In this edition:
- Message from the Chair
- 2024 CFAS-GRA-ORR Spring Meeting Summary
- Inaugural CFAS Awards
- Update on Committees
- CFAS Society Profile: American Association of Chairs of Departments of Psychiatry (AACDP)
- Updated Directory of CFAS Reps and Society Members
Message from the Chair
Dear CFAS Colleagues,
It was a pleasure to see many of you at the joint CFAS – GRA – ORR Spring Meeting in Arlington last month. The event marked the first-ever meeting of these three groups, and it was a resounding success. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the highlights of our time together and share some important updates.
The programming at the meeting was diverse and energizing, exploring the overlap between faculty work, medical student and resident education and training, and how we can address the obstacles and inefficiencies we all face. One of the standout sessions explored the rise of digital health and the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI). Academic medical centers are uniquely positioned as the training grounds for emerging physicians and the birthplace of clinical innovation. How we support our members as they navigate the implementation of AI in clinical practice and education is crucial. Additionally, I was inspired by the stories of Black women physicians finding their voice and enhancing their impact, as well as discussions on creating and maintaining safe, violence-free workplaces in academic health centers.
In reflecting on the meeting, three key themes stand out: the continuity of our students’ journey from medical school to residency to faculty roles, the optimism and positive energy generated by our collective efforts, and our embrace of innovation, including AI, as a means to advance medical education and research.
Personally, it was an honor for me to moderate the closing plenary alongside Dr. Holden Thorpe, the editor of Science, and Dr. Andrea Anderson, an expert on medical misinformation. We discussed how all of us balance the integrity of information with our need to productively connect and share information with our patients, neighbors, relatives, and our own colleagues. I want to thank all of you who asked insightful questions and engaged throughout the session and the meeting overall.
Whether you were able to attend the meeting in person or not, I encourage you to review the resources available on the CFAS website. You’ll find two PowerPoint summaries that provide comprehensive information about the meeting. In the past, we used to provide a long, detailed summary alone, but a couple of years ago, I suggested to the CFAS staff that they develop an abbreviated summary – so both are there for you. Your feedback on these resources is invaluable as we continue to improve.
During the meeting, we heard from AAMC President and CEO Dr. David Scorton during a leadership plenary session, who will continue the conversation with us on May 23, 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET, in our next CFAS Connects session. These online events benefit from your engagement, so please spend a few minutes thinking about the state of faculty in academic medicine or things you see unfolding in society at large that we in medical education, research, and patient care. I know how much Dr. Skorton values your voice as faculty – and I urge you to participate in this open conversation. It is perhaps the single greatest thing you can do toward having impact as a CFAS representative. I am excited to continue the journey with all of you and look forward to your contributions.
Nita Ahuja, MD
CFAS Chair
Yale School of Medicine
2024 CFAS-GRA-ORR Spring Meeting Summary
The 2024 CFAS-GRA-ORR Spring Meeting concluded April 4th and provided CFAS reps with a unique opportunity to network with faculty affairs staff and residents to holistically address the common issues facing learners and faculty in today’s quickly changing landscape of academic medicine. Summary materials for the spring meeting, including a longer version and an abbreviated version, are available for download on the CFAS Resources webpage. These files are available as editable PowerPoint files that you can customize or modify to emphasize key elements for your audience at either your school or society. We encourage you to adapt these presentations as needed if you would like to share information from the meeting.
Inaugural CFAS Awards
At this year’s spring meeting, a new CFAS tradition was established: Johnathan Constance, MD, and Tracey Weiler, PhD, received the first CFAS Awards.
Dr. Constance was awarded the inaugural CFAS Rising Star Award for connecting faculty and leaders within CFAS, exemplified by the programming and networking opportunities that made the previous CFAS Spring Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, such a success.
Dr. Weiler was awarded the CFAS Bright Light Award for creative contributions to CFAS, including authorship of two CFAS publications on gender equity in academic medicine.
Dr. Constance represents the American College of Clinical Pharmacology (ACCP) and Dr. Weiler represents the Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics (APHMG).
If there are CFAS reps who you would like to nominate for future awards, please email Eric Weissman at eweissman@aamc.org. We look forward to continuing this tradition at future CFAS Spring Meetings!
Update on Committees
As a reminder, all seven of topical/thematic CFAS committees are open to any CFAS rep and affiliate who is interested in being part of the ongoing conversation. We encourage you to email the committee chairs listed below to express any interest you may have in getting involved in specific projects and initiatives in CFAS. Many of the committees are actively engaged in ongoing projects including developing manuscripts for publication and other initiatives, but they additionally provide a space for discussion and knowledge sharing on some of the key issues faculty in academic medicine routinely face.
