Congratulations to Drs. Afrookteh and Chow on National Awards
(October 2024) We are pleased to announce that Ali J Afrookteh, MD MACP is the recipient of Mastership. Robert T Chow, MD MACP is the recipient of the Faith T. Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding Educator of Residents and Fellows.
The first MACP in the College was presented in 1923 to Dr. James M. Anders, who served the College as President for two terms. He was recognized for extraordinary service to the College and for being one of the most outstanding internists and medical teachers of his day.
The Faith T. Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding Educator of Residents and Fellows recognizes an ACP member who is a distinguished educator who spends a significant amount of time teaching residents and fellows.
Please join me in congratulating them and celebrating this accomplishment at Internal Medicine Meeting 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. To view the full list of national awardees, click here.
Congratulations 2024 Maryland Chapter Awardees
Diversity & Inclusion Award - Pauline Daley Richards, MD, FACP
Theodore E. Woodward Award for Medical Education - David I. Zolet, MD, FACP
Samuel P. Asper Award for Excellence in Internal Medicine - Peter C. Belitsos, MD, FACP
Mary Betty Stevens Award for Clinical Research - Somnath Saha, MD, FACP
Early Career Physician Award - Sarah Johnson Conway, MD
Mid-Career Physician - Asha M. Thomas, MD, FACP, FACE
Hospitalist Award - Hari Devkota, MD, FACP
Mackowiak Student Achievement Award - Carolina Lopez Silva
Governor's Service Award - R. Dobbin Chow, MD, MACP
Congratulations New Chapter Fellows
- Syed Moez Shah Bukhari, MBBS MD FACP
- Uvesh Mansuri, MD FACP
- Stasia S Reynolds, MD FACP
(September 2024) Congratulations to the Chapter's new Fellows. Fellowship in the College is an honor. Being an FACP® is a distinction earned from colleagues who recognize your accomplishments and achievements over and above the practice of medicine. The most important considerations for ACP Fellowship are excellence and contributions made to both medicine and to the broader community in which the internal medicine physician lives and practices.
2024 Chapter Excellence Award-Gold Level Winner
(August 2024) We are pleased to announce that our chapter is in receipt of the Gold Level of the 2024 Chapter Excellence Award! The award recognizes truly extraordinary chapters that surpass excellence in chapter management. We are in the company of 59 other outstanding chapters. In order to achieve the Gold Level of the Chapter Excellence Award, chapters must meet 20 Bronze criteria, 14 Silver criteria and multiple Gold level activities. Criteria include such activities as having a legislative action plan or agenda, holding a volunteerism/community service activity, holding multiple stand-alone meetings, having revenue sources outside of dues and meeting registration fees, implementing a strategic plan, implementing a formal recruitment and retention plan and measuring outcomes, conducting various activities for Medical Students, Residents and Early Career Physicians. We would like to extend a special thanks to those chapter members who assisted us in all of these endeavors! For their hard work and dedication, we received this award.
Empower Your Advocacy: Introducing Our Comprehensive Toolkit
(August 2024) We are excited to announce the launch of our Advocacy Toolkit: Using Your Voice as a Physician Advocate, a powerful resource designed to equip medical students and physicians with the skills and knowledge needed to become effective advocates for health care in their communities. This toolkit comprises five self-contained and independent modules, each presented as engaging voice-over PowerPoint presentations. Whether you're a seasoned advocate or new to the field, these modules offer valuable insights and practical guidance.
Module Highlights
Physician as Advocate
- Discover advocacy tips and real-life examples that showcase how physicians can use their voice to drive positive health outcomes in their communities. This module emphasizes the pivotal role of physicians in advocating for public health.
Legislative Advocacy
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of the legislative process at both state and federal levels. Learn about the opportunities available for physician advocacy within this process and how to navigate the legislative landscape effectively.
Print Media Advocacy
- Explore the various types of print media, their audiences, and their scope in the realm of advocacy. This module provides insights into crafting compelling messages that resonate with readers and drive change through traditional media channels.
Social Media Advocacy
- Delve into the dynamic world of social media and its potential as a powerful advocacy tool. Learn about the key features of different social media platforms and how to leverage them to amplify your advocacy efforts and engage a broader audience.
Audio Media Advocacy
- Understand the motivations and uses of audio media in advocacy. This module focuses on the unique advantages of podcasts, radio, and other audio formats, offering strategies to effectively communicate your advocacy messages through these channels.
Each module begins with a standard introduction and overview, followed by an in-depth exploration of the topic, and concludes with a concise one-page outline to reinforce key points.
Toolkit: Using Your Voice As A Physician Advocate
By integrating these modules into your advocacy efforts, you will be better equipped to influence public health policy and drive meaningful change. Empower yourself and your community with the tools and knowledge provided in our Advocacy Toolkit.
Together, let's make a difference!
State Health Advocacy August Recess Grassroots Mobilization Challenge
(August 2024) Members of Congress are returning home to their districts during the August congressional recess. During this time, ACP is calling on internal medicine physicians to engage their representatives on important issues we need Congress to act on before the end of 2024.
To incentivize participation in this grassroots mobilization, the Advocates for Internal Medicine Network (ACP grassroots network) is challenging members to see which states will have the highest engagement. Advocates can score points for their states by choosing to take one or more advocacy actions identified in the campaign.
