Virtual meeting offers education, connection

Over the past year (and more), we've all gotten accustomed to living our lives online, attending virtual events instead of meeting in person. ACP's Internal Medicine Meeting this year was no exception. Rather than stepping on a plane or train and journeying to meet colleagues, attendees of Internal Medicine Meeting 2021: Virtual Experience, held April 29-May 1, fired up their laptops and settled in with their coffee to learn and connect virtually. This was a big pivot, for both ACP members and staff, but by all accounts the event went off with style. Social media buzzed with the meeting hashtag, live Q&As were enthusiastically attended, and internists across the country and the globe pulled together yet again, as they have so many times since March 2020, to learn, connect, and grow as a community.

Our June issue is chock full of coverage from this year's meeting, including just a sample of the excellent education that was on offer. Our story looks at dealing with multimorbidity in older adults and offers a method that may help internists make it more manageable: Focus on the patient's priorities, and find out the one thing that is most important to him or her. That way, the whole care team can be working toward what the patient wants most, which helps simplify goals and increase satisfaction, as geriatrician and ACP Member Mary Tinetti, MD, explains.

Another story in this issue offers an overview of the underpinnings of obesity, from a lecture by obesity medicine physician scientist Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, MBA, FACP. It's a common mantra that the answer to weight management is "calories in<calories out," but Dr. Stanford details why that isn't always, or even often, the case. Learn more about the factors that can affect obesity and why physicians should watch their language when discussing weight with patients.

Other clinical stories from the meeting cover ENT problems, flashes and floaters in ophthalmology, therapies for sickle cell anemia, and anxiety disorders. On the nonclinical side, read an attorney's advice on surviving a subpoena and a wellness expert's top 10 tips for combating professional isolation. Read about the meeting's three plenary speakers and their inspiring messages for internists.

If you didn't make the meeting, you haven't totally missed your chance. ACP CME 100, featuring video recordings of the sessions plus bonus materials, is available for purchase online, with up to 100 credits of CME/MOC available.

We're looking forward to the future and hope to see you in person someday soon. Let us know what you'd like to read about at immatters@acponline.org.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Kearney-Strouse
Executive Editor