- Advocacy Committee – chaired by Deanna Sasaki-Adams, MD
- Biomedical Research and Training Committee – chaired by Neil Osheroff, PhD
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee – chaired by Monica Baskin, PhD
- Engagement Committee – chaired by Kimberly Lumpkins, MD
- Mission Alignment Committee – chaired by Stewart Babbott, MD
- Faculty as Medical Educators Committee – chaired by Lily Belfi, MD
- Faculty and Organizational Well-being Committee – chaired by Cathy Pipas, MD
The only committees that require an appointment to attend are the two CFAS structural committees: the Program Committee, chaired by CFAS Chair-elect Arthur Derse, MD, JD, and the Nominating Committee, chaired by CFAS Immediate Past Chair Adi Haramti, PhD.
At an upcoming CFAS Administrative Board meeting in June, CFAS leadership will explore elements of our committee structure and operation in an effort to make them more accessible and focused on the work they accomplish. Much more information will be coming on that – but in the meantime, every CFAS representative should know that they are free to be engaged in any of the topical committees that are of interest to them.
CFAS Society Profile: American Association of Chairs of Departments of Psychiatry (AACDP)
A conversation with CFAS rep for AACDP Ondria Gleason, MD, who serves as professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine.
CFAS: What are some benefits of membership in AACDP?
Dr. Gleason: Networking with other psychiatry department chairs! These individuals understand each other’s day to day issues the best, and in discussing the issues and hearing others’ experiences, insight is gained. Friendships are also developed. Also, being active in the organization helps one stay abreast of changes/trends across the country that affect departments of psychiatry. Our organization also collaborates with other organizations such as the American Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training (AADPRT), the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (ADMSEP), Association of Academic Psychiatry (AAP) and the APA.
CFAS: What are the important issues facing chairs of departments of psychiatry today?
Dr. Gleason: Faculty recruitment, retention and wellness have become prominent issues. Funding for academic psychiatry is a longstanding issue. Balancing clinical and academic work along with increasing administrative burdens is a growing challenge.
CFAS: What are some recent trends in psychiatry?
Dr. Gleason: Interventional psychiatry is a newer term that emphasizes our expanding treatment modalities beyond medication and psychotherapy. Interventional psychiatry includes treatments for treatment resistant depression such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, vagal nerve stimulation and intranasal ketamine therapy. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a very effective treatment for severe psychiatric conditions such as psychotic depression and catatonia. ECT has been around for a long time, but also falls in the category of interventional psychiatry, as does light therapy, which is a valid treatment for seasonal affective disorder.
CFAS: How could CFAS and AACDP work together and partner on topics of mutual interest?
Dr. Gleason: The AAMC has extensive resources in terms of advocacy and keeping up with medical practice and billing laws. Working together in this area would be beneficial. I recently reached out to the AAMC with a question regarding regulations around supervision requirements of resident physicians providing virtual patient care. The AAMC had an answer for me within a couple of hours. I was amazed! And appreciative, and I used the information immediately.
Sara Stramel Brewer, executive director of AACDP, also discussed some of AACDP's main advocacy issues: "A major AACDP focus is the looming shortage of 250,000 mental health professionals, including 14,000-31,000 psychiatrists by 2025. In the fall of 2023, we held an advocacy day on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC where our members met with more than 40 lawmakers in both chambers."
During the advocacy day, AACDP addressed two specific bills:
- REDI (Resident Education Deferred Interest) Act (H.R.1202/S.704)
- Interest-free deferment on student loans while in a medical or dental internship or residency program
- Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act (S.462)
- Substance use disorder treatment provider loan forgiveness for practicing in shortage areas
Updated Directory of CFAS Reps and Society Members
The AAMC has recently made updates to its public member directory that change how CFAS reps can look up fellow CFAS reps and academic society members. Here are the instructions for accessing the new directory:
- Visit https://myengagement.aamc.org/my-aamc-affinity-groups
- Sign in with your username and password
- Click “Search My Groups” in upper right
- In the “Group” field, select “Council of Faculty and Academic Societies (CFAS)”
- Click “Search” for the entire CFAS roster, or refine your search further as needed
Tell Us How You’re Doing
Please keep the lines of communication open so we can provide you with the resources and information that would be most useful. It is helpful for the AAMC to understand in detail what is happening on the ground at the medical schools, teaching hospitals, and academic societies we serve. Please email Eric at eweissman@aamc.org, or call directly at 301-437-2572 with updates or feedback from your perspective. You can also reach out with questions or comments to CFAS Communications Specialist Alex Bolt.
If you are looking for information about CFAS, find what you need on our website, from the names of CFAS leaders, to updates on committee and working group initiatives, to upcoming offerings and meetings, and finally, current and previous editions of CFAS News.
Do you have an article or study coming out? A new promotion or professional accomplishment? Let us know and we'll feature it in an upcoming edition of the CFAS Rep Bulletin.