Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not be able to hold the SGIM Annual Meeting that was scheduled for May 6-9, 2020, in Birmingham, Alabama. Government restrictions are ongoing and escalating, COVID-19 is a national emergency, and the Alabama Department of Public Health just issued an order for Jefferson County banning gatherings of 25 people or more, following the CDC meeting recommendations. In addition, federal, state, and local governments, as well as employers/institutions, are continuing to restrict and ban meetings and travel.
In this crisis, the safety and well-being of our members, staff, and communities are at the forefront of our minds, and we recognize the vital role of our members and potential attendees on the front lines of care in their communities. SGIM appreciates your work, and we want to support you in your efforts.
We have prepared responses to anticipated questions on our FAQ page. For those who already paid for the meeting registration, we are working on how to facilitate refunds. We plan to offer people the options of a full refund or to credit payment toward next year’s meeting. Please use this form to request your refund and allow us 60 days for processing requests for funds according to your original method of payment. We are exploring ideas for virtual presentations of some meeting content, and possible awards for those presentations, and will update you as information becomes available.
SGIM is, and has always been, a community. We are a community of physicians, educators, learners, and friends. This is the time for us to come together for renewed strength and support during this crisis. SGIM resources like our GIM Connect community are being used to share late-breaking tools and can help you network with your peers to find best practices as we all seek to serve our patients and communities during this awful pandemic.
SGIM’s mission is to cultivate innovative educators, researchers, and clinicians in general internal medicine, leading the way to better health for everyone. We thank you for everything you do each day in support of SGIM’s mission and your community.