Friday, January 31
8:50 am–9:40 am

A Rural Call to Service, Action, and Advocacy via Accompaniment

Adrian N. Billings, MD, PhD; Texas Tech University

In the evolving landscape of American health care, the call to practice and serve in rural communities offers a profound and transformative opportunity for clinicians. This presentation delves into the powerful concept of accompaniment—an approach where physicians not only deliver care but also actively engage with and support their patients and communities. For medical students aspiring to a career marked by meaningful impact, the rural setting offers a unique and inspiring canvas. Rural areas often face significant health care disparities, including limited access to medical resources and specialized care. This context demands a new kind of medical professional — one who is not only skilled in clinical practice but also deeply committed to community engagement and advocacy. The role of accompaniment involves more than just treating illness; it requires a holistic approach to patient care, emphasizing empathy, education, and empowerment.

Through accompaniment, physicians forge strong relationships with patients, understanding their unique challenges and needs. This model of care fosters trust and collaboration, leading to more effective and personalized treatment strategies. Additionally, it empowers healthcare professionals to become advocates for systemic changes that address the root causes of health inequities. Embracing a career in rural medicine through the lens of accompaniment offers a pathway to profound professional fulfillment and societal impact. Accompaniment aligns medical practice with the broader goals of social justice and health equity. For aspiring physicians, this approach not only enhances our clinical skills but also instills a deep sense of purpose and connection to the communities we serve. A call to service through accompaniment emerges as a beacon of hope and inspiration, guiding future medical leaders toward a more compassionate and equitable future.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. Describe causes and consequences of rural health disparities.
2. Justify the practice of medicine outside the walls of a health care facility to combat social determinants of health.
3. Value the concept of accompaniment as it relates to a career of service in medicine.

Dr Adrian Billings, of Alpine, Texas, is a National Health Service Corps Scholar alumnus, the chief medical officer of Preventative Care Health Services FQHC in the rural Big Bend of Texas, professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, associate academic dean of Rural and Community Engagement, and senior fellow of the F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Additionally, he serves as senior fellow of Health Equity with the Atlantic Institute. Dr Billings has been a career-long community physician along the rural Texas-Mexico border of west Texas. He is an elected school board trustee for rural Alpine Independent School District, serves as an officer in the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, and works on the Board of the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved. Dr Billings is passionate about rural health care workforce development and enabling rural borne and educated students opportunities to enroll in health care training programs.

Saturday, February 1
8:40 am–9:30 am

Scott Fields Lecture: In Pursuit of Fairness: Overcoming Bias in Assessment

Karen Hauer, MD, PhD; University of California, San Francisco

Bias in assessment of medical learners presents a critical, ongoing challenge to the quality of medical education. Experiences of bias may manifest in access to learning opportunities as well as in quantitative ratings and qualitative comments describing performance. This bias interferes with learners’ developmental progress through training and has consequences for their future careers and the patients they may serve. Solutions to address bias are needed for individual faculty and leaders designing and implementing education systems. 

This session will review the literature on the causes and consequences of bias in assessment of learner performance in medical education. Dr Karen Hauer will discuss recommendations to avoid bias in assessment drawn from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Conference on Ensuring Fairness in Medical Education Assessment: Conference Recommendations Report. The speaker will share resources for implementing recommendations and using them in faculty development.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. Identify causes and consequences of bias in assessment of clinical learners
2. Apply recommendations to avoid bias in assessment 
3. Describe the design and implementation of an equitable assessment system

Dr Hauer is vice dean for Education and Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). As vice dean, she is responsible for post-baccalaureate premedical, undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education across the multiple UCSF clinical training sites. In her prior position as associate dean for Competency Assessment and Professional Standards, she designed and led the program of assessment in the UCSF School of Medicine Bridges curriculum and developed and directed the School’s medical student coaching program. For this work, she led the team which received the ASPIRE international award for excellence in student assessment. She is an active researcher in medical education and a research mentor for fellows, residents, students, and faculty with a focus on competency-based medical education, learner assessment, equity in assessment, coaching, and remediation. She completed a PhD in Medical Education through a joint program with UCSF and the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. She received the 2024 Hubbard Award from the NBME for excellence in medical education assessment. She has served on leadership committees with the National Board of Medical Examiners and Macy Foundation, served as deputy editor for the journal Medical Education, and is past president of the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine national organization.

Sunday, February 2
8:30 am–9:30 am

Artificial Intelligence and Family Medicine Education: Utopia and Simultaneous Dystopia

Nipa R. Shah, MD; University of Florida

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a major disruptor in many fields, especially health care. Dr Shah will present the latest updates in AI as it relates to medical education. Understanding some basic terminology, possible applications in teaching and assessment, and challenges to implementation will be goals of this session. Educational, legal, and ethical considerations will be vital for family medicine educators to be able to incorporate AI into various curricula and policies. Staffing, infrastructure, training, and more will be affected significantly, and it is best to be educated about AI, and be a spokesperson for this innovative technology. There is also, of course, significant hype and promises with AI, and separating reality from hype is important. Emphasis during this session will be placed on evidence-based, FDA-approved innovations based on AI as well as the profound impact that AI has and will continue to have on higher education. Organizations will need to be educated, nimble, and prepared to incorporate AI into various initiatives. Access to care, cost, and reliability of AI will be addressed as well. Leadership decisions regarding investing in AI technology, especially in relation to medical education, will also be briefly addressed.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. Understand basic terminology in the field of artificial intelligence (AI)
2. Learn practical strategies in utilizing AI to help meet challenges in medical student education
3. Become aware of possible pitfalls with AI, including hallucinations, bias, misinformation, and liability concerns

Dr Shah is a professor and the chair of the department of Community Health and Family Medicine at the University of Florida, where she supervises a group of 25 clinics in two states and 115 physicians and advanced practice providers. She completed the Executive Program in Artificial Intelligence with Implications for Business Strategy at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has been teaching about AI and medicine to local, national and international audiences for over 6 years.

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, is a recipient of the Robert C. Nuss Researcher/Scholar of the Year Award, and was recently named a “Woman of Influence” by the Jacksonville Business Journal. Her leadership training includes fellowship training from America’s Essential Hospitals, with interests in AI, telehealth, and business strategy.