As President of the Society of General Internal Medicine, I have spent the past year witnessing many successes by members, committees, and the Society as a whole. I am pleased to present the Executive Summary of our 2014-2015 Annual Report, below, which represents those accomplishments. Also on this webpage are four more in-depth reports on SGIM membership, regions, finances, and our Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM). Look to these reports to find statistical details in each category and a clearer view of the operations of the Society.
I do want to point out some specific successes that we have accomplished during the course of the year:
- The 37th annual meeting in San Diego (2014) was the largest meeting SGIM has ever had with over 2000 participants. The number of meeting submissions for the 38th annual meeting has grown by an average of 17%;
- SGIM paid off the mortgage on our national offices in Alexandria, VA, leaving thousands of extra dollars to be used in the future for member services and committee products to be realized;
- SGIM membership continues to hold steady at over 3300. This year a full membership survey was undertaken to provide a glimpse into trends and needs of the Society and the field of General Internal Medicine;
- 1500 people attended one of seven regional meetings in 2014-2015. Satisfaction rates for the regional meetings is at an all-time high;
- JGIM’s 2013 impact factor increased to 3.423 and the Journal remains the #1 ranked journal in the primary health care category according to the Google scholar H-5 index. SGIM’s newsletter, Forum, published three thematic issues during the year on LGBT Health, Correctional Healthcare, and Hospital Medicine; and
- SGIM advocacy targeted educating members of Congress this year, leading to a reissuance of the National Commission on Physician Payment Reform, a white paper on GME Reform, and a successful Hill Day focused on health services research and PCORI.
Finally I want to thank David Karlson as he retires after18 years of leadership as the executive director of SGIM. He has been a guide and mentor for many SGIM officers and council members, and we will miss his wisdom and wish him well in this new phase of his life. We still have a long road ahead and much work to do as we continue to help shape the field of GIM. Under the new presidential leadership of Marshall Chin, SGIM will begin working on goals aligned with population health, to include a leadership conference and annual meeting on this theme. With financial help from the Hess Foundation, SGIM will soon launch ProudtobeGIM, a campaign aimed at encouraging medical students and residents to pursue GIM.
I wish to thank all of the members, volunteers, and staff who have helped make the realization of this year’s goals a reality. Thank you trusting me as your president: SGIM ihas always been my professional home and I hope to contribute to SGIM will remain so for many years to come. Together we can continue to improve our field, and help academic General Internal Medicine continue thrive in the years ahead.
