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In this Issue:
- Message from the Governor
- Internal Medicine Illinois Chapter Meeting 2022
- New Advocacy Resources Now Available to ACP Chapters and Members
Anne Furey Schultz, MD, FACP , ACP Governor, Illinois Northern
Message from the Governor
“At the end of every week I like to share something true and useful, something I stumbled over that gave me a burst of optimism, something you can share with friends like an audio greeting card, something to help us all keep our eyes on what's working and what could be.”
Kelly Corrigan from Kelly Corrigan Wonders podcast
Dear ACP Friends,
I hope you are making the most of this beautiful summer.
Taking a tip from one of my favorite writers/podcasters, Kelly Corrigan, I thought I'd distill this summer's newsletter down to ten reasons to be optimistic from my last six months as your Governor. Shoot us an email if you would like to engage with us in any of these “bursts of optimism.” And thank you for the amazing work you do every day.
TOP TEN REASONS TO BE OPTIMISTIC IN A WORLD THAT KEEPS SERVING UP UNCERTAINTY: An Ode to ACP
1. This year's ACP Internal Medicine National Meeting was the first held in person since 2019 – and the first for Chicago since I was in med school. (No pressure there as host Governor...) For the welcome icebreaker, I quizzed our national and international colleagues on how to say Soldier Field, what not to put on a Chicago hotdog, and I made them solve a timeline of Chicago firsts from the table favors I brought. Watching ACP's EVP & CEO, Dr. Darilyn Moyer, jump out of her seat to be the first to try and solve the timeline - pure joy for us all. Illinois ACP inducted new Fellows and celebrated new Masters at the Convocation followed by a fabulous spread at the Illinois Reception on Thursday night. On Friday night we hosted the first ever joint ACP-SGIM Women in Medicine Story Slam. The courageous stories told that night inspired a whole new series this fall to be led by Dr. Aarati Didwania, Professor of Medicine at Northwestern, and Chair of ACP N-IL Awards Committee, called Microaggressions: Understanding What They are and Why They Are Harmful.
2. My 87-year old father, Dr. Warren Furey, MACP, WON ACP's National Story Slam. I will now and forever show up i-phone ready to video when I visit my parents on Saturday mornings.
3. A Michelin starred brewery proved to be a powerful innovation venue for our Program Directors and their Chiefs. I highly recommend meeting colleagues for excellent food and productive brainstorming sessions about what works and what doesn't. Look out Resident and Medical Student's Day, you will never be the same.
4. My family and I hosted our first ACP N-IL Council Meeting since I became Governor in April 2020 in person and in our backyard, and I learned I don't have to try so hard: golden retrievers make the best icebreakers. The Council and Committee Members discussed expanding ACP membership, International Medical Graduate (IMG) programming, and forming a new Subcommittee on Innovation. I re-connected with a beloved mentor who just finished a master's in medical history from the History of Medicine Department at Johns Hopkins, so mid to late career physicians, if a lecture series in this topic interests you, stay tuned!
5. I went back to my public policy roots and attended Leadership Day in Washington, DC - another “in person since the pandemic first”. After two days of training, we got our Strava steps in on Capitol Hill and shared our perspectives from our practices and from our patients with our representatives and senators. Look for testimonials from the outstanding team of Leadership Day participants on our website soon and join me next spring in D.C. I am hooked.
6. I continue to serve on ACP National's Medical Practice Quality Committee (MPQC) and am learning how ACP advocates for all of us working in the trenches of primary care on patient access, payment reform, coding, and documentation, particularly how ACP engages with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid. This is the dedicated group that lobbied for the Medicare Final Rule changes and makes recommendations to the Board of Governors. For me, the MPQC is the embodiment of what Adam Grant calls “the science of making work not suck.”
7. I learned Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken were right: I do need more cow bell. In June I hiked the Tour Mont Blanc Trail in the Alps with eight physician colleagues, our friendships forged or solidified through ACP. Six days. 56 miles - 16,000 feet up and 15,000 down. I play a video of the tinkling of the cowbells on repeat from my i-phone when I need a lift. Training in the second flattest state in the US did me no favors, but I'll be ready for the Dolomites with the same group of colleagues in 2024.
8. The Senate is sooo close to an agreement that will extend ACA subsidies, allow Medicare to (finally) negotiate prescription drug prices, cap out of pocket drug costs, reduce carbon pollution, and advance clean energy. Every month we seem to be getting better and better…
9. I received this email from Julia Devetski whom I have never met: “Hello it is with great sadness that I share the news that my father, Robert L. Devetski, MD, FACP, died in January of this year. As my family and I plan for his burial service in a few weeks, I wanted to inquire as to whether you might include his name in the In Memoriam section of the bulletin or any other feature that might showcase his being a Fellow in the ACP. I share his obituary with you here which features his photo from his induction ceremony in the early 1980s. He was very proud of his affiliation with ACP. Please take care and do share any info you believe would help us honor his legacy.” Julia – we just did. Thank you for sharing your wonderful father's life of love and service with us.
10. And finally: Do not let self-care slip. These are hard times, and vigilance is expensive to quote Kelly Corrigan again. Thank you, ACP colleagues, for the privilege and honor of serving as your Governor. Grateful for you and this ACP home.
Anne Furey Schultz M.D., F.A.C.P.
Governor, IL-N
Register Today - Internal Medicine Illinois Chapter Meeting 2022
October 7, 2022, 8:30am-3:30pm
The 2022 meeting will be held virtually with an optional in-person networking and watch party event in Springfield.
Highlights of the meeting include:
- Update in Clinical Ethics and Palliative Care
- Lightning Talks; Medical Care for LGBTQI Patients Panel
- ACP Policy Papers: Update
- One Health & Connecting Planetary Health to Human Health
Register Here
POSTER ABSTRACTS & ORAL CLINICAL VIGNETTE SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Friday, September 2 at 11:59pm
DOCTOR’S DILEMMA SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Friday, October 7, 2022 at 11:59pm
New Advocacy Resources Now Available to ACP Chapters and Members
Understanding Advocacy and Why We Do It - A Comprehensive Toolkit for Chapters
ACP has created an advocacy best practices toolkit to support engagement in and the efficacy of chapter-level advocacy at the state and federal level. This comprehensive toolkit breaks down the different methods and mediums for advocacy engagement and highlights all the programs and resources offered by ACP.
Reproductive Health Toolkit Now Updated
ACP's toolkit for chapters to utilize in navigating issues surrounding abortion rights and related policies in their states following the overturning of Roe v. Wade has been updated.
Are you a member of the Advocates for Internal Medicine Network (AIMn)? Learn more here