Access the August Recess Grassroots Mobilization Challenge Now!
Congratulations New Chapter Fellows
- Manal Alotaibi, MBBS AHP FACP
- Forster Chhean, MD FACP
- Raman B Kaneria, MD FACP
- Keshav Khanijow, MD FACP
- Kelly W Koay, MD FACP
- Lekshmi Narayan Raghavakurup, MBBS MD FACP
(July 2024) Congratulations to the Chapter's new Fellows. Fellowship in the College is an honor. Being an FACP® is a distinction earned from colleagues who recognize your accomplishments and achievements over and above the practice of medicine. The most important considerations for ACP Fellowship are excellence and contributions made to both medicine and to the broader community in which the internal medicine physician lives and practices.
Call for Spring 2025 Resolutions
(July 2024) Are you concerned about a practice or clinical issue or have an idea you would like to suggest? If so, you might consider submitting a resolution to your Governor or chapter council.
Initiating a resolution provides ACP members an opportunity to focus attention at the ACP national level on a particular issue or topic that concerns them. Participating in the Board of Governors resolutions process provides the ACP grassroots member a voice and allows you to shape College policy that impacts the practice of internal medicine.
Not sure how to begin drafting a resolution? Researching the College's position on an issue can give you a start. The ACP Board of Governors Resolutions Guide for ACP Members is available to download and will help, too. The Guide was created to provide members a short overview of the resolutions process essentials and highlights critical ACP online resources you must use.
Once drafted, members must submit resolutions to their Governor and/or chapter council. Chapter council approval is required to move resolutions forward to ACP national. Although not official ACP policy, a resolution becomes property of the chapter once the chapter council approves forwarding it to national. If effecting change interests you, the deadline for submitting new resolutions to be heard at the Spring 2025 Board of Governors Meeting is September 27, 2024.
Share your good idea with us. Draft a resolution.
We want to hear from you: Fall 2024 BOG Resolutions
(July 2024) The following resolutions are up for consideration at the Fall 2024 Board of Governors (BOG) Meeting. We invite you to review each resolution and share your support or opposition by completing the electronic response form by August 12.
- Developing Policy to Address Consolidation in Healthcare
- Gaining an Understanding of the 1-Year and 3-Year Mortality Rates of Patients that Have Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Stays
- Supporting Patients’ Access to Documentation and Communications in their Preferred Language
- Declaring Access to Equitable, Affordable Healthcare is a Human Right
- Developing Policy on Reducing Traffic Fatalities and Injuries in the United States
- Revising ACP’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Policy to Promote an Age-Friendly Professional Home and Create Engagement Opportunities for Senior and Retired Physicians
- Advocating for Funding of a Direct Comparison of Two Highly Touted Dietary Approaches to Control Type Two Diabetes Clinical Measures and Costs
Resolutions provide our members an opportunity to focus attention at the national level on particular issues or topics that concern you and gives grassroots members a voice, allowing you to shape College policy that impacts the practice of internal medicine. Involvement in the resolutions feedback process is essential for maintaining a responsive and effective professional organization that truly represents its members.
Your feedback is valuable and will be forwarded to your Governor to assist in their testimony on behalf of the chapter. Thank you for your input.
(NOTE: Proposed resolutions should be considered confidential information and are intended to be viewed by ACP members only. Under no circumstances should proposed resolutions be shared with the news media or social networking media, nor should they be shared with other individuals and organizations. Proposed resolutions do not represent ACP policy.)
New Volunteerism Co−Chairs!
Our Volunteerism committee is now into its second year - and they have done some amazing activities thus far:
• Gift Wrapping & Stuffing Holiday Stockings with the United Way
• Sandwiches for Beans & Bread
• Mittens/Scarf Drive at Chapter meeting
• Meal making for the Meals on Wheels.
Dr. Panigas Galiatsatos has been a wonderful volunteer chairperson during these past two years, and we thank him so much for his service on behalf of the MD ACP.
The committee is hoping to expand in a number of ways, including hosting more events, having events outside of the metropolitan area; and have not one but two co-chairs as we move forward.
We would like to welcome Drs. Gurpreet Kaur Saini and Jyotsna Gummadi as our two new co-chairs! Please take a moment to meet our new co-chairs and read their bios below.
We hope that you will consider becoming part of this group.
Dr. Gurpreet Kaur Saini
My dedication and interest to volunteerism is deeply rooted in my religious Sikh heritage, where Seva (selfless service) is a core principle. I actively participate in healthcare education, such as delivering public talks on hypertension, diabetes, and wellness to raise health awareness. I also serve on the board of the Queen Anne’s County Library, further dedicating myself to community service. Through the board meetings, I learn about education and library system in United States and give feedback on multiple issues.
I have worked in HPSA (Health Professional Shortage Areas) regions on Eastern Shore of Maryland and have led efforts to address healthcare disparities. During this time, I was also Clinical Preceptor for University of Maryland Eastern Shore Physician Assistant Program in medically underserved area.
By utilizing local media platforms to discuss critical health issues and primary care, I have significantly raised health awareness in underserved communities. As co-chair of the Volunteer Committee, I would like to lead impactful initiatives focused on community health screenings, educational outreach in schools, churches and other community spaces, mentorship programs for aspiring medical professionals and medical residents, and collaborations with local organizations.
