The American College of Physicians' membership comprises a diverse population of internists, subspecialists of internal medicine, and medical students. The ACP celebrates the diversity in medicine that unites us by our commitment to excellence. This issue of IMpact recognizes Black History Month.
Feature
A New Drug and More on the Way for Sickle Cell Disease
From the December 2017 ACP Hospitalist
In July 2017, the FDA ended a nearly 20-year drought in new therapies for sickle cell when it approved a supplement, and additional treatments are in the pipeline.
ACP Hospitalist provides news and information about hospital medicine, covering the latest trends and issues in the field.
My Kind of Medicine: Real Lives of Practicing Internists
Spotlight: Stacy Higgins, MD, FACP
As she grew up in Queens, NY, Dr. Stacy Higgins found herself on what she deems a “rather cliché” path to medicine. She was interested in pursuing science and in providing service to people. She had an uncle who went to medical school after he served in the army. While Dr. Higgins didn't always know that she wanted to be a physician, she knew that she wanted to work with people.
Medical Student Perspective
Wearing My White Coat to the Protest
I started medical school three years after graduating from Howard University. A historically black university, Howard is located at the nexus of Ledroit Park, Columbia Heights, Bloomingdale, Shaw, and Cardozo—all neighborhoods that carry a large significance in Chocolate City, and even nationally.
The Fuel That Drives My Passion
I was 14 years old when I decided to become a doctor. It was a hot summer day, and I had just begun my first job as a bag boy at a local supermarket. My loving mother was unable to afford her much-needed medications or doctor visits and as a result her health declined.
Would you like to see your article published here? Review the general guidelinesfor submission and send your essay as a Word document attachment to impact@acponline.org We look forward to hearing from you.
Advocacy Update
What ACP Advocacy Did For Physicians and their Patients in 2017
ACP's advocacy efforts strive to achieve policy change that makes a difference in your daily practice and improves American health care.
Our new Advocacy in Focus interactive infographic highlights ACP's top achievements of 2017 including:
- Staving off the potential repeal of the ACA
- Influencing CMS to decrease administrative burdens
- Co-founding a coalition of 6 professional organizations representing 500,000+ doctors to lobby Congress
- ... and more!
View the interactive infographic
ACP Advocate is a bi-weekly e-newsletter that provides ACP members with news about public policy issues affecting internal medicine and patient care. Join ACP's Advocates for Internal Network Medicine network(AIMn) to stay engaged with ACP's advocacy activities.
Analyzing Annals
Comparative Effectiveness of Implementation Strategies for Blood Pressure Control in Hypertensive Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
This meta-analysis of data from 100 trials examines the comparative effectiveness of 8 implementation strategies for blood pressure control in adults with hypertension.
Annals of Internal Medicine is the premier internal medicine academic journal published by the American College of Physicians (ACP). It is one of the most widely cited and influential specialty medical journals in the world.
Winning Abstracts
A Novel Compound, Membrane - Tethered E2, Selectively Activates the ER Rapid Signaling Pathway - Implications for Vascular Benefit
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States despite disproportionately affecting men. In younger post-menopausal women, estrogen supplementation may decrease the risk of heart disease through its interaction with ER-alpha and ER-beta in the vasculature.
Want to have your abstract featured here? ACP holds a National Abstracts Competition as part of the ACP Internal Medicine Meeting every year. Find out more at ACP Online.
Subspecialty Careers
Hematology
Hematology is the subspecialty of internal medicine that focuses on the care of patients with disorders of the blood, bone marrow, and lymphatic systems.
Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease is a Mendelian genetic disorder caused by several common genotypes. Sickle cell trait is clinically benign and should not be considered a disease. Many other compound heterozygotes have been described. Most are rare, and only a few have a clinical phenotype.
Determine the most appropriate diagnostic study:
Get Involved
New Slots Are Now Open!
Earn while you learn! The American College of Physicians is recruiting students to act as ultrasound models at Internal Medicine Meeting 2018 to be held April 17 – 21, 2018 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA.
Ultrasound models are needed for:
- The Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Internists and Hospitalists pre-course on Tuesday, April 17 and Wednesday, April 18. There are two sessions available on each day: 7:30 am – 11:45 am and 12:45 pm – 5:00 p.m. Students can sign-up for one session or all four sessions and will receive a stipend of $50 per session.
- Ultrasound-guided activities in the Herbert S. Waxman Clinical Skills Center, Thursday, April 19 through Saturday April 21. Students who participate in the Waxman Center will receive a stipend of $15 per hour.
These are noninvasive workshops, and students will be used to demonstrate ultrasound technique and imaging of normal anatomy.
This is a great learning opportunity for medical students! David Lee, a 4th year medical student at Western Michigan University School of Medicine who has previously served as an ultrasound model, describes this opportunity:
Serve as an ultrasound model because you see a potential for invaluable learning, not because you see a potential monetary reward for your time. The lessons provided give medical students unprecedented exposure to techniques and tools inseparable from effective and efficient patient care. [You will] only look better in your programs and your profession if you have taken the initiative to expose yourself to the very techniques we recommend for our patients and can better empathize with patients and the physical and emotional burdens they may be experiencing when they come in for something necessitating these interventions.
If you live in the New Orleans area or are planning to attend Internal Medicine Meeting 2018 and would like to participate, please click here to see available time slots and to register.
Please share this announcement with your classmates.
If you have any questions, please contact Colleen Poole at cpoole@acponline.org or at (215) 351-2597.
ACP IMpact is copyrighted ©2018 by the American College of Physicians.