The Call for Content for HM19 – open to both Society of Hospital Medicine members and nonmembers – is being expanded from solely workshop submissions to include speaker and topic proposals.
“The open call for workshops has been in place for a number of years,” said Dustin T. Smith, MD, FHM, an associate professor of medicine at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Smith is an HM18 assistant course director and will be the primary course director for HM19. “In the past, we used a targeted survey method to get speaker/topic suggestions for the didactic sessions. The change was made, in part, based on member and annual meeting feedback along with strong SHM leadership support and guidance.”
Dr. Dustin T. Smith
This change, for both workshops and sessions, will allow for more speaker diversity, as well as open the door for new presenters. “We really feel this ability to propose content and speakers will resonate with our members and nonmembers alike, giving them a voice in annual conference planning,” he continued. “Our overall goal is to create new and exciting meeting formats each year that spark interest and promote overall attendee learning.”
Dr. Smith hosted an informational presentation on the process as part of the MEDTalks session on Monday.
When asked about themes for next year’s conference, Dr. Smith stated, “I anticipate that some of the areas of focus will center around health policy, advocacy for patients, and the latest in hospital medicine.” The SHM Annual Meeting Committee is responsible for HM19’s didactic content, the foundation of which will be rooted in hot topics and subject areas in the field. Planning also will take into account momentum and feedback from HM18.
“We have a few innovative and exciting educational tracks at HM18, including The Great Debate and Seasoning Your Career. If they are successful, we hope to offer similar ones next year,” Dr. Smith explained. “Some already popular tracks such as Rapid Fire clinical topics and Clinical Updates will likely remain meeting staples, although their content will certainly change.
“I am a working member of a talented group of incredibly knowledgeable hospitalists who form the Annual Conference Committee for both HM18 and HM19. With amazing SHM leadership and staff liaison guidance and support, we will be planning content for the bulk of the educational portion of next year’s conference,” he noted.
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