Dr. Jyotsna Gummadi
I am excited to serve as Co-Chair of the Volunteerism Committee at ACP Maryland chapter. I graduated from medical school in India and finished my residency at MedStar Harbor Hospital, and I have been working as a hospitalist at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland for the past 8 years. In 2023, I became a fellow of the ACP.
My passion to help others, especially those in need, is what made me choose this wonderful committee. I enjoy the sense of overall appreciation, satisfaction of life when I volunteer or help others.
Happy Anniversary to our Chapter Members!
5 Years
- Kevin A Rossiter, MD FACP
- Adriana C Maldonado-Brem, MD
- Stephen Creekmore, MD
- Norman M Dy, MD FACP
- Raman B Kaneria, MD
- Faheem Younus, FACP MBBS
- Grant H Louie, MD
- Liaqat Ali, MD
- Rachel B Levine, MD
- Haritha Pendli, MBBS
- Jonathan B Cohen, MD FACP
- Biruk Tafesse Amare, MD
- Ali H Alsayed Hussain, MD
- Keshav Khanijow, MD
- Christelle Judith Nong Libend, MD
- Serena M Ogunwole, MD FACP
- Julie Vaughn, MD
- Michael U Brady, MD
- Shahabuddin Soherwardi, MD FACP
- Forster Chhean, MD
- Mark E Sutherland, MD
- Mustafa Khaliqi, MD
- Donald Breakey
- Jesse L McDermeit, MD
- Bobby V Mathew, MD
- Aseem Sood, MD
- Durotimi D Ayodeji, MD
- Lindsey Macnabb, MD
- Deborah Alema-Mensah
- Khalid Hajjir
- Yuliya Nemchenko
- Rahul R Bhoite, MBBS FACP
- Muhammad Z Malik, MD
- Dima Hnoosh, MD FACP
- Basak Saracoglu, MD
- Jeffrey Gerbino, MD
- Michael Neri, MD
- Jessica Lee, MD
- Joanna M Saba, MD
- Gina Riccardi, MD
- Christopher Haas, MD PhD FACP
- Carly Gordon, MD
- Eric A Ritter, MD
- Shabbir A Choudhry, MD
- Nirav G Shah, MD
10 Years
- Mohammad E Oreizi-Esfahani, MD FACP
- Anthea E Nwandu, MD FACP
- Roobila Naz, FACP MBBS MD
- Heather N Lorenzo, MD FACP
- Danny E Lee, MD FACP
- Karl H Quist-Therson, MBChB
- Marsha R Shaw, MD FACP
- Shoshana Jo Weiner, MD FACP
- Natalie M Branagan, MD FACP
- Jane G Gwira, MD FACP
- Chinedu O Ejike, MD FACP
- Asima Rahman, MD FACP
- Nargiz Muganlinskaya, MD FACP
- Yordanka Y Kirkova, MD
- Omar Syed Ahmad, MD FACP
- Sunita Sharma, MBBS FACP
- Nathan Gray, MD FACP
- Michael Isaac Ellenbogen
- Hom Nath Pant, MD FACP
- Lekshmi Narayan Raghavakurup, MBBS
- Ashley Kinder, MD FACP
- Abiy A Aregawi, MD FACP
- Meng Y Wang, MD
- Bhuwan Kayastha, MBBS FACP
- John M Lee, MD
- Mary Grace S. Tanguilan, MD
- Reuben E Abraham, MD
- James A Clyne, DO
- Sara Mixter, MD
- Barakelle G Haile, MD
- Adam R Berliner, MD
- Ujwal Thapa, MD
15 Years
- Krishna Gandotra, MD
- Linda A Lee, MD FACP
- Mini A Panikar, MD FACP
- Stuart M Levine, MD FACP
- Craig L Gold, DO
- Stephen M Sozio, MD FACP
- Erica N Johnson, MD FACP
- Navara Malayaman, MD FACP
- Michael A Grasso, FACP MD PhD
- Hawa Massaquoi Osime, MD
- Jekaterina Tretyakov, MD FACP
- Andre S Colaco, MD
- Shams T Quazi, MD FACP
- Manish Dhiraj Shah, MD
- J Kevin Lynch, MD FACP
- Norman F Retener, MD FACP
- Ravindra Karmarkar, MD FACP
20 Years
- Pankaj R Desai, MD FACP
- Kamalendra N Mondal, MD
- Jonathan M Zenilman, MD FACP
- Kimberly S Peairs, MD FACP
- Cielito M Aguinaldo, MD FACP
- Jennifer L Hayashi, MD
- Maria E Romero, MD
- Deepnarayan Tiwarri, MD
- Joseph M Fuscaldo, MD FACP
- Leonard S Feldman, MD FACP
- Shaista U Ahmed, MBBS FACP
- Rabin K Shrestha, MBBS
- Taana Pradip Viviano, MD
- Shahriar Amin, MD FACP
- Philip E Shaheen, MD
- Christopher C Costa, MD FACP
- Camille Tawil, MD FACP
- Alice Lee, MD FACP
- Regina M Gan-Carden, MD FACP
- Rachelle A Smith, MD
- Himani Singh Shishodia, MD
- Nayantara M Mendonca, MD
- Robert Aldo Paz, MD
(May 2024) Your ACP Chapter thanks you for your continued Membership and all you do every day to serve your patients and support the future of internal medicine. We’re proud that you’ve chosen us as your professional home, and we’re committed to remaining by your side—advocating for and supporting your professional journey.
