If you’re anything like me, you need something to look forward to in the spring after the dark days of winter. Enter Converge 2024, in sunny San Diego, April 12-15!
On behalf of the Annual Conference Committee, comprising academic and community physicians, advanced practice practitioners, and the SHM staff, we’re excited to share highlights of the conference with you.
First, we are on the San Diego Harbor with an amazing view. However, we think you’ll be so busy with three days packed with educational content, research competitions, speed mentoring,
Special Interest Forums, exhibitors, and, new for 2024, the MEDTED teaching competition, you may not have much time to take in the scenery. Don’t worry though, you’ll have plenty of time to reconnect with old friends and make new ones with our dedicated networking time at various locations throughout the conference. And if you do find time to take in the sites, check out Things to Do in San Diego.
More clinical content than ever before We’ve promised to continue adding clinical content, and this year, you will see more clinical content than ever before, including the return of favorites like “Things We Do For No Reason” and “Updates in Critical Care!” We encourage you to take in the scientific abstract competition and learn from our poster presenters, scan through the program, pick those “must-attend” sessions (see what The Hospitalist’s editorial board members recommend), and get engaged by attending a workshop. Also new are Late Breaking Sessions, spread throughout the conference, which will cover some of the most vital topics making the news and impacting our day-to-day practice.
Announcing Parul Somani, this year’s Converge keynote
We’re very excited to welcome mindset expert Parul Somani as our keynote speaker for her session, “The Kinetic Life: Your Power to M.O.V.E. Through Change with Intention.” During her keynote on Saturday, April 13, she will lead us through a practical, step-by-step guide to embracing change, making hard decisions, and thriving with intention—lessons we can all benefit from after the past few years.
Focused on research or academic hospital medicine? We’ve got you covered!
For those interested in academics, we have our Academic and Research track planned by our Academic and Research Committees, which includes the popular Shark Tank session. We also have sessions on teamwork, workload, clinical reasoning, mentoring, and much more. For those of you in academic leadership, I hope you’ll join us at the Academic Leadership Summit. This year, the focus will be on factors challenging hospitalists to remain academic and strategies to overcome them. Guaranteed networking!
Come early for Advanced Learning Courses!
For those who want to focus on a particular topic, we offer three Advanced Learning Courses on April 12, the day before the main conference begins:
• Ultrasound (morning and afternoon sessions)
• Perioperative (back by popular demand!)
• Beyond the Bedside: Transforming Your Career
Tips for first-timers at SHM Converge!
If you’re a first-time attendee, we know the conference can be a lot to take in! We encourage you to check out Updates in Hospital Medicine, which is an annual tradition, featuring two speakers who whiz through a year of literature with humor and grace. I dare you not to chuckle and walk away with several takeaways that will impact your practice back home. We offer
both a pediatric and an adult medicine version. We also invite you to attend the new member and first-time attendee breakfast on Saturday, April 13, from 7 to 8 a.m.
Are you excited yet?
Every year, we use your feedback as we plan the conference for the next year. For the past few years, your submissions—all 1,241!—have inspired most of the content at SHM Converge, like this year’s new MED-TED Teaching Competition. Visit the Special Events page of the SHM Converge website to find out more about the competition, the Chapter Corner, Converge Central, and more!
All told, I suspect the biggest problem will be picking what you won’t attend, as there is something for everyone—hospitalists, practice managers, and people who like hospitalists and/or want to be hospitalists!
If you haven’t registered, what are you waiting for? Register now! See you in San Diego!
Dr. Herzke
Dr. Herzke is the chief medical officer and an associate professor in the department of medicine for the Medical University of South Carolina, in Charleston, S.C. She is also trained in pediatrics. Dr. Herzke is the course director for SHM Converge 2024 and faculty for the Academic Hospitalist Academy.