Important Partnerships

Bringing together organizations that are committed to improving healthcare is fundamental to the CMSS mission. Over the past year we have strengthened or developed new partnerships to address pressing problems for the field.

THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

As COVID-19 vaccines became available for use in the United States, CMSS and the CDC convened listening sessions with physician leaders. These sessions provided insights on the challenges and opportunities facing vaccination efforts for various groups, especially for those with high-risk medical conditions cared for by specialists. The relationship between our member societies, CMSS, and the CDC has been extremely effective in promoting access to vaccines for the patient community.

As a result of our work with the CDC, and thanks to partnerships we established during the pandemic, CMSS was recently awarded a cooperative agreement with the CDC to increase COVID-19, influenza, and routine vaccinations in adults, especially high-risk adults with chronic medical conditions.

This five-year cooperative agreement includes $22 million in funding in the first year (with an estimated $55.5 million over five years) to support increased COVID-19, influenza, and routine vaccinations in high-risk adults with chronic medical conditions.

During this project, CMSS will work collectively with a strong consortium of subspecialty partners, including American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE), American College of Cardiology (ACC), American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), American Geriatrics Society (AGS), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Society of Nephrology (ASN), and the American Thoracic Society (ATS), to implement targeted immunization and quality improvement strategies and activities which will support increased vaccination of high-risk patients. We look forward to sharing more on this important initiative in the coming years.

ACGME EQUITY MATTERS

CMSS joined with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to launch ACGME Equity Matters™, a program aimed at driving measurable improvements in equity by increasing physician workforce diversity and creating clinical and learning environments that are safe, inclusive, and equitable. CMSS launched two 18-month learning communities in July 2021 in which 27 member societies and 11 OPDA program director associations share opportunities and challenges as they begin the hard work of improving DEI in medicine.

Equity Matters Learning Community Participants

THE ORGANIZATION OF PROGRAM DIRECTOR ASSOCIATIONS (OPDA)

OPDA , a convened group of CMSS, is dedicated to promoting the role of the residency program director and program director societies in achieving excellence in graduate medical education. The group is composed of liaison representatives from 30 program director associations who work together to improve the quality of resident education and to address timely GME issues.