BOR Action on Spring 2024 BOG Resolutions
(May 2024) A summary of Board of Regents (BOR) actions on resolutions debated at the Spring 2024 Board of Governors (BOG) meeting is now available. Resolutions initiated by ACP members and endorsed by a chapter council and the BOG become ACP policy when adopted by the BOR.
If you have an idea you would like to suggest to ACP, consider submitting a resolution to your Governor or local ACP chapter. Visit the advocacy section of your ACP chapter website for more information on how to propose a resolution.
Congratulations New Chapter Fellow
- Stephen Orion Courtin, MD FACP
(April 2024) Congratulations to the Chapter's new Fellow. Fellowship in the College is an honor. Being an FACP® is a distinction earned from colleagues who recognize your accomplishments and achievements over and above the practice of medicine. The most important considerations for ACP Fellowship are excellence and contributions made to both medicine and to the broader community in which the internal medicine physician lives and practices.
2024 John Tooker Evergreen Awards
(April 2024) The John Tooker Evergreen Awards Program provides opportunities to recognize the valuable contributions of ACP Chapters as they strive to enrich, educate, and engage membership. In 2024, ACP recognized ten winning chapters. Our Chapter received the 2024 John Tooker Evergreen Award for our initiative, CRAB Soccer Tournament
CRAB Soccer Tournament
In 2014, our Chief Residents Association of Baltimore (CRAB) proposed a soccer tournament with teams from each residency program in Maryland. The goals were to promote well-being through physical activity, foster camaraderie among residents from different programs, and with the Maryland ACP Chapter. The tournament has grown each year and is now one of the most important events our chapter hosts. We encourage non-soccer players to come and enjoy dinner, cheer on others, and post on social media. By 2023, 100 residents and family members were in attendance with 7 teams.
For more information on the John Tooker Evergreen Awards, contact Dana Acord.
SHM/MD ACP Hosts a Wonderful Workshop – Much Thanks & Kudos to All!
The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) Maryland Chapter and the Maryland ACP held a joint workshop “All the World’s A Stage: Acting and Improvisation Exercises to Promote Collaborative Clinical Community” on February 2, 2024.
Dr. Bernard “Beau” Landry-Wegener, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine at Johns Hopkins designed and led this engaging session. Beau is especially interested in using arts-based instructional strategies to teach medical trainees communication skills and aid in their professional identity formation and applied his training as an actor to lead this highly engaging workshop.
The workshop was a smashing hit! Our Vice President, Dr. Janaki Deepak, indicated that she started using the communication skills taught by Dr. Landry-Wegener the day after the workshop.
We are so grateful to Beau for sharing his expertise and for helping us be better communicators and collaborators.
Our MD ACP also appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with the Maryland Chapter of The Society of Hospital Medicine and will look forward to a future workshop together later in 2024.
Take a moment and look at the pictures which show the palpable joy being expressed by our participants.
Member Feedback is Requested on Spring 2024 Resolutions
(February 2024) Twenty-one (21) resolutions will be considered at the Spring 2024 Board of Governors (BOG) Meeting. With the exception of Resolution 9-S24, which will not be debated because this resolution is slated for adoption as a reaffirmation, please review each resolution and then indicate your support or opposition by completing the electronic response form by the deadline your ACP Chapter Governor has requested or by midnight March 13, whichever comes first.
Your comments will be forwarded to your Governor to be used as part of his/her testimony on behalf of the chapter. If you have any questions, please contact Mary Giampietro, BOG Administrator, at chapter@acpmembership.org. Thank you for your input.
(NOTE: Proposed resolutions should be considered confidential information and are intended to be viewed by ACP members only. Under no circumstances should proposed resolutions be shared with the news media or social networking media, nor should they be shared with other individuals and organizations. Proposed resolutions do not represent ACP policy.)
Call for Fall 2024 Resolutions
(February 2024) Are you concerned about a practice or clinical issue or have an idea you'd like to suggest? If so, you might consider submitting a resolution to your Governor or chapter council.
Initiating a resolution provides ACP members an opportunity to focus attention at the ACP national level on a particular issue or topic that concerns them. Participating in the Board of Governors resolutions process provides the ACP grassroots member a voice and allows you to shape College policy that impacts the practice of internal medicine.
Not sure how to begin drafting a resolution? Researching the College's position on an issue can give you a start. The just released ACP Board of Governors Resolutions Guide for ACP Members is now available to download and will help, too. The Guide was created to provide members a short overview of the resolutions process essentials and highlights critical ACP online resources you must use.
Once drafted, members must submit resolutions to their Governor and/or chapter council. Chapter council approval is required to move resolutions forward to ACP national. Although not official ACP policy, a resolution becomes property of the chapter once the chapter council approves forwarding it to national. If effecting change interests you, the deadline for submitting new resolutions to be heard at the Fall 2024 Board of Governors Meeting is March 29, 2024.
Share your good idea with us. Draft a resolution.
