President's Message

50 Years and Counting ... Finding the Next Path
NAPCRG is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and yet at this moment, it’s hard to feel jovial. Juxtaposed to this celebration of achievement is another historic health inequity now codified in the United States with a recent court decision that overturned federal protections for abortion rights and freedom of choice.
Women’s rights in the United States have been rolled back 100 years. Women have lost a basic right to make decisions about their health and well-being based on their needs. You can read the NAPCRG Board’s position on this issue on our website.
Anniversaries conjure reminiscences and prognostications. While celebrating past successes and cherishing those who accomplished them, we must also scan the horizon and contemplate our future. The Board is equipped to do that and committed to its own learning and development.
In its May meeting, the Board engaged in a facilitated session to reflect on NAPCRG’s growth and next milestones. The environment has changed rapidly in several ways. We have a relatively new strategic plan in place. We also know that the meetings landscape has enabled more virtual opportunities. And volunteer fatigue is prevalent. This dynamic is not unique to NAPCRG; it’s common in many membership organizations. NAPCRG’s operating committees (those committees responsible for routine programs and initiatives) have typically been busy, and the pandemic forced even fuller plates in terms of personal and professional obligations. As a result, we’ve seen more stress, burnout, virtual fatigue, and budget and staffing challenges within academic medicine. We feel your pain.
These dynamics led us to ponder whether we are positioned as a membership organization in our practices, decision making and committee and Board structure to advance our strategic priorities and to grow and sustain NAPCRG in the future.
- Staff vs Board Roles: The Board decides wise and consequential actions, setting the organization's direction, ensuring and allocating resources, and planning succession. Buoyed with professional staff with expertise in implementing policies and programs, the Executive Director (CEO) decides how to implement the decisions made, how to carry out the policy, how to achieve the mission and vision of the Board and presents progress to the Board.
This division of responsibilities is similar to what you have observed in organizations familiar to you. For instance, in a medical school, the Board of Directors is a set of elected (or appointed) advisors who have great interest in the organization's success and interview and hire the Dean to carry out the medical school's mission. There are many layers under the Dean through the departments and educational curricula that the Board does not decide. Instead, the Dean works within the budget to realize the goal of sustaining physician education and medical discoveries. When education moved to the flipped classroom, the Dean was responsible for facilitating this change via his/her/their faculty, not the Board.
Likewise, our Executive Director has the responsibility to oversee the implementation of programs and services, ensuring adherence to NAPCRG mission, policy, and budgets. For instance, the Executive Director organized virtual conferences to serve our members when COVID prevented in-person meetings. While staff confer with committees, the decision making between committees and staff are distinct. Staff manages budget and program administration while committees oversee direction.
In December, we will launch the nominations process where members will be invited to consider service on the Board. Think deeply about your ability to serve. Board members are responsible for:
- Set direction. Direct “what”, not “how”. Examples: The Board establishes policy but not direct how to carry it out. The Board sets goals but does not direct the plans to achieve them.
- Provide oversight.
- Ensure and allocate resources.
- Plan succession.
Source: Mark Engle, DM, FASAE, CAE – AMC Principal
Learn more about committee service at the Annual Meeting in Phoenix. Committees will meet onsite, and the schedule will be published with other meeting materials. The staff will be reaching out to committee chairs in the coming weeks to get these meetings set up.
The Board is committed to building on a culture of inquiry and collegiality, open to new practices adapted from other high performing boards. As we celebrate NAPCRG’s anniversary, we are grateful to past leaders who anchored NAPCRG in a bright future. We need new leaders to navigate the new horizon, looking past our current strategic plan to locate NAPCRG’s next position.
For questions or to identify yourself for future opportunities, please contact Executive Director Julie Sutter (jsutter@napcrg.org).
Best wishes,
Diane M Harper, MD, MPH, MS
Meetings and Events
CME Credit Details Now Available for PBRN 2022
Thank you to everyone who contributed to make our 2022 Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) Conference in Bethesda, Maryland a success June 2-3. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) approved our Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit application.
The AAFP has reviewed the 2022 Practice-based Research Network (PBRN) Conference and deemed it acceptable for up to 11.00 Live AAFP Prescribed credits. Term of approval is from 06/02/2022 to 06/03/2022. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Attendance certificates are available on our website to help you facilitate your CME requirements.
Register for 2022 ICPF Early Bird Rates
This year’s International Conference on Practice is happening September 8-9 at the Hyatt Regency in Savannah, Georgia (U.S.). Early-bird registration rates are available now for a $100 savings. Learn more
Mark Your Calendars for the 50th Annual Meeting
Block time on your schedule to attend the NAPCRG Annual Meeting November 18-22 in Phoenix, Arizona. This event includes learning, networking and activities to commemorate our 50th anniversary. Key upcoming dates are:
- July: Presenters notified of submission acceptance
- August: Registration opens
- August 16: Student, Resident and Fellows call for papers closes
Learn more
AACOM/AOGME Virtual Residency Fair
The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) and Assembly of Osteopathic Graduate Medical Educators (AOGME) are hosting the 4th annual 2022 AACOM/AOGME Virtual Residency Fair. Friday, August 5 from Noon - 8 p.m. EASTERN, medical students have a chance to learn more about residency programs, their recruitment plans and selection criteria, and programs will connect virtually with potential candidates. Learn more
Opportunities to Engage: Research, Scholarship, Leadership
CASFM Co-Chair Positions Open
CASFM (Committee on Advancing the Science of Family Medicine) has three open co-chair positions. Each workgroup has a U.S. and non-U.S. co-chair. These available positions are for non-U.S. co-chairs.
Please contact napcrgoffice@napcrg.org if you're interested in finding out more information.
BRC Fellowship Applications are Now Open
The 2022-2023 BRC Fellowship Applications are now open! The purpose of Fellowship is to equip individuals with the knowledge, leadership skills, mentorship, and peer support to develop and implement a strategic plan for building research capacity within their own programs, departments, or institutions. Read more here.
ADFM LEADS Fellowship Call for Applications Opens
The 2023-2024 ADFM LEADS Fellowship Call for Applications Is Open! The ADFM LEADS Fellowship Program is designed for: Those who are interested in learning more about whether senior leadership positions in academic family medicine might be a good career fit and for those who aspire to become a senior leader in academic medicine or an academically affiliated health system. Read more here
Other News
CFPC Names New Executive Director and CEO
College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) has announced that Dr. Lawrence Loh will be appointed as the new Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine, effective September 26, 2022. Dr. Loh succeeds Dr. Francine Lemire, who is retiring after 10 years of dedicated service as CEO.
We offer congratulations to Dr. Loh for the new role and wish Dr. Lemire the best for retirement. Read more here.
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