Hi all,
I look forward to serving as president of the Alliance for the upcoming year. I suspect the year will undoubtedly fly by, and I am eager to get started. At the end of this year, I want to know (and demonstrate in a measurable way) we have made great progress on the strategic goals we have in place for our membership organization.
It was wonderful to see so many of y’all in New Orleans at the Alliance 2024 Annual Conference. I trust those who attended the meeting have managed to safely maneuver around the parade barricades to find your way home! A hearty thanks goes out to the village who helped plan this year’s program (especially Chris Keenan, Ailene Cantelmi, April Cheverette and the entire Conference Planning Committee). I want to acknowledge the amazing presenters who graciously shared their experience and perspectives. And, of course, a special recognition is in order for the busy professionals who took time out to actively participate in this important gathering of CE/CPD professionals. What a great opportunity to connect with each other.
Anecdotally, I have heard many positive remarks about the meeting. The board of directors and I look forward to conducting a formal review of the meeting evaluations so we can build on what went well and learn from those opportunities for improvement. The evaluation will be shared with the 2025 Conference Planning Committee to ensure we continue to address the needs of the Alliance membership. Please take a few minutes to share your comments and ideas by submitting your evaluation.
I want to take this opportunity to share a little background about me. I started in the CPD profession over 30 years ago at what was originally called the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, which later evolved to become the University of North Texas Health Science Center. I started as a CME coordinator, manager and director. Eventually, I was promoted into the role of associate vice president of professional and continuing education. I became a member of the Alliance in 1993, and I attended my first Alliance meeting that following year. At those gatherings over the years, I encountered numerous individuals who were new to the field and many who had been around for quite a while. I found abundant opportunities to learn from my mentors, to mentor others and to engage with thought leaders. I have thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie, education, support and leadership opportunities. I wouldn’t be in this position had it not been for the many colleagues who have shared their expertise and poured their energy and support into my life. I encourage you to get plugged into the Alliance and find ways to access the many educational and networking opportunities and resources it offers. Those connections have definitely enriched my personal life and professional career path. Here I am writing to you as the Alliance President!
Here are a few reflections from the Alliance 2024 Annual Conference. I participated in several memorable sessions, and I feel compelled to draw attention to just a handful of meaningful messages delivered by our keynote speakers.
- Carol Cohen reminded us to identify and nurture our superpower as it relates to training and development. Specifically, she called upon those of us in the community of learning to view our role as a titan of learning. We can display expertise in crafting the right learning materials for the right learners at the right time. To think about the core elements of instructional design, Carol utilized the following formula which reads, ‘A + B + C = D,’ referring to Audience + Behavior Goals + Content = Design Effectiveness. It is important to consider the learning environment and context our learners face in their work. With medical knowledge, instructional design experience and an empathetic understanding of our learners, we represent the learner. With that, we should proudly view our role as the learner’s advocate for success!
- Dr. Colin West pointed out how a chronic imbalance of job demands and inadequate job resources can lead to burnout. It has been proven that education can serve as a restorative force to drive well-being in medicine. We must think about the ‘MVPs of Well-being’ which translates to Meaning, Values and Purpose. West discussed the scope of the physician burnout problem in medicine and reminded us of the impact that issue has on the quality of care being delivered to patients. This is not a matter of physicians toughening up, but rather it calls for medical leaders and educators to find ways to address the toxic working environment itself.
- The final keynote speaker, Sonia Narang, delivered a compelling professional development message focused on how to identify strategies to amplify your potential. She shared personal stories of her life as a patient dealing with a chronic condition. She drew upon her professional experience as an architect for change to offer practical solutions to build one’s capabilities. In my view, this presentation served as a refreshing reminder for us all to see the importance of stepping back to revisit our place in the world. Narang talked about the need for us to cultivate our ecosystem, to know how to adjust our career trajectory and to disrupt those patterns that are not productive or aligned with our goals. I appreciate the manner in which Narang simplified the actions we need to take in support of change, as she boiled it down to three key points:
1. Complete you, or know what you stand for.
2. Avoid energy vampires.
3. Clean house, or eliminate those forces or people who drain your energy.
It was encouraging to hear Narang’s advice suggesting that we look for and celebrate the glimmers in our life and in the world. Glimmers are those small moments of joy that we encounter. You notice how parents spotlight their newborn’s many firsts(e.g., first step, first word, first tooth, etc.). Over time, we seemingly become more reserved and less likely to acknowledge our professional baby steps. Instead, we seem to expect progress must achieve a heightened standard or resemble a giant leap forward to warrant any celebration. The bottom line is to celebrate the small wins. If they move us in the right direction, that is what counts.
Unquestionably, these are exciting times in our field and now more than ever, it calls for us to share our perspectives so we can learn from each other to find creative solutions to the challenges we face. I have always been impressed by the collaborative spirit of our CE/CPD Alliance community. I firmly believe we all have a responsibility to collectively explore new ideas, promote best practices and accelerate the changes we need to implement to enhance the impact of the field of healthcare education.
Please remember that your Alliance membership unlocks access to a number of valuable resources – ones that we believe will help you develop, refine and implement effective strategies. I hope you will tap into the member network, follow up with fellow members, access the community pages and participate in Alliance webinars. These steps will help you find ways to gain insights from each other’s experiences so you can enhance your personal and organizational effectiveness.
As a reminder, since next year’s Annual meeting dates are shifting back to their traditional January slot. Our call for abstracts will soon be upon us. This is your meeting, so I invite you to stay tuned for the announcement and please consider submitting an abstract to share your expertise.
For those who wonder if I have a life outside of CPD, here is a bit more personal information about me. I am married to my best friend, Les – We will celebrate our 41st anniversary on April 16. I have two children, Ashley (Phillip) and Bryce (Jenna), and I am blessed to have three amazing grandchildren who call me ‘Grammy.’ We call Texas our home, and our house wouldn’t be complete without our pets. We have two dogs — a German Shepherd, A.J., and a Teacup Chihuahua named Roxie. Unlikely pals, perhaps, but they get along marvelously.
Please let me know if you have any questions and ideas for how to best leverage your Alliance membership. I look forward to connecting with you in a variety of settings over the next year so that we can together improve the collaborative field of healthcare education.
Warm regards,
Pam McFadden, FACEHP