Congratulations New Chapter Fellows
- Sonia P Dalal, MD FACP
- Kevin W O'Malley, MD FACP
- Ravi K Tripathi, MD FACP
- Mini A Panikar, MD FACP
(February 2024) Congratulations to the Chapter's new Fellows. Fellowship in the College is an honor. Being an FACP® is a distinction earned from colleagues who recognize your accomplishments and achievements over and above the practice of medicine. The most important considerations for ACP Fellowship are excellence and contributions made to both medicine and to the broader community in which the internal medicine physician lives and practices.
Chapter Speakers at Internal Medicine Meeting 2024
(December 2023) We’d like to bring attention to our local chapter members who will be presenting as faculty at ACP’s Internal Medicine Meeting 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts this April. Early-bird registration is available through January. For a full schedule or for more information on the meeting, click here.
| Brian | Garibaldi | Clinical Skills Center | Teaching Bedside Clinical Skills in the 21st Century | |
| Ariel | Green | Pre-course | Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine for Internal Medicine Physicians | Tuesday, April 16, 2024 |
| Eliseo | Guallar | Panel | Understanding Clinical Research: How to Be a Better-Informed Consumer of the Medical Literature | Saturday, April 20, 2024 |
| Anuj | Gupta | Meet the Professor | Chronic Peripheral Artery Disease for the Internal Medicine Physician | Thursday, April 18, 2024 |
| Bruce | Leff | Meet the Professor | Hospital at Home for Older Adults: Outcomes and Implementation | Friday, April 19, 2024 |
| Nkemdilim | Mgbojikwe | Update | Update in Hospital Medicine | Friday, April 19, 2024 |
| Timothy | Niessen | Clinical Skills Center | Teaching Bedside Clinical Skills in the 21st Century | |
| Rita | Rastogi Kalyani | Meet the Professor | Type 2 Diabetes: Beyond Metformin | Friday, April 19, 2024 |
| Janet | Record | Clinical Skills Center | Teaching Bedside Clinical Skills in the 21st Century |
BOR Action on Fall 2023 BOG Resolutions
(December 2023) A summary of Board of Regents (BOR) actions on resolutions debated at the Fall 2023 Board of Governors (BOG) meeting is now available. Resolutions initiated by ACP members and endorsed by a chapter council and the BOG become ACP policy when adopted by the BOR.
If you have an idea you would like to suggest to ACP, consider submitting a resolution to your Governor or local ACP chapter. Visit the advocacy section of your ACP chapter website for more information on how to propose a resolution.
Congratulations New Chapter Fellows
- Jyotsna Gummadi, MBBS FACP
- Miriam B Michael, MD FACP
- Athmananda Nanjundappa, MBBS FACP
- Waseem Khaliq, MD FACP
- Bijay Risal, MD FACP
- Sunita Sharma, MBBS FACP
(November 2023) Congratulations to the Chapter's new Fellows. Fellowship in the College is an honor. Being an FACP® is a distinction earned from colleagues who recognize your accomplishments and achievements over and above the practice of medicine. The most important considerations for ACP Fellowship are excellence and contributions made to both medicine and to the broader community in which the internal medicine physician lives and practices.
AMAZING Soccer Tournament
(October 2023) Our 10th Annual Maryland ACP Soccer tournament held September 28, 2023, was a resounding success! We had 7 teams participate this year including a student team from the University of Maryland who gave our residents a “run for their money.” We also had an entire cheerleading bench, and around 80 attendees.
But of course when the soccer balls were finally at a standstill, we did have a winner and second place for this tournament. Congrats to our FIRST PLACE winners, MHIM! This is the first time that MHIM has won the tournament so special kudos to the group. Congratulations also to University of Maryland/VA who came up through the loser’s bracket and almost pulled off a repeat victory similar to last year.
Thanks to all of the programs who allowed us to have 7 teams including - UMMC/VA, UMMC/Midtown, GBMC, St. Agnes, Sinai, MHIM and University of Maryland students.
We cannot send enough “thanks” to our programs who participate each year and come ready to play. This is an amazing event, and we believe it is the only one in the country for residents.
2023 Chapter Excellence Award – Gold Winner
We are pleased to announce that our chapter is in receipt of the Gold Level of the 2023 Chapter Excellence Award! The award recognizes truly extraordinary chapters that surpass excellence in chapter management. We are in the company of 54 other outstanding chapters. In order to achieve the Gold Level of the Chapter Excellence Award, chapters must meet nineteen Bronze criteria, seventeen Silver criteria and multiple Gold level activities. Criteria include such activities as having a legislative action plan or agenda, holding a volunteerism/community service activity, holding multiple stand-alone meetings, having revenue sources outside of dues and meeting registration fees, implementing a strategic plan, implementing a formal recruitment and retention plan and measuring outcomes, conducting various activities for Medical Students, Residents and Early Career Physicians.
We would like to extend a special thanks to those chapter members who assisted us in all of these endeavors! For their hard work and dedication, we received this award.
First CRAB Meeting – A Wonderful Kick-off to 23-24!
(August 2023) Our first Chief Residents Association of Baltimore (CRAB) hosted another successful kick-off to 23-24. Thanks to all of our CRAB members who were able to attend the meeting/dinner on Thursday evening. We are sharing a picture with you of our attendees. Great company & great food – what could be better?
We were able to accomplish much and would like to share some with you for your calendar.
