#61 AIMW26 Recap #1: Pearls and (Educational) Practice Changing Knowledge from the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine Conference - With Guests Drs. Ray Bignall and Lauren Phinney

Thank you both for introducing yourselves.

Um, we'll get into the nitty-gritty about the workshops and sessions y'all have attended here at AIM Week 2026.

Um, but before we dive in, we'd love to hear how it's been in terms of your experience broadly.

Anything surprised you? Um, any kind of take-homes you already have? Just, you know, broad sense, uh, since being here.

Oh, I, I guess I could start.

This is, uh, my first time attending, uh, AIM.

Uh, and, uh, I have experience with similar conferences from the pediatrics world.

Uh, we have a few, um- ... collaborative conferences, like what I would describe this as, where there are many different societies that are together, uh, and sort of with shared mission and shared cause.

So it was really exciting, uh, to see, uh, all of the different groups gathered together for AAM.

Obviously, I'm a pediatrician.

I, I am, uh, a visitor, a wayfaring traveler, uh, in the internal medicine world, but just absolutely have enjoyed connecting with so many IM friends from across the country and, uh, so many wonderful people that I was able to connect with after the opening session today.

Uh, that was really exciting.

And, and you guys have an amazing, uh, exhibit floor.

Really cool to see, uh, 200 posters, uh, for, uh, you know, from, uh, trainees who are presenting their work and their projects in the medical education space.

And I think the future is really bright for, uh, this group of internists, and just a really terrific opportunity to connect with so many people from across the country.

Well, I think our future is bright, Ray, because of you and your amazing opening plenary, which we'll get to obviously in a second, um, to recap that.