How does SGIM plan to adapt essential educational programs to our new learning, mentoring, and networking environments for our regional meetings?

SGIM is working with the Board of Regional Leaders (BRL) to reimagine how to implement virtual learning with an interactive component. We recognize that SGIM members value the opportunity to present their scholarly work while also maintaining live interactions with colleagues and trainees. The spontaneous interactions that happen while talking beside a poster or sitting at a table during a workshop are challenging to replicate, but SGIM’s regional presidents are working hard to provide virtual spaces for similar interactions to happen at the upcoming fall and winter regional meetings. Each regional meeting will generally take place virtually over two days, usually in one 4-5 hour segment per day. Attendees can expect plenary sessions and oral presentations for scientific abstracts, clinical vignettes, and innovations with interactive moderation and audience participation in question and answer sessions. Poster sessions will be held with time to listen to short prerecorded summaries followed by live interaction with poster presenters. The goal of these sessions is to bring attendees together to facilitate live interaction and thus networking and mentoring opportunities.

What opportunities for innovation do these new  environments offer for SGIM member engagement?

Virtual regional meetings will allow for more participants to engage with attendees around the region without paying for travel. Submission and attendance costs will be kept low to allow for greater participation of medical students, residents, fellows, and junior faculty, recognizing the financial strain of the current environment. Some regions have chosen to partner to share costs and plenary speakers while still maintaining oral, poster and networking sessions unique to their region. Over half the regions plan to implement virtual workshops using breakout rooms for live small group learning. Other regions are also experimenting with live teaching competitions and mentoring happy hour sessions. Regions look forward to the participation of SGIM members and trainees at the following meetings (see https://www.sgim.org/meetings/regional-meetings):

• October 22-23, 2020—Midwest Virtual meeting
• November 6-7, 2020—Mountain West and New England Virtual Meeting
• November 13, 2020—Mid-Atlantic Virtual Meeting
• January 22-23, 2021—Northwest and California/Hawaii Virtual Meeting
• February 24-25, 2021—Southern Virtual Meeting