ACOFP Blog

The ACOFP 60^th Annual Convention & Scientific Seminars (ACOFP ’23), taking place March 29 – April 2 at Disney Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, is closely approaching, and this year’s convention is full of innovative and inspiring programs and events designed for those in osteopathic family medicine at all levels of practice. This year’s event will provide attendees with access to more than 30 hours of live programming across two tracks, including one featuring topics on equity, diversity, and inclusion in osteopathic medicine. Not only will these timely topics help conference participants stay ahead of the curve, but they will also enlighten, educate, and provide insight into caring for those who belong to communities where racial and ethnic disparities persist. No matter where you are in your career, expanding your knowledge of these valuable topics focusing on diversity, ethnicity, and inclusion benefit you, your practice, and your patients.

Kicking off the general session programming on Thursday, March 30, sessions on racial and ethnic disparities in health care include Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cardiac Care, SDOH (Social Determinants of Health) Impacts on Health, How to Talk with Different Ethnicities About Health, and Structural Racism & its Impact on Health. During these sessions, presenters will define health equity, evaluate what health disparities are, outline who is affected the most by health disparities, and analyze potential solutions for health disparities.

Following this engaging program track, ACOFP ’23 will hold an opening session featuring a moderated discussion between ACOFP’s incoming president David J. Park, DO, FAAFP, FACOFP dist., and the president of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Tochi Iroku-Malize, MD, MPH, MBA, FAAFP—the first Asian-American ACOFP President and the first Black AAFP President—on Thursday, March 30 at 4:30 pm. During this session, speakers will assess the existing disparities around the number of minority leaders in the house of medicine, evaluate how we define minority and related unspoken challenges, and discover the value of addressing implicit biases in medicine.

For more on these sessions and other ACOFP ’23 programming and events for the in-person experience, visit the ACOFP 60^th Annual Convention & Scientific Seminars webpage. Details for ACOFP ’23 Virtual, including recordings of the sessions on racial and ethnic disparities in health care, are available on the ACOFP 60^th Annual Convention & Scientific Seminars Virtual webpage.