When the 14th biennial Ottawa Conference concluded in downtown Miami last month, the international forum on evaluating health care competence was itself evaluated as a rousing success, thanks in large measure to the Michael S. Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education.
At the closing session, conference co-founder Ronald Harden, M.D., of Dundee, Scotland, summoned the Gordon Center faculty and staff to the stage at the James L. Knight Center and Hyatt Regency as he lauded conference chairman Barry Issenberg, M.D., professor of medicine and assistant dean for research in medical education, and Diane Issenberg, the Gordon Center's director of administration, and their staff for their tremendous efforts in organizing the May 15-20 gathering.
"On every level, the meeting was considered a success by those who attended and every component of the conference was given high marks,'' Harden later wrote in an email. "However, the single element for which there were universal positive remarks and not a single negative comment was the outstanding contribution of the Gordon Center faculty and staff. From the pre-conference courses at our center, to the registration process, speaker ready room preparation, presentation room set-up and support, guidance on directions to the next session - we received countless comments on the high level of excellence and personal attention you gave to the participants."
Nearly 1,200 medical educators from 68 countries attended the conference, which in addition to the Gordon Center was co-hosted by the Miller School of Medicine, UHealth - University of Miami Health System, and the Association for Medical Education in Europe. Founded in Ottawa in 1985 by Harden and Ian Hart, M.D., of Ottawa, Canada, the conference aims to improve health care and its delivery around the world by exchanging ideas and developments in the field of evaluating the competency of health care professionals.
To that end, the Miller School's Robert Hernandez, M.D., senior associate dean for medical student administration, Paul Méndez, M.D., FACP, associate professor of medicine and assistant dean of clinical curriculum, and Alex Mechaber, M.D., associate dean for undergraduate medical education, presented an engaging workshop entitled, "Catch them while you can: identification and remediation of unprofessional behavior in medical students." Their presentation stressed the importance of using a systematic approach to identify, label and review cases of unprofessional behavior and, as an example, described the Miller School's comprehensive program to evaluate, monitor and remediate such students.
At a pre-conference reception, Miller School Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., and the Gordon Center team, which also included Michael Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., associate dean for research in medical education, and Ross Scalese, M.D., associate professor of medicine and assistant director of the research and technology division, welcomed the participants.
"This year's conference is particularly relevant as we celebrate its 25th anniversary and reflect on the past, present and future of assessment in medicine and the health care professions. What could be more important?" Dean Goldschmidt said. "We all have a stake in the assessment of health care providers. The lives and well-being of our patients depend on our being the very best we can be."
In another highlight of the evening reception, the Frost School of Music Jazz Band, under the direction of Dante Luciani, provided entertainment to thunderous applause, especially for Dean Shelton Berg's piano solo during a special arrangement of the Beatles' "Blackbird." That, along with the array of delicious food stations and the chance to sit under the stars along the Miami River, accounted for the many comments that it was the best opening session ever.
In appreciation of the Miller School's exemplary work in Haiti following the January 12 earthquake, officers from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare presented Dean Goldschmidt with a donation for Project Medishare.
At the opening session, Dr. Issenberg encouraged conference goers to "step back and reflect on the past 25 years and look ahead to the future." With subcommittees meeting to evaluate a series of consensus statements and provide recommendations in six key assessment areas, he urged them get involved in the discussions, which "will be evolving and serve as a bridge to the next Ottawa Conference."
The 15th biennial gathering will be held in 2012 in Kuala Lampur.
