Dermatology and Therapy (03/26/24) Sharma, Divya; Rizzo, Julianne; Nong, Yvonne; et al.

While in-person continuing medical education (CME) programs provide participants with unique opportunities for networking and professional development, hybrid and virtual CME platforms may be used by a wider range of individuals seeking to boost their knowledge and skills. A cross-sectional study sought to determine the reduction in carbon emissions for a virtual dermatology CE program compared with if attendees had instead traveled to Sacramento, the most recent site for the Integrative Dermatology Symposium. Researchers predicted the type of transportation for each participant based on their distance to the meeting. For 576 participants, the total estimated, unadjusted carbon emissions for those predicted to fly or drive to the conference was 370,100 kg CO2. After adjusting for additional passengers on every flight, the emissions produced per participant for those expected to fly to an in-person event were 4.5 kg CO2, compared with 42.7 kg CO2 for participants expected to drive to the event. The authors stress their point "was not to discourage in-person conferences and CME events in the future but to shed light on how virtual learning options in medicine, and the field of dermatology in particular, may reduce carbon emissions." Their findings, they write, "lend further support for the use of hybrid approaches to conferences to balance the social benefit of in-person meeting, yet allow for distant learners to have an environmentally beneficial option."

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