October 17, 2014

 

Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education Christopher Swide, M.D., presented information to a packed house in Washington, D.C. about graduate medical education on Oct. 10, at an event titled: “Academic Medical Centers: Where Quality Patient Care, Physician Training, and Medical Research Come Together.”

Hosted by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Hospital Association, Dr. Swide was invited to represent OHSU’s perspective on the essential role of GME in training the nation’s physician workforce.

As described by the AAMC, the briefing was designed to share information about the critical roles teaching hospitals play in providing primary and specialized care for both rural and urban communities across the country and in training the next generation of health care providers.

Serving on the expert panel with Dr. Swide were: Thomas Burke, M.D., executive vice president, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; James Keeton, M.D., vice chancellor for health affairs and dean, University of Mississippi School of Medicine; and James Stoller, M.D., M.S., chair, Education Institute, Cleveland Clinic.

“Each of the speakers focused on their institution’s innovative approaches to quality patient care, workforce education and research. A key recurring theme throughout the briefing was that Medicare support for graduate medical education (GME) enables each of these missions to thrive at academic medical centers,” wrote the AAMC.

Dr. Swide provided examples from Oregon including OHSU’s programs in family medicine, general surgery and internal medicine to encourage new physicians to consider rural practice, as well as new initiatives to train future physicians in ways aligned with the goals of health care reform, in particular to be physician-leaders in interprofessional patient-centered medical homes. He also discussed OHSU’s educational partnership with the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center.