Chicago, IL, Aug. 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is pleased to announce the appointment of Debra Weinstein, MD as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2025.
Dr. Weinstein brings a wealth of academic medicine leadership experience to this role, with an impressive history of contributions and impact in graduate medical education (GME). She is currently Executive Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Learning Health Sciences and Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, and Chief Academic Officer for Michigan Medicine. Previously, she served as Vice President for Graduate Medical Education at Mass General Brigham (formerly Partners HealthCare) in Boston, with responsibility for more than 300 GME programs, encompassing 2,400 residents and fellows, and was an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. She was the designated institutional official (DIO) for both Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women’s Hospitals for over a decade after serving as the MGH program director for the Internal Medicine residency.
“I am honored and inspired by the opportunity to lead the ACGME – a critical and impactful organization that I have enormous respect for,” said Dr. Weinstein. “I am also excited to work together with the GME community to optimize physician education in pursuit of our shared goal of improving health.”
Dr. Weinstein’s contributions to the field have been recognized with numerous awards, including two prestigious honors from the ACGME: the Parker Palmer Courage to Lead Award, given to DIOs demonstrating excellence in GME oversight; and the John C. Gienapp Award for Distinguished Service, honoring outstanding contributions to GME and ACGME accreditation activities.
Dr. Weinstein currently serves on the Intealth Board of Directors, and previously held board positions with the ACGME and the MGH Institute for Health Professions. She has chaired the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Group on Resident Affairs and participated in the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on the Governance and Financing of GME. Notably, she led the 2011 Macy Foundation conference on GME reform and chaired two National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine workshops on GME Outcomes and Metrics.
Dr. Weinstein’s academic contributions include serving as Deputy Editor of Academic Medicine from 2013 to 2019 and as a member of the New England Journal of Medicine’s Perspectives Advisory Board from 2015 to 2023. She was the principal investigator of a $2 million “Reimagining Residency” grant from the American Medical Association, focusing on competency-based, time-variable GME. Her scholarly work includes nearly 100 invited presentations and more than 75 publications.
Dr. Weinstein graduated from Wellesley College, where she majored in music and conducted the college orchestra. She received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She completed her clinical education and training in internal medicine and gastroenterology at MGH and was a 2006-2007 American Council on Education Fellow.
“Dr. Weinstein’s distinction in the field is evidenced by her being honored with the ACGME Parker Palmer Courage to Lead and John C. Gienapp Awards,” commented ACGME Board of Directors Chair Claudia Wyatt-Johnson, MA. “These accolades are a testament to her exceptional leadership, and it is this leadership, coupled with her many contributions to GME, that will bring immense value to the public, the profession, and the outstanding ACGME team.”
ACGME Board Chair-Elect George E. Thibault, MD added, “Dr. Weinstein’s work at MGH, Mass General Brigham, and Michigan has ideally prepared her for her role as the ACGME’s next President and CEO. Her national recognition for contributions to GME, visionary leadership style, and extensive experience collaborating with the ACGME will be invaluable in advancing the ACGME’s Mission and work serving the American public.”
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The ACGME is a private, non-profit, professional organization responsible for the accreditation of 13,066 residency and fellowship programs and the 886 institutions that sponsor these programs in the United States. Residency and fellowship programs educate close to 160,000 resident and fellow physicians in 182 specialties and subspecialties. The ACGME’s Mission is to improve health care and population health by assessing and enhancing the quality of resident and fellow physicians’ education through advancements in accreditation and education.