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ACP­ASIM International Newsletter

Vol. 2 Summer 1999

Mission and Goals of The International Subcommittee

The mission of the International Subcommittee is to oversee ACP­ASIM's international activities and to ensure communication and/or interaction with members who reside outside the United States.

GOALS

  1. Review current ACP­ASIM international activities including membership services for non US members, sales of products and services abroad;
  2. Recommend courses and events for Annual Session pertaining to international issues and/or international members and guests;
  3. Review proposals for new international initiatives, and make recommendations to the Board of Regents concerning such proposals;
  4. Monitor performance of speakers chosen from the International Speakers Program who participate in meetings outside the US and Canada;
  5. Evaluate the College's relationship with affiliations that concern international membership and issues;
  6. Ensure that the International Office is used optimally to support the needs of the international members.

Note from the Chair of the International Subcommittee

The International Subcommittee launched an ambitious program for 1999-2000. Interest in the formation of new international chapters has increased and a committee of the Latin ACP-ASIM Governors has recommended that ACP-ASIM chapters be established in collaboration with the national societies of internal medicine in every country in South America. This subject was explored in depth at the International Panel held during the ACP-ASIM Annual Session in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Dr. Joseph Johnson, Senior Vice President for Membership, was elected President-Elect of the International Society of Internal Medicine (ISIM). Discussions are commencing on ways in which ACP-ASIM can increase its relationship with ISIM through closer collaboration.

Award-winning posters at ACP-ASIM international chapter meetings will be included in the first International Poster Competition at the ACP-ASIM Annual Session in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 13-16, 2000.

Finally, the ACP-ASIM Eurasian Medical Education Project has completed a very successful first year developing educational programs in four Russian cities on tuberculosis, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. College educators who participated in the program included Faith T. Fitzgerald, MACP; Peter O. Schumacher, FACP; Henry Greenberg, FACP; John Bernardo, MD; Richard G. Farmer, MACP; Edward J. Burger, MD; and John Noble, FACP.

The combination of state-of-the-art updates, epidemiological and disease-control training has formed the continuing medical education taught to 400 Russian physicians. The International Activities Subcommittee is hoping to introduce these curricula into other international areas as well.

Eurasian Medical Education Project

Dr. Edward J. Burger, President of the Institute of Health Policy Analysis, is Director of the Eurasian Medical Education Project (EMEP). Dr. Richard G. Farmer, MACP, is Medical Director of the program, and Dr. John Noble, FACP, Chair of the International Subcommittee and a former ACP-ASIM Regent, is the Coordinator of the program. The program is located in four cities throughout Russia. Five "Train-the-Trainer" courses have been conducted to date. Hypertension has been introduced in Tula and Khabarovsk, tuberculosis in Kazan, and diabetes and hypertension in Yekaterinburg.

These programs have all been very successful. In Kazan, the curriculum has been designed around an epidemiological disease control model. Train-the-Trainer sessions will actually be conducted in the four regions of the state of Tatarstan, where there is the greatest concentration of tuberculosis cases. Plans are presently being made to collaborate with the CDC in this program.

In Khabarovsk, a regional hypertension control project has been developed by Russian counterparts. This program will be piloted in one of the large polyclinics and then extended to the other six major cities in Khabarovsk Krai, which is one of the largest regions in Russia, running along the eastern coast between Korea and the Kamchutka peninsula. A collaboration is being established with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which has conducted a series of hypertension-related programs in Russia over the past 30 years.

Dr. Noble participated in a Primary Care Working Group sponsored by the Ministry of Health as part of the Gore-Primakov conferences. The ACP­ASIM Eurasian Medical Education Project was extremely well received at the conference. Data were gathered from the project sites for inclusion in the Gore-Primakov meeting, which took place in Washington, DC in March 1999.

The Institute of Health Policy Analysis and the ACP­ASIM recently received a $2.1 million US grant from the William H. Gates Foundation to support the project in the area of tuberculosis in the Russian Federation.

