SGIM26 Plenary Speakers Announced

The Society of General Internal Medicine to Host 2026 Annual Meeting, “Individual Voices, Collective Impact: Advocating for Excellence in Academic Medicine”, May 6-9, 2026, outside of Washington, DC. This year’s theme highlights our role as advocates in promoting excellence in academic general internal medicine. When we utilize our individual voices to advocate for patients, trainees, areas of inquiry, and profession, the collective impact of our work has profound influence beyond local institutions and communities. By focusing on excellence in all of our roles, we can elevate SGIM’s vision of improved health for all people.

SGIM’s presenters are doctors and other healthcare professionals responsible for teaching general internal medicine to the next generation of physicians. Most combine teaching with taking care of patients in clinical practices and/or research about medical treatment. For more information on SGIM, to register as press, or for a schedule of the events, please visit https://annualmeeting.sgim.org/

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:45AM – 12:30PM

• SGIM Presidential Address: “We Are THE Academic Home in General Internal Medicine: Sí Podemos Juntos”

Carlos A. Estrada, MD, MS

Chief of the Section of General Internal Medicine and Co-Director of the Quality Scholars Fellowship at the Birmingham VAMC / 2025-2026 SGIM President

• Opening Plenary Address: “Measuring What Matters: Harnessing Performance-Based Assessment to Drive Your Learning Healthcare System to Better Outcomes”

Sondra Zabar, MD

Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and an Attending Physician at Gouverneur Healthcare Services

Friday, May 8, 2026, 10:45AM – 12:30PM ET

• Malcolm L. Peterson Honor Lecture: “Health in a Warming World: Quality Care for a Healthier Future”

John Balbus, MD, MPH

Principal of Climate Care Consulting, LLC and former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Climate Change and Health Equity at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10:00AM – 12:00PM

• “The Observer Project: Transforming Healthcare from the Outside”

Kevin B. Johnson, MD, MS

David L. Cohen University Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Computer and Information Science, Pediatrics, and Science Communication at the University of Pennsylvania