#ACGME2025: Learning, Networking, and Celebrating Global GME
Attendees from 19 countries, representing most ACGME-I-accredited Sponsoring Institutions, joined thousands of their graduate medical education (GME) colleagues for three days of learning, sharing, networking, and collaborating at the 2025 ACGME Annual Educational Conference, held on 20-22 February 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee, US. With a record attendance exceeding 5,000, attendees made the most of many educational sessions and networking opportunities, both formal and informal.
Learning at #ACGME2025
Conference attendees selected from more than 130 educations sessions, including four Featured Plenaries and six Full-Day Courses; Two powerful keynote presentations also captivated the audience. The new President and Chief Executive Officer of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), Debra F. Weinstein, MD, who is also the Chair of ACGME-I’s Board of Directors, delivered her first President’s Plenary, and notably thanked the international attendees.
ACGME-I presented its annual “Update on International Accreditation from the ACGME-I Team” session, discussing not just accreditation decisions from the current academic year, but also key data gathered from accredited Sponsoring Institutions, programs, faculty members, and learners. New and renewed initiatives were also previewed for the capacity audience.
ACGME-I Associate Executive Director William Hart focused on data from the current and previous academic years, breaking down results from the Annual Review of programs in detail.
Both new Review Committees-International Chairs – Sawsan Abdel-Razig, MD, MEHP (Medicine-Based) and Paula Termuhlen, MD, FACS (Surgical/Hospital-Based) – delivered updates from their committees, sharing useful information on how their reviews are conducted and pointing out common issues faced by programs. The Chairs also gave a two-part talk on how to amplify the voices of both faculty members and learners in the GME environment.
Finally, ACGME-I Executive Director Lorraine Lewis, EdD focused on various ACGME-I initiatives launched over the past year designed to build community within the ACGME-I ecosystem. She also previewed next steps in promoting opportunities to network and collaborate across multiple spaces within that ecosystem.
A recording of this session will be available on ACGME-I’s digital learning platform, Explore, in the coming weeks.
Dr. Lewis also presented a segment at the Full-Day Course for program directors, offering tips on international accreditation applications and how to avoid common pitfalls.
A session entitled “Enhancing Physician Competency: Education and Training Amid Global Health Workforce Mobility Challenges,” organized by ACGME Global Services, discussed the myriad issues that arise from movement of the health workforce across borders, from ethical concerns relating to “brain drain” to properly assessing the ability to practice.
Topics across the spectrum of GME were covered in the many concurrent educational sessions, ranging from finance to well-being, artificial intelligence to remediation, international medical graduates to expanding GME in rural and underserved areas, and more.
One notable educational session was “Implementing a Contextual Well-Being Program in a New Academic Health Care System,” presented by a team from Dubai Health, who discussed how they created a comprehensive and locally contextualized well-being program in a newly integrated academic health care system.
Networking at #ACGME2025
Opportunities to grow one’s network at the largest annual gathering of GME professionals in the world are numerous, from conversations carried over from educational sessions or serendipitous meetings at a refreshment station.
The annual International Reception brought attendees from all over the world together for a relaxing opportunity to network with their global peers. Attendees also had the chance to meet and chat with ACGME-I and ACGME leadership, helping to create a positive and energetic vibe throughout the evening and conference.
Prior to the reception, ACGME-I hosted its second annual meeting of international GME researchers. This session brought attendees from over a dozen countries together to discuss their research and foster cross-border collaboration for future research and innovation projects. Further details on follow-up from this meeting will be coming soon.
ACGME-I and its partner ACGME Global Services hosted a joint booth at the ACGME Hub in the conference’s Exhibit Hall. Leaders and staff members from both entities answered attendees’ questions and engaged in conversations about current and future collaborations.
Beyond the conference, to the ACGME-I team is available to answer questions and discuss collaboration opportunities. Those based outside of the US and exploring ACGME-I accreditation, or US-based designated institutional officials curious about collaborating with institutions outside of the US are invited to reach out at any time.
Celebrating at #ACGME2025
Recipients of the 2025 ACGME International Awards were celebrated at a dinner with their ACGME counterparts on the evening of 20 February. Awardees Sawsan Abdel-Razig, MD, MEHP (Physician Leader Award), Fritz Verly Vernet, MD (Physician Educator Award), and Ziyana AlKhusaibi (Staff Award) were recognized for their service to international GME. Learn more about the 2025 awardees and read their individual Q and A features.
Three full days of learning, sharing, and networking concluded with the traditional “Toast on the Terrace with ACGME Leadership.” The countdown has officially begun for #ACGME2026, to be held in San Diego, California, US on 19-21 February, 2026 at the San Diego Convention Center and Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina!