News from ACOI

Each May, we pause to honor the extraordinary physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals who dedicate their lives to the field of critical care.

April 22, 2025, marks the 55th year of Earth Day, a movement that started as a protest against pollution and has grown into a monumental global demand to fight climate change and environmental decline.  

As March is National Women’s History Month and on February 3rd we celebrated National Women Physicians Day, I thought I would investigate a bit about women in medicine. I found some of the statistics fascinating and hope you enjoy reading!

“I’m a criminal and proud of it!” William G. Anderson, DO, admits in his opening statement when I asked permission to interview him for this article. As a “criminal,” he is referring to the times he was incarcerated for civil disobedience. Dr. Anderson considers these convictions as badges of honor he proudly wears.

As we enter 2025, the tradition of setting New Year's resolutions is as strong as ever. While many resolutions focus on personal goals such as losing weight or saving money, we often overlook our own wellness. We dedicate our careers to caring for others, often at the expense of our own well-being. In 2025, it’s crucial that we not only recognize the importance of physician wellness but also commit to resolutions that can improve our mental, emotional, and physical health.

For anyone who knows me, the thought of me writing about anything regarding technology is comical. I can barely work my phone! My interest, however, in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in medicine was piqued after listening to a fantastic lecture on AI at ACOI 2024.

Thankful. That is the feeling as I reflect on the ACOI 2024 Annual Convention & Scientific Sessions held in Arizona this past month. I am in awe of those that worked so hard to make the Annual Convention a success.

I have had the pleasure and honor of being the ACOI President from 2023-2024. I am proud to report that working with the ACOI Board of Directors, the ACOI leadership team, and the ACOI Committees, it has been a successful year.

Being an academic physician and medical school dean, I have often been asked why physicians should do research, heard the various objections to research, and have had folks ask for inspiration for conducting research. I thought I would try to capture my thoughts and experience here on the topic. I hope it is helpful and inspires folks to do more research and scholarly activity.

I have been asked a few times to teach others about how to network and to share my networking skills. I am so grateful for my network of friends and relationships, and they have been incredibly meaningful and valuable for me personally as well as the institutions that I have served.

I have talked with admissions/enrollment experts at medical schools, other medical school deans, and prospective medical students about the medical school admissions process, and I hear growing frustration with the process from nearly everyone. I would like to know if the time has come for a match to matriculate into medical school.

Physicians are expected to be leaders in healthcare. However, many medical schools still lack formal medical education in leadership. The need for more physicians to be formal leaders is exemplified by research suggesting a positive link between hospital quality and physician leadership.