Social Media Engagement at Academic Conferences: Report of the Association of Pathology Chairs 2018 and 2019 Annual Meeting Social Media Committee.

The use of social media at academic conferences is expanding, and platforms such as Twitter are used to share meeting content with the world. Pathology conferences are no exception, and recently, pathology organizations have promoted social media as a way to enhance meeting exposure. A social media committee was formed ad hoc to implement strategies to enhance social media involvement and coverage at the 2018 and 2019 annual meetings of the Association of Pathology Chairs. This organized approach resulted in an 11-fold increase in social media engagement compared to the year prior to committee formation (2017). In this article, the social media committee reviews the strategies that were employed and the resultant outcome data. In addition, we categorize tweets by topic to identify the topics of greatest interest to meeting participants, and we discuss the differences between Twitter and other social media platforms. Lastly, we review the existing literature on this topic from 23 medical specialties and health care fields.

To Be or Not to Be Certified.

The pathway to professional development does not require a start or end date. Professional development is a perpetual process that is set into motion the day you first ask "why?" or "how?" Anyone who has spent time with a toddler knows that the endless pursuit of knowledge and, therefore, intellectual growth starts at a very young age. As we mature, we refine our questions beyond the whys and hows and start the professional development journey. Throughout each academic pursuit, we accomplish another rung on the ladder of our achievements. As we graduate from kindergarten, grade school, high school, and college, we easily point to the parchment most of these ceremonious events yield. Once we start our careers, though, what do we have to show for our professional development efforts? The mountains of literature provide a constant reminder of what you have left to learn. Most professions provide a formal pathway to aid in professional development, and medical practice management is no exception. The certification and fellowship program and process available from the Medical Group Management Association provides a system to map your journey of professional development--complete with its own version of parchment. This article explains why you would want to pursue professional development in the form of certification and Fellowship.