ACP welcomes annual meeting ‘home’ to Philadelphia

This year marked the 100th anniversary of the College's annual scientific meeting, and ACP welcomed attendees of Internal Medicine Meeting 2019 to its home city of Philadelphia in style. Those who came to the meeting in April enjoyed a taste of Philly's storied history along with the fantastic array of educational and networking opportunities that the College is known for. As always, our staff was on the scene to provide daily updates, in addition to expanded coverage for this issue.

Palliative care physicians are in short supply in the U.S. compared to other subspecialists, but the good news is that any physician can provide palliative care, according to speaker Rebecca N. Hutchinson, MD, FACP. Our story details her advice on starting such care early, talking to patients, and consulting with other clinicians, as well as tips on managing dyspnea and nausea.

Have you heard the one about avoiding the flu vaccine in patients with an egg allergy, or a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome? Myths, according to Douglas S. Paauw, MD, MACP. At his talk “Busting Medical Myths: When Dogma Is for the Dogs,” Dr. Paauw debunked these and other misconceptions, explaining, for example, why docusate shouldn't be the go-to treatment for constipation and why it isn't necessarily true that metronidazole and alcohol don't mix.

Hair loss can be one of the more common “hand-on-the-doorknob” questions physicians encounter, and one of the hardest to address, since it can be an emotional issue for patients and is difficult to manage. Our story provides a comprehensive overview, including facts about hair loss, tips for exam and diagnosis, and available treatments. Then read expert advice on management of pancreatic cysts, such as when to refer, what to look for on imaging, and which patients need surveillance and which do not. For more coverage of Internal Medicine Meeting 2019, check out the ACP Spotlight section, and visit our website for a bonus story on hereditary thrombophilias, as well as a Perspective from our Editorial Advisory Board member Avital O’Glasser, MD, FACP, on how her #IMProud selfie challenge went viral.

Finally, I'm pleased to announce that ACP Internist has won a 2019 Gold Award for Best Newsletter in the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors' (ASHPE) annual competition. We are honored to be recognized by our peers in health care publishing, as our primary goal is to provide excellent coverage to our readers. As always, we welcome your feedback. Please let us know how we're doing at immatters@acponline.org.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Kearney-Strouse
Executive Editor