Our first and most important item was the election of our new CRAB co-chairs – Drs. Omer Bajwa (AAMC); Maria Martinez Cruz (MHIM); Cydney Nguyen (UMMC/VA); and Sravanti Barla (St. Agnes Hospital). We also have Chiefs who have kindly volunteered to assist with Twitter (Dr. Shiavax Rao) and Instagram (Dr. Pooja Patel).
Please share these dates and chapter activities with your residents and faculty:
- Soccer Tournament – September 28, 6:00 PM, Brooklyn Park Youth Fields (See the flyer attached). Which residency program will emerge as the victors this year?
- Volunteerism Activity –September 18, 6:30 PM at St. Leo’s Church in Little Italy, MD. Making sandwiches for the homeless for Beans & Bread. All are welcome!
- Bocce Ball & Pizza – Welcome to Baltimore – September 30, 11:00 to 12:30 – Bocce Ball Courts in LI – for residents & students, sponsored by our IMG committee -- Come for the Game & Tips about settling in to B’More.
- Melting Potluck Dinner – Thursday, December 7, 6:30 PM - St. Agnes Auditorium – Presentation: Financial Contract & Negotiations – Graduate Budget 101 - – Please bring a dish to share and we hope a few people will share a story about a holiday tradition too after the formal presentation.
- Acupuncture Workshop – October 28, 2023, 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM –VA Loch Raven MD – Detailed info available in September. Dr. Xiangrong Shao and Sayed Khan will teach us some basic techniques in a hands-on workshop
- Doctors Dilemma Contest – January 27, 1:15 to 5:00 PM at Turf Valley, or better yet, join us for the whole ACP Maryland Chapter Meeting Friday January 26-Saturday January 27. Great talks, and residents and students join for free.
- Mulholland Mohler Residents Meeting – Thursday, May 9, 2024 at St. Agnes Hospital, 8:00 Registration
There were many suggestions for future activities and our CRAB co-chairs will be meeting in September to discuss which events they would like to move forward with. Look for information after this meeting.
We Request Your Feedback on the Proposed Fall 2023 Board of Governors Resolutions
(August 2023) We would like to request your feedback regarding resolutions that will be considered at the Fall 2023 Board of Governors Meeting. With the exception of Resolution 3-F23 which was accepted as a reaffirmation and will not be debated, please review the balance of the slate and then indicate your support or opposition by completing the resolutions electronic response form by August 30th.
After considering the intent of each resolution and how it fits with the College’s Mission and Goals, please provide your feedback on each resolution and indicate your support or opposition by completing the electronic response form by August 30. Your input will be used as part of testimony on behalf of the chapter.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to provide comments regarding these resolutions. By providing your feedback on the Board of Governors resolutions, you have helped to shape College policy that impacts the practice of internal medicine.
Congratulations New Chapter Fellows
- Simona C Eng, DO FACP
- Sonal Gandhi, MD FACP
- Saumitra Kant, MD FACP
- Hamid Kiabayan, MD FACP
(July 2023) Congratulations to the Chapter's new Fellows. Fellowship in the College is an honor. Being an FACP® is a distinction earned from colleagues who recognize your accomplishments and achievements over and above the practice of medicine. The most important considerations for ACP Fellowship are excellence and contributions made to both medicine and to the broader community in which the internal medicine physician lives and practices.
Call for Spring 2024 BOG Resolutions
(July 2023) Are you concerned about a practice or clinical issue or have an idea you'd like to suggest? If so, you might consider submitting a resolution to your Governor or chapter council.
Initiating a resolution provides ACP members an opportunity to focus attention at the ACP national level on a particular issue or topic that concerns them. Participating in the Board of Governors resolutions process provides the ACP grassroots member a voice and allows you to shape College policy that impacts the practice of internal medicine.
Not sure how to begin drafting a resolution? Researching the College's position on an issue can give you a start. The recently released ACP Board of Governors Resolutions Guide for ACP Members is now available to download and will help, too. The Guide was created to provide members a short overview of the resolutions process essentials and highlights critical ACP online resources you must use.
Once drafted, members must submit resolutions to their Governor and/or chapter council. Chapter council approval to move resolutions forward to ACP national is required. A resolution becomes a resolution of the chapter once the chapter council approves forwarding it to national. If effecting change interests you, the deadline for submitting new resolutions to be heard at the Spring 2024 Board of Governors Meeting is October 16, 2023.
Share your good idea with us. Draft a resolution.
BOR Action on Spring 2023 BOG Resolutions
(June 2023) summary of Board of Regents (BOR) actions on resolutions debated at the Spring 2023 Board of Governors (BOG) meeting is now available. Resolutions initiated by ACP members and endorsed by a chapter council and the BOG become ACP policy when adopted by the BOR.
MD ACP Photos of Interest to you!
(June 2023) The MD ACP has been very active during the last few months. Our committees have been meeting and we have several photos that we wanted to share with you. Please be sure to look at the following from some of these events including the IMM2023 in San Diego, new Senior group, Leadership Day at the Capital, and our Visual Arts at Vacarro's.
Another Amazing MM Residents Meeting - A Day to Celebrate Our Residents!
(May 2023) Another amazing and wonderful MD ACP Mulholland Mohler Residents meeting was held on May 11. Our goal of having a GREAT event for our residents was once again achieved. Just a small way to show our appreciation to them.
