I became involved with the Annual Conference Committee 8 years ago because of my interest in education. Being a founding member of the SHM Boston Chapter, I gained experience planning the quarterly local chapter meetings. As a clinical educator and hospitalist, I was involved in planning conferences for faculty at my hospital. I found I really enjoyed developing educational conferences and curriculum, so when I heard about the Annual Conference Committee, I thought it would be a perfect fit.
It’s been a great experience getting to know committee members from all over the country and hearing their thoughts about the annual conference. It’s always exciting to brainstorm topic ideas and think about what would interest conference attendees.
Describe your role as course director.
My job as course director is to challenge committee members to be as creative as possible and help focus the discussion around the needs of SHM members while keeping to a schedule. I led a team of 23 amazing committee members through the planning stages for HM18 this past summer. With the help of Brittany Evans, SHM’s Education and Meetings Project Manager, and Dustin Smith, MD, FHM, the cocourse director, the committee reviewed prior conference agendas and feedback from attendees and from other SHM committees. Using that information, we discussed, brainstormed, voted on, and planned this year’s clinical content talks, workshops, and many of the specialty tracks.
What are you most looking forward to at HM18?
I am looking forward to the entire meeting! First, the location is exciting since this is our first time in Orlando. I’m curious to see what the facility is like, and I am hoping attendees use the location as a reason to bring their families and visit the theme parks. In recognition of our Orlando location, the committee got creative with titles for the conference. For example, geriatrics became “The Tale as Old as Time.” I hope some of the titles put a smile on the attendees’ faces.