2023 Chapter Excellence Award – Gold Winner
We are pleased to announce that our chapter is in receipt of the Gold Level of the 2023 Chapter Excellence Award! The award recognizes truly extraordinary chapters that surpass excellence in chapter management. We are in the company of 54 other outstanding chapters. In order to achieve the Gold Level of the Chapter Excellence Award, chapters must meet nineteen Bronze criteria, seventeen Silver criteria and multiple Gold level activities. Criteria include such activities as having a legislative action plan or agenda, holding a volunteerism/community service activity, holding multiple stand-alone meetings, having revenue sources outside of dues and meeting registration fees, implementing a strategic plan, implementing a formal recruitment and retention plan and measuring outcomes, conducting various activities for Medical Students, Residents and Early Career Physicians.
We would like to extend a special thanks to those chapter members who assisted us in all of these endeavors! For their hard work and dedication, we received this award.
Massachusetts Chapter Receives the Mary Bieter Evergreen All Stars Award
The Mary Bieter Evergreen All-Star Awards recognized exceptional and sustained chapter-initiated programs that supported and adapted to the Internal Medicine landscape in the United States and around the world. ACP Members were asked to review and select All-Star nominations they believed were worth of recognition. The Massachusetts Chapter received the Mary Bieter Evergreen All-Star Award for their initiative, Health and Public Policy Committee.
Health and Public Policy Committee
Each year the committee identifies advocacy priorities based on feedback from members. Programs range from in-depth work on particular policy areas to opportunities for a member to write or call a legislator’s office to express perspectives on a timely matter. MA HPPC has grown in breadth and depth for years. Interest among members is robust. A centerpiece of the MA HPPC’s work, Advocacy Day at the State House, held its 5th successful annual experience for members, legislators, and staff in 2022.
Numerous ways to participate are offered, from information about an upcoming legislative matter and templates to facilitate contact your legislator about it, to learning opportunities about how to advocate effectively, to subcommittees about particular advocacy matters and opportunities to lead a subcommittee. For example, Advocacy Day 2020 occurred soon after the onset of the pandemic lockdown and was rapidly converted to a virtual experience. For 2021, there was time to plan the meeting to be virtual; the Advocacy Education Subcommittee planned virtual training prior to Advocacy Day and for the day of the event. From 2020 to 2021, legislative meetings increased from 10 to 22, with geographic participation increased facilitating connections with certain legislators for the first time. Chapter participants increased from 28 (10 new) to 65 from 2020 to 2021. Trainee representation increased. MA HPPC’s Virtual Advocacy Day became the blueprint for some other ACP Chapter’s virtual Advocacy Day efforts later in 2020; those Chapters reached out to our Chapter for guidance on how to operationalize their virtual Advocacy Day, fostering cross-chapter support, communication, and collaboration.
Massachusetts Chapter Wins Two 2022 John Tooker Evergreen Awards
The John Tooker Evergreen Awards Program provides recognition and visibility to chapters that have successfully implemented programs to increase membership, improve communication, increase member involvement, enhance diversity, foster careers in internal medicine and improve management of the chapter. The Massachusetts Chapter received two 2022 John Tooker Evergreen Award for their initiatives, Virtual Advocacy Day at the State House and Leadership Development for Women in Medicine.
Virtual Advocacy Day at the State House
Themes: Early Career Physicians, Medical Students and Residents/Fellows, Other
We were able to increase legislative meetings from 10 in 2020 to 22 in 2021 and out geographic participation increased which allowed us to connect with some legislators for the first time.
Advocacy Day at the State House was an opportunity for internists to gain legislative advocacy skills , learn about current advocacy issues, and practice skills in meetings with state legislators. Organized by the Health and Public Policy Committee (HPPC) of the Chapter, the Advocacy Day at the State House is currently in its fifth year of existence with increasing rates of participation each year, especially among trainees (medical students and residents). One goal of the State House Advocacy Day was to promote relationships with state legislators and foster these relationships over time to strengthen the advocacy power of the Chapter. In 2021, the Advocacy Day was planned and promoted as a virtual event from the beginning. The Advocacy Education Subcommittee planned virtual training prior to Advocacy Day and for the day of the event. With the advance planning, the Chapter planned additional virtual meetings with legislators as part of the virtual Advocacy Day event.
Leadership Development for Women in Medicine
Themes: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Early Career Physicians, Medical Students and Residents/Fellows, Physician Well-being and Professional Satisfaction, Other
This LD for WIM Committee has established connections between mentors and mentees, has created sponsorship for women ACP Chapter members, has fostered and supported psychological safety for women facing gender bias.
Current data shows a discrepancy between the number of women attending medical schools and women in medicine. As the Massachusetts Chapter's first woman Governor in the history of the Chapter, Dr. Elisa Choi was keenly aware of the impact her role does, and can, have on issues of gender disparity. Dr. Choi started a Leadership Development for Women in Medicine (LD for WIM) Committee for the Chapter in 2019, to identify areas where they could start closing the “leadership gap” for women in medicine. The LD for WIM Committee strives to support, elevate, and amplify women ACP members to find, seek, and gain leadership roles. Leadership Development for Women in Medicine Committee’s programming and activities will continue, in perpetuity as long as gender disparities in leadership remain and as long as a “leadership gap” for women in medicine persists.
Previous Evergreen Awards:
- 2018 - Chapter HPPC State House Advocacy Day
- 2017 - Mentoring Collaborative
- 2005 - Establishing a State-Wide Electronic Health Record Infrastructure