Around the World with ACP­ASIM

The College has members on virtually every continent in the world. Here are just a few countries that have a large number of members:

Latin America
Argentina 22
Brazil 156
Chile 114
Colombia 43
Mexico 267
Panama 59
Peru 20
Venezuela 197
 Asia
Hong Kong 27
Japan 164
Singapore 25
 Middle East/Africa
Egypt 27
India 43
Pakistan 38
Saudi Arabia 122
South Africa 16
 Europe
England 77
Ireland 35
Scotland 21

Do you live in a country where there is an ACP-ASIM Governor?

The College currently has 11 Governors who represent regions/chapters outside the United States. Below is a list:

Latin America

Canada

International Networking Reception at Annual Session 1999

Photograph of William J. Hall, FACP (Chair, Membership Committee); Sara E. Walker, MACP (Regent); Lisa M. Landrum (International Administrator); Rodolfo Armas Merino, FACP (ACP­ASIM Governor for Chile); and John Noble, FACP (Chair, International Subcommittee) at the International Networking Reception at Annual Session, April 23, 1999.

Dr. Noble moderated the Distinguished Lecture, "ACP­ASIM Eurasian Medical Education Project: Evolving Models for Continuing Medical Education," which was held April 22, 1999 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and attended by physicians from approximately a dozen different countries.

The International Panel "Creating International Affiliations, Collaborations, and Chapters: Perspectives from South America, Subspecialties, the International Society of Internal Medicine and USAID" was held on Friday, April 23, 1999 in the Convention Center and was very well attended.

International Poster Session Annual Session 2000, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The College is pleased to announce that it will co-sponsor with the International Society of Internal Medicine the first annual International Poster Competition at the ACP­ASIM Annual Session scheduled for April 13-16, 2000 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

College Donates Educational Materials to Developing Countries

Over the past three years, the College has donated educational materials to countries in Eastern Europe, Vietnam and Bhutan. In each case, organizations in the respective countries funded the shipping of the materials. If your country is interested in obtaining donated materials and can pay for all shipping costs, please contact Lisa Landrum, International Administrator, at 215-351-2759 or via e-mail at: llandrum@acponline.org

Who's Who in the ACP­ASIM and in the International Office

Whitney W. Addington, MD, FACP
President

Walter J. McDonald, MD, FACP
Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer

John Tooker, MD, FACP
Deputy Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Alan R. Nelson, MD, FACP
Associate Executive Vice President

International Office

Joseph E. Johnson III, MD, FACP
Senior Vice President for Membership and
Special Advisor to the Executive Vice President
President-elect, International Society of Internal Medicine

Eve C. Swiacki
Director, Membership and International Activities

Lisa M. Landrum
International Administrator

Cecilia Castillo
Administrative Representative

Tips for Advancement to Fellowship

Candidates must be certified in internal medicine or one of its subspecialties.

  • Have been a Member of ACP or ASIM in good standing for 2 years and in practice or in an academic position for at least 2 years since completion of training.
  • Have an active medical license in good standing (if in clinical practice).
  • Have confined his or her professional activity to internal medicine or a subspecialty of internal medicine.
  • Be proposed and seconded by two current Masters or Fellows, both of whom must write detailed letters of support for the candidate, outlining professional contributions and accomplishments.
  • Be endorsed by the appropriate ACP­ASIM Governor if in a region of the ACP­ASIM.
  • Have shown continuing scholarship and professional accomplishments.
  • Document continuing professional activities, including teaching, both institutional and community-based; hospital committee work; and public service and community activities, especially the voluntary provision of medical care; as well as participation in continuing medical education activities as both teacher and student.

Tell Us What You Think

We are interested in your reaction to this first edition of the ACP­ASIM International Newsletter. Please let us know by October 1, 1999 by sending your brief comments to Lisa Landrum, International Administrator via fax 215-351-2759 or via email at: llandrum@acponline.org

Moved?

Please contact ACP­ASIM Headquarters at
190 N. Independence Mall West
Philadelphia, PA 19106-1572
with your new information.

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