We also want to take this opportunity to send a few thanks to some special folks:
Thanks to …
Dr. Sapna Kuehl and all of her folks at St. Agnes Hospital, including the award-winning Karen Reyes and Dr. Surendra Sapkota who took all of the beautiful pictures from the event.
Our Judge Leaders and ALL of our Judges with over 40 in attendance and their participation at this event.
Dr. Dobbin Chow who was our “Commissioner” for the day making sure that all ran smoothly.
Our 2 moderators, Drs. Dave Weisman and Christopher Haas, who made sure that the oral sessions ran smoothly and amazingly on time.
Our students from SAH who were able to assist over 182 research and poster presenters to locate and set up their boards for presentations.
All of the Chiefs at our area programs who not only participated in the Chief Resident competition by acting as judges but also made sure that we had a wonderful Profiles in Excellence video.
And thanks to all of our programs for being part of the complicated but efficient system we have for this meeting.
Photos from the 2023 Mulholland Mohler Meeting
Looking forward to another wonderful year for 2024. Please view the list of awardees and please be sure to send your congratulations to them!
Colleen Christmas, MD, FACP
ACP Governor, Maryland Chapter
Chapter Members Elected to ACP Fellowship
(March 2023) We would like to congratulate our chapter members on election to Fellow of the American College of Physicians. The distinction recognizes achievements in internal medicine.
Robert J Degrazia Jr, MD FACP
Christopher Haas, MD PhD FACP
Dima Hnoosh, MD FACP
Maximilian Konig, MD FACP
Sumon Roy, MD FACP
Swaroop Shanker, MBBS FACP
Niloofar Yahyapourjalaly, MD FACP
Pamela Aung, MD FACP
Mona K Gahunia, DO FACP
Sameer Tajudden Shaik Abdul, MD FACP
Shahabuddin Soherwardi, MD FACP
Fellowship is elected upon the recommendation of peers and the review of ACP’s Credentials Subcommittee. They may now use the letters “FACP” after their name in recognition of this honor. Please join me in congratulations!
Later Career and Retirement Chapter Survey
Our Chapter continues to look at ways to better serve all of our membership - from our students to those who hold senior membership in our chapter. Historically, many of our efforts have aimed to support trainees and early career physicians, but we recognize that every phase of life brings gifts as well as challenges.
We'd love your ideas about the roles and programs a Senior Membership Committee could play for chapter members. Please complete this very brief survey, and feel free to reach out to me at colleenchristmas9@gmail.com at any time with thoughts about this or any other aspect of our chapter you'd like to share! Thanks in advance!
Williams Student Conference – Amazing Attendance and Workshops!
The Williams Student Conference was held on Saturday, February 18thth and was another informative event for all who attended and participated. We were pleased to see everyone from our poster participants, IronMed residents, Student Dilemma, judges, Story Slam students and presenters. We had over 60 students and 8 Faculty registered for this workshop. It included a number of activities from a research and clinical vignette poster competition (15 entries), IronMed competition (Drs. K T Thomesen and John Dang from WR), presentations on How to be a Good Clinician by Dr. Sara Mixter, and 7 Habits of Highly Effective Intern by Dr. Sam Kant, and Five Minute Moment (Focus on Behavior Changes) by Dr. Zoobia Wazir Chaudhry.
Thanks to all of our Faculty – Drs. Janaki Deepak, Colleen Christmas, Dobbin Chow, Richard Williams, George Lawrence, Ravitej KhunKhun, Sam Kant, Sara Mixter, Zoobia Wazir Chaudhry, K.T. Thomesen, John Dang, CRAB co-chairs Dr. Sneha Thomas and Andrew Kithasl.
Thanks to our Story Slam presenters – Ahmad Sayeed and Carolina Lopez-Silva!
We hope that you will take the time to look at the pictures which highlight this amazing event for our students.
Congrats to the following Students who are the 2023 Award Winners from this event:
Iron Med Competition
1st Place – Cassandra Seifert (UMSOM)
2nd Place – Larissa Sidze (SAH)
Research
1st Place – Omar Ahmed (UMSOM)
2nd Place – Urjita Das (UMSOM)
Clinical Vignettes
1st Place – Radhika Gholap - UMSOM
2nd Place – Peter Alexander - SGA/Midtown
Student Dilemma
1st Place – University of Maryland/Midtown Team 2 – Ahmad Sayeed, Hanif Benoit, Mia Trimingham, Crystal Njoku
2nd Place – Johns Hopkins – Andy Lancaster, Carolina Lopez-Silva
3rd Place – University of Maryland/Midtown Team 3- Subash Acharya, Tyler Nolan, Ahmed Hassan, Sarah Hossain
Special Monetary Awards
Student Achievement Award for Attendance at MD ACP activities 2022/2023 – Ahmad Sayeed
Award for demonstration of exceptional commitment to clinical excellence - Charnice Charmant
2023 Doctor's Dilemma Recap
(February 2023) We were once again impressed with our Doctor's Dilemma® contest held at our Chapter meeting over the weekend. We had 11 teams - 6 heats with over 250 questions answered in the process, 15 judges this year, and several hardworking Chief Residents and Students who were able to adapt to our situation effortlessly.
