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Report - Students & Associates Program - All California Meeting

San Diego, October 17, 1999

Program Chair:
Maher A. Roman, MD, FACP

Chair, Poster Session:
Chester Choi, MD, FACP

Program Coordinators:
Carmelina Raffetto (All meeting coordinator, Northern California)
Kathy Hodge (Poster session coordinator, Southern California, Region I)
Heba Roman, MD (Volunteer, Southern California, Region II)
Natalie Kaczur (Host site coordinator, Southern California, Region III)

Program

  • Poster Session: 9-11 a.m. (42 abstract submissions were received, 32 posters were displayed)

    Judges:

    • Chester Choi, MD, FACP
    • Stanley Amundsen, MD
    • Douglas Hegstad, MD, FACP (Governor, Region II)
    • Raymond Wong, MD, FACP
    • Maher Roman, MD, FACP
  • Awards presentation: 12-12:15 p.m.

    Associates (4 Winners)

    • Russell Cucina MD, First Place, Clinical Vignette Category
      Stanford University, Program Director: Kelley Skeff
      "Cyclosporin-A encephalopathy in a cardiac transplant patient with therapeutic whole-blood cyclosporin levels"
    • Marc Arnush MD, First Place, Research Category
      Scripps - Mercy, Program Director: Stanley Amundson
      "IL-1 produced and released endogenously within human islets inhibits b cell function"
    • Gregory Engel MD, Second Place, Research Category
      Stanford University
      "Feasibility and reliability of early diagnosis of myocardial infarction"
    • David Norton MD, Second Place, Clinical Vignette Category
      Travis AFB, Program Director: Kathryn Amacher
      "Case presentation of a 66 year old female with clinically significant respiratory alkalosis secondary to progesterone use"

    Students (2 Winners)

    • Roger Seheult, Clinical Research Category (Medical Student)
      Loma Linda University, Clerkship Director: Raymond Wong
      "Students' perceptions regarding standardized patient (SP) exams"
    • Derek Helton, Clinical Vignette (Medical Student)
      Loma Linda University
      "A case of fulminant Vibrio Cholerae non-01, non-0139 primary septicemia in Southern California"

    In addition to nominal monetary awards and honorary certificates, the winners are automatically accepted for the national abstract competition at the ACP-ASIM meeting in Philadelphia, April 2000

  • Financial Planning Session/Luncheon: 12:15-1:30 p.m.

    Frank Lombano, MD, MBA
    Maury Sharifi, CPA, MBA
    Maher Roman, MD, FACP, Facilitator

    Rich Rojeck, CFP (Regional CEO for Sagemark consulting)
    John Finnegan (Vice President, Group Insurance Administrators for the ACP-ASIM)

    The workshop addressed issues related to investing, retirement planning including IRAs, 401K as well as estate planning and tax issues. Some key investment advice were emphasized like starting early (appreciating the time-value of money) and diversifying.

  • Panel Discussion "The Future of Internal Medicine: Servant or Master": 1:30-3:00 p.m.

    Clifford Fisher, MD (Associate, University of California, Davis)
    Morgan Waters, MD (Associate, University of California, Davis)
    Lalima Hoq, MD (Associate, Loma Linda University)
    Helme Silvet, MD (Associate, Loma Linda University)

    Faith Fitzgerald, MD, MACP, Facilitator

    This lively interactive panel discussion handled issues related to how young physicians view practice of medicine (and residency) in the new millenium like practice issues, employee status, academic careers, reimbursement, education and its fate, control of own destiny (balanced life, family time etc.).

    The discussion also handled some of the major issues of public good to which Internists should/must address themselves in the future like patients' right issues, population vs. individual patient (allocation of scarce resources), and new threats to public health. Even resident's life and in particular the sensitive issue of the long and stressful call hours.

  • Career Planning: 3:00-5:00 p.m.

    Patrick Molloy (National Career Consultant)

    This workshop handled issues related to career options, is managed care the only option? how to choose the right practice?, how to handle the interview?, the resume and the value of reading and negotiating the job contract

Suggested Ideas/Plans for Future Students and Associates Meetings

"The Students and the Associates are the future of the College and the future of Internal Medicine/Adult Medicine"

  1. It is important to include the medical students in the associates meetings at the local level.

    It is will be rewarding to our students, our College and our profession. It will be an appropriate opportunity to promote our profession; Internal Medicine/Adult Medicine to medical students. The students will have the great opportunity to mingle with our associates and colleagues.

  2. It is important to have an annual abstract/posters competition for the associates/students in each region and it is worth considering an annual statewide meeting.

    The abstract/poster competition needs to be an annual event that will encourage research and scholastic achievements. It will give the opportunity for two associates' winners and one student winner to be accepted for the national competition (according to the national abstract competition guidelines)

  3. It is valuable to include career planning and financial planning workshops in the associates and students meeting.

    These are practical topics that are needed to facilitate the transition from school and residency to real life. By doing this we will be filling a usual gap in the medical school and residency training.

  4. It is also worth considering to include a workshop about "Leadership Development"

    This workshop can target issues related to developing leadership among students and residents in general and in particular in relation to current issues (like those discussed during the panel discussion that was facilitated by Dr. Faith Fitzgerald during our meeting). In my view this is a very well needed area for all of us, current and future internists, if we are to be proactive about controlling our destiny and reclaiming our profession for our patient' sake and our own profession sake.

  5. It is mandatory that we utilize the new technology in reaching our students and residents, in addition to utilizing the traditional ways.

    As suggested by Dr. Hegstad and with the help of our ACP-ASIM Online professional staff we promoted our meeting on our ACP web site (via the California Chapter area). Indeed the abstract form was available on line. I hope that the associates' abstract form for the national meeting will become available on line too. It is also important to include the abstract form with the meeting brochure and take advantage of the fact that the brochure reaches a good number of students and residents.

Final Thoughts and Thank You Notes!

The success of our program was the result of a great deal of teamwork and collaboration between our four regions. It is an invaluable learning experience for all of us. There are too many people to think of, thank and recognize for making this meeting possible. Our visionary leaders, Dr. Faith Fitzgerald (Meeting Chair and Governor for Northern California), Dr. Douglas Hegstad (Governor, for Southern California, Region II), and the Chair of the posters competition, Dr. Chester Choi (Chair, Associates' Council, Southern California, Region I), provided an exemplary model for volunteerism, professionalism and leadership.

We are also thankful to our coordinators, sponsors and above all to our students and residents who participated in the event. If it were not for them "we would have had a big party without participants"; something Dr. Choi and myself were worried about during the preparation process. Fortunately, indeed it was a big party with many valuable and promising participants as realized from the quality of research work presented during the poster session and intelligent and stimulating discussions/points of view shared during the panel discussion.

It is only logic to build on its success and learn from it how we can further serve our students and associates, "They are the future of the College", as my Governor, Dr. Hegstad always says. Yes, indeed, they are.

Report prepared by:

Maher A. Roman, MD, FACP
drmar2000@aol.com

Photographs are attached.