Leadership Day
April 28-29, 2025
Overview of Leadership Day
Welcome to Leadership Day 2025, the American College of Physicians’ (ACP) annual two-day advocacy event held in Washington, D.C. that enables ACP to increase its presence on Capitol Hill and strengthen the voice of the internal medicine community in discussing issues of interest and concern with U.S. lawmakers. We have an exciting program and experience in store for you including educational briefings from ACP staff on the key policies you will be discussing with lawmakers as well as advocacy tips on how to present ACP’s Leadership Day issues to your members of Congress, an awards program, and briefings from lawmakers. The second day of the event is dedicated to meetings with your lawmakers. See agenda details here and some FAQs regarding event logistics. The event will be held at the Westin Washington, DC Downtown Hotel which is a short metro or taxi ride to Congressional offices.
ACP National will schedule ALL congressional meetings for attendees and chapters. Our scheduler, Soapbox Consulting, will make every effort to choregraph meeting schedules so attendees will have enough time to get from one meeting to the next without feeling rushed.
ACP's Advocacy Agenda/Expectations
This year’s Leadership Day is taking place at a critical time for physicians and the broader health care community. With a new Congress and a change in leadership, there are opportunities and challenges. Perhaps most importantly, there is an urgent need to build and strengthen relationships with members of Congress and their staff, educate them about the role of internal medicine in the U.S. health care system, and ask for their support for legislation that will help physicians care for their patients.
Key Priority Issues for Leadership Day
Potential Leadership Day priority issues include advocating for legislation to reduce administrative burden on physicians, support physician payment, improve access to care for patients, strengthen the physician workforce and reduce the burden of student debt.
The Role of Chapters and ACP Members
The involvement of our chapters and our ACP advocates is vital to the effectiveness of our advocacy efforts, and that includes your participation in Leadership Day. This event is our most critical advocacy event of the year, providing you the opportunity to learn about and advocate for legislation that directly impacts internal medicine physicians and their patients, have valuable meetings with lawmakers, and most importantly provide your real-world perspective as a physician on how policies being contemplated by Congress impact your patients. As constituents, your involvement in the legislative process can make all the difference in your lawmakers’ decision whether to support or oppose a given policy proposal. As always, we appreciate the time that you take away from your practice, your patients, and your family to be here in Washington advocating with us for the greater good.
For other information or questions about Leadership Day, please contact Shuan Tomlinson, Associate, State Health Policy & Grassroots at 1-800-338-2746, Ext. 4547 or by email at stomlinson@acponline.org. Chapter participation in Leadership Day and the Advocates for Internal Medicine Network (AIMn) program are the bedrocks of ACP’s advocacy program. Thank you for your chapter's support and we look forward to seeing you at Leadership Day!
Agenda
NOTE: All times below EDT
Monday, April 28
| TIME | EVENT |
| 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Registration |
| 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. |
Opening Remarks Darilyn Moyer, MD, MACP, FRCP, FIDSA, FAMWA, FEFIM Jason Goldman, FACP Leslie F. Algase, MD, FACP Roger S. Khetan, MD FACP FHM |
| 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. |
Making the Most of Every Congressional Meeting and Effectively Communicating ACP Policy in Different Settings
|
| 11:00 a.m. – 11:55 a.m. |
Going Beyond Leadership Day: Opportunities for Year-Round Activity
|
| 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. |
Lunch |
| 12:45 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. |
Awards Ceremony |
| 1:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. |
A Deep Dive on Leadership Day Issues |
| 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. |
Advocacy Workshop: Making the Most of Your Hill Meetings |
| 2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. |
Break |
| 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
Congressional Staff Panel: Understanding the Current Landscape |
|
4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
Congressional Meeting Preparation |
| 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. |
Chapter Prep Time |
| 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. |
Welcome to Washington Reception hosted by ACP Services, Inc. Political Action Committee (PAC); Open to 2025 ACP Services PAC members only |
Tuesday, April 29
| TIME | EVENT |
| 7:15 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. |
Breakfast Opening Remarks Briefing by Members of Congress |
| 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Congressional Meetings |
CME
The American College of Physicians is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
More information to come.
Issue Briefs/Materials
These materials consist of short issue briefs on each of the College's policy priorities for Leadership Day. The briefs contain specific "asks" of Congress and are intended to be provided to congressional offices following each meeting. Although we will review the content during Leadership Day, please take the time to thoroughly read the issue briefs in advance of the event to prepare.
Issue Briefs
- Coming soon
Issue Training
- Coming soon
ACP Vaccination and Masking Policy
Masking
Currently, the District of Columbia community level of COVID-19 is rated “Low” by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. Under these community conditions, masking is not required, but ACP encourages masking as a caring precaution to protect each other. If you choose not to mask, please be respectful of others and their level of comfort and be mindful of proximity to those who may not be comfortable without masking due to their personal risk assessment. Every precaution allowable will be taken during meals at the event to help ensure the health and safety of attendees. Dining with the group is a choice based on each individual’s comfort level.
Vaccination
ACP expects everyone who participates in-person at Leadership Day to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines per the CDC’s recommendations. Up-to-date means having received all doses in the primary series and one booster when eligible, which will be different depending on age, health status, what vaccine was received first and when. A second booster is not necessary to be considered up to date. Anyone who will not be up to date at the time of the event should contact ACP beforehand to discuss their situation and ACP will determine whether or not they may attend.