APS meeting, June 11-12, 2021, will be face-to-face, but we have shown that we are ‘virtually’ capable of accomplishing our business and keeping the AMA moving forward.”