On behalf of the 32 members of SGIM’s 2020 Annual Meeting Planning Committee, we are thrilled to share our vision and progress for what will be a truly unique gathering in Birmingham, Alabama, May 6-9 to showcase how general internists are leading many of the latest innovations in health outcomes.
This year’s theme—“Just Care: Addressing the Social Determinants for Better Health”—reflects the Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention for the Dept of Health and Human Services and its definition of social determinants of health as factors such as “family, community, income, education, sex, race/ethnicity, place of residence, and access to health care”1 that substantially impact the likelihood of health or disease among individuals and populations. In addition to assessing and monitoring the status of these across the country, research and implementation of specific poli-cies, programs, and educational initiatives are needed to improve overall health status of Americans and impact the ability to achieve optimal medical outcomes. Our meeting theme and annual meeting programming directly relate to SGIM’s mission to cultivate innovative educators, researchers, and clinicians in academic general internal medicine to lead the way to better health for everyone.
In Birmingham, home of The University of Alabama at Birmingham—one of America’s leading academic health centers—we will explore the many ways physicians can improve the health of our patients and communities. Birmingham provides an incredible opportunity for our members to bridge the theme from last year’s annual meeting, “Courage to Lead,” to this year’s “Just Care.” The legacy of the civil rights movement is palpable in this great southern city and Birmingham serves as an indelible focal point for change and a powerful indicator of how well we are progressing in medicine’s efforts to promote progress, healing, and health.
Before the 2019 Annual Meeting concluded, the 2020 Planning Committee began working to craft an innovative program that continues many exciting features of past meetings while introducing new daily themes to em- phasize the most critical aspects of the 2020 meeting and showcase our unique meeting location and its history.
Wednesday, May 6th: we will offer perhaps one of the most highly requested precourses ever focused on Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS). Led by Drs. Mike Wagner and Robert Smola with additional expert faculty, the precourse will provide ample opportunity for first- hand application of cutting-edge equipment along with expertly led clinical correlation and discussion of imple- mentation in clinical and educational settings.
Thursday, May 7th: our focus will be on civil rights and health. Dr. Eliseo Perez-Stable, director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Disparities, will be our featured plenary speaker and set the stage for an exploration of structural elements of health and disparity.
In addition to the outstanding updates, work- shops, abstracts, and vignettes that will be presented on Thursday, we will cap off the evening with a truly special civil rights symposium at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (https://www.bcri.org/) adjacent to the historic 16th Street Baptist Church. Dr. Raegan Durant will facil- itate a special panel of guest speakers who will highlight the past, present, and future of civil rights followed by a reception and opportunity to tour the museum. This will be a ticketed event and seating will be limited so you will want to sign up early!
Friday, May 8th: we will focus on women’s health. We are very excited to feature Dr. Leana Wen, former Baltimore Heath Commissioner and CEO of Planned Parenthood, as our Peterson lecturer. The evening will feature a presentation of the first episode of the Alfred I. du Pont-Columbia award-winning documentary series, Unnatural Causes, followed by a discussion moderated by Drs. Amy Weill and Etsemaye Agonafer. The one- hour film, In Sickness and In Wealth, presents a highly personal and powerful overview of how the social conditions of our lives help to determine our health status and ways in which some cities and towns are working to address these issues.
Saturday, May 9th: we will focus on public policy, change, and prog- ress. Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, vice dean for population health and health equity at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and chair of the National Academy of Medicine’s Committee focused on social determinants of health and their impact on healthcare delivery, will present highlights from the Academy’s recent report, “Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation’s Health,” followed by a moderated discussion with Drs. Karen DeSalvo, SGIM President, and Barbara Jones, chair of the Department of Social Work at Dell Medical School. This presentation will energize our mem- bership and provide a much-anticipated capstone experience.
This will be an amazing meeting with incredible learning, inspiring discussion and shared commitment in Birmingham 2020. We can’t wait to see you there!