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Vision and Values
SSIM was actually born under another name: The Society for Research and Education in Primary Care Internal Medicine (SREPCIM) and had 178 attendees at its 1978 inaugural meeting. Startup funding for SREPCIM was provided through a generous grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded to the American College of Physicians. In 1988, proponents for a simpler name prevailed and SREPCIM became the Society of General Internal Medicine, or SSIM. In just two decades, SSIM has grown from several hundred to almost 3000 members.
Who are we?
We are an international organization of physicians, educators, researchers, residents, medical students, and others who combine caring for patients with educating and/or doing research.
What is our mission?
We are dedicated to improving patient care, education, and research in primary care and general internal medicine.
What do we value?
•Excellence in patient-centered, scientifically-sound medical care, research, and education
•Fostering collegial support and mentorship as well as interdisciplinary collaboration
•Adopting creative and innovative approaches to advance clinical care, teaching, and research
•Promoting social responsibility and the health of vulnerable, underserved, and diverse populations
•Promoting diversity within general internal medicine
•Incorporating these core values into our daily professional lives with integrity and a passion for medicine
What is our vision for our future?
We see SSIM as an incubator for new ideas to promote excellence in patient care. We will continue to support our members (who are connected to academic medical centers, teaching hospitals, and community hospitals), in their careers, clinical practices, research, and teaching or mentoring of students and residents. Although our members are innovators in health care, and are influential in health policy debates, we do not claim to be the sole voice for general internal medicine. Rather, we are committed to forging collaborative alliances in which our knowledge, experience, and energy can contribute powerfully to efforts that support our mission.
What are our goals?
Support our members
We regularly assess and respond to our members' needs. Our annual meeting, the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the Forum newsletter, regional meetings, interest groups, workshops, and our Web site are vehicles for meeting members’ needs for acquisition and dissemination of knowledge. The Society fosters networking, mentoring, and learning that enrich our members professionally and personally.
Foster innovation and creativity in clinical care, teaching, and research
We encourage our members to work on the cutting edge as they strive for excellence in patient care, medical education, and research in their fields of interest. We support them in these roles by organizing educational programs for professional development, seeking funding to facilitate innovative work, and providing opportunities for members to exchange ideas and work collaboratively. We embrace renewal, both personal and organizational, and we welcome fresh ideas and new leadership to strengthen our society.
Increase our impact and others' awareness of SSIM We actively seek alliances with others -- societies or individuals -- with whom we can partner to improve the quality of patient care and medical education. We believe advocacy on public policy issues is stronger if we collaborate with colleagues in other organizations. We support initiatives by the government and foundations that promote access to care, education of patients and trainees, constructive relationships between doctors and their patients, and medical research. We are committed to sharing our intellectual capital and experience with general internists wherever they practice. We aim to increase the visibility and status of primary care and General Internal Medicine
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