Jarrard Senior Vice President Michael Knecht attended and presented at the AAMC GIA Conference. These are his key takeaways.
EVENT: Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Institutional Advancement Professional Development Conference
WHEN & WHERE: Miami, April 21 – 24
THEME: Grow. Innovate. Advance.
Nearly 650 attendees, from some of the country’s pre-eminent academic medicine institutions, descended upon the InterContinental Miami for their annual conference. The GIA is comprised of professionals representing development, alumni affairs, marketing, communications and community relations from medical schools and academic health systems.
The educational offerings from this conference supported seasoned institutional advancement leaders as well as newcomers to their chosen fields. In addition to networking opportunities, attendees enjoyed access to thought-provoking sessions on best practices.
Top Takeaways
- Academic Disciplines Are Working Aggressively to Leverage AI
Like all sectors of our economy, our nation’s AMCs have been working feverishly to identify opportunities for better embracing AI while fulfilling their missions. And as the pace of change accelerates in the development of new AI platforms, our institutions find themselves striving to balance these advances with the preservation of original thought and academic freedom. As evidenced by numerous conference sessions highlighting specific applications for idea generation, speech writing, marketing plan development, as well as donor identification and engagement, many AMCs are successfully using AI platforms in their daily communications, marketing and philanthropy functions. The main takeaway: We’ve moved from debating the “if/when” around AI in institutional advancement to a focus now on best practices, hacks and building AI agents that boost productivity and spur creativity.
- Combating Misinformation Is Everyone’s Duty
During the GIA’s annual Literary Luncheon, Dr. Geeta Nayyar, a chief medical officer, technology observer and bestselling author of “Dead Wrong: Diagnosing and Treating Healthcare’s Misinformation Illness”, framed an engaging dialogue on the human cost of misinformation in healthcare. She acknowledged the unprecedented escalation of misinformation since the global pandemic and the role played by social media in fueling its spread and impact. She also stressed the need for all institutions to combat misinformation when they see it, have a proactive plan to advance science and truth by leveraging trusted clinical experts, build partnerships with community leaders and engage with our children early to boost their health literacy. Most importantly, she challenged academic leaders to do all they can to combat misinformation because there’s no savior on the horizon to solve it for us.
- Resilience Has Taken on New Meaning in Academic Medicine
Top leaders from AAMC member organizations, including the deans and CEOs of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, reflected on the state of academic medicine during a dynamic plenary session. These executives shared their perspectives on leading through tumultuous times, advancing the mission of science and discovery during periods of growing skepticism and why fostering resilience at all levels of an organization can be a leader’s greatest gift. Although the past few years have seen many academic institutions battered and bruised, these leaders remain optimistic about the future of medicine and clinical research.
— Michael Knecht, Senior Vice President