We are pleased to note that Johns Hopkins Broadway was our first place winner (Drs. Ayotola Fatola, Abhi Gami, Michael Rose, and Olive Tang). Our finalists included Sinai Hospital (2nd place) with Drs. Rishabh Bansal, Paul Dy, Rao Hashim, Devvrat Yadav (Alt. Nymisha Boddeti, and Ayesha Zahid, and in 3rd place for Johns Hopkins Bayview were Drs. Sunwoo Park, Anna Shah, Daniel Thomas and Meiyappan (Karthik) Udayappan. Congratulations to all of the teams that participated in this year's contest including an all-PGY-1 team from our state’s newest residency program at TidalHealth Peninsula! It was a joy to witness the incredible knowledge, but just as much joy to watch the camaraderie and sportsmanship of all who were part of the activity. We are delighted to have the strong support of all of our programs in this contest.
Thanks to the following:
The Judges and Moderators who spent their Saturday afternoon ensuring that the contest was run in an above-board and fair fashion.
CRAB members, co-chairs and some amazing students who manned the buzzers, kept score and made sure that the grid for the contest all went smoothly.
Our IronMed chief residents from Walter Reed who spent much time to make the questions both informative and interesting!
Kudos to Ironmed Winners:
This year, our IronMed Competition ended in a tie with Drs. Laxman Wagle (St. Agnes Ascensio) and Meiyappan (Karthik) Udayappan (Johns Hopkins/Bayview).
FINALLY and most importantly:
Big thanks to Dr. Janaki Deepak who back in October begins the process of developing questions and making sure that the meeting is run perfectly – we could not do this without her! It is a bear to organize, as you can imagine, and Janaki does so with skill and love. Dr. Hameem Kawsar was also key in ensuring questions were of the highest quality, and indeed they were.
So, it takes a village to run Doctor's Dilemma, but thank goodness we have the greatest of all villages to work with here in our Maryland ACP chapter!
Photos from this event are shown below. We look forward to seeing everyone in 2024!
Fall 2022 Chapter Activities Recap
- Our annual Mulholland Mohler Residents meeting drew over 250 poster and oral submissions. Maryland residents are crushing it!
- With the start of the new academic year we celebrated leaders from our chapter with a student dinner and CRAB (Chief Residents At Baltimore and Maryland) dinner.
- The IMG committee held its first official meeting in August. Co-chairs Dr. Aseem Sood from University of Maryland Midtown Campus and Dr. Ravitej Khun Khun from Sinai Hospital are looking for IMG members who would be interested in being part of our current and future activities especially outside of the Baltimore metro area. Please be sure to contact Maryellen, our Chapter staff, at mew4work@aol.com, if you are interested in joining this group or any other committees.
- We established new committees for Wellness (led by Dr. Hari Devkota) and Volunteerism (led by Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos). Please let Maryellen know if you are interested in joining these or any other chapter committees!
- We nominated 8 colleagues for national ACP awards. We are so proud to have so many wonderful individuals as members of our Chapter. Congratulations to award winners:
Mastership – Sanjay Desai, MD, MACP and Stephen Sisson, MD, MACP
Alvin R. Feinstein Memorial Award – Daniel J. Morgan, MD
Past Chapter Events
- We hosted a workshop on a Physician’s Perspective on Gun Control (hosted by our WIM committee) led by Dr. Nargiz Muganlinskaya and Dr. Sapna Kuehl in collaboration with the IMG, Diversity, and Early Career Physicians committees. Be sure to view the YouTube link for this informative workshop including a presentation by Dr. Andrew McGlone, Executive Medical Director, Primary Care and Community Medicine at Luminis Health as well as an ACP Senior Associate for Legislative Affairs, Mr. Jared Frost.
- Our CRAB committee hosted a Residents’ Soccer Tournament with 80 residents participating from six local residency programs. Congrats to the 1st place winners – University of Maryland/VA, and 2nd place – Ascension St. Agnes.
- Our amazing co-chairs, Drs. Kim Adkins and Erica Johnson, also took part in a Diversity & Equity workshop in collaboration with the DC and Virginia chapters on November 2nd.
- Financial Planning Workshop Presented in Collaboration with the Maryland Society of Hospital Medicine
November 16, 2022 - Chapter Meeting January 27-28, 2023
Meeting theme: Tools to Thriving in Medicine’s New World
To learn about upcoming chapter events, please go to the chapter website
Nuts & Bolts of Poster/Abstract Writing Workshop Recap
(February 2023) We had a very informative and well implemented Nuts & Bolts of Poster/Abstract Writing workshop. Thanks to all of our presenters who gave of their valuable time to allow us to present this informative workshop. It was amazing!
The recorded presentation can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMyr8pYZ8X0.
Looking forward to seeing all of this good information put to use with our Williams Student Workshop on February 18th at Midtown Towers and the Mulholland Mohler Residents meeting on May 11th at St. Agnes Hospital. Meeting information and registration can be found on the chapter website.
CRAB Advisory Group
Chapter Members Elected to ACP Fellowship
(November 2022) We would like to congratulate our chapter members on election to Fellow of the American College of Physicians. The distinction recognizes achievements in internal medicine.
- Alicia I. Arbaje, MD, FACP
- Rahul Bhoite MBBS, FACP
- Serena M. Ogunwole, MD, FACP
Fellowship is elected upon the recommendation of peers and the review of ACP’s Credentials Subcommittee. They may now use the letters “FACP” after their name in recognition of this honor. Please join me in congratulations!