Under the leadership of President Dianna Quan, MD, the 2024 American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) Annual Meeting in Savannah, Georgia, tackled the two pipelines that will define the future of neuromuscular medicine. The first pipeline is the explosion of new treatments and technologies for patients with diseases of muscles and nerves. The second pipeline is the need for more learners and workforce to deliver that care.
John Morren, MD, gave us a glimpse into the future of the technology pipeline with a presentation on artificial intelligence (AI) for neuromuscular disorders. Physicians have a mixed view of AI. There is hope that technology will make our lives easier and fear of how, over time, it might come to replace physicians. Dr. Morren’s framing of the promise of AI perfectly navigates these diverse opinions when he stated, “AI will not replace experts, but experts who use AI will replace those who do not!” He also reframed AI not as artificial intelligence but as augmented intelligence where both the AI and the human can do so much more for patients than either can alone.
Illeana Howard, MD, explored how the VA has implemented transdisciplinary care to set the standard for working with persons with ALS. The pipeline of neuromuscular therapeutics is only as good as the systems that can deliver the care. It was so wonderful to learn from someone who has done such great work engineering systems to improve the care of veterans. Her presentation explored the humanism of neuromuscular medicine by focusing on patient stories and the power of the health care team in helping those who served.
Dr. Howard further elaborated on the value of the AANEM as a catalyst for mentorship. “The most striking thing to me about this year’s AANEM meeting was the commitment of the organization to mentorship for the next generation of neuromuscular clinicians. Everyone is welcome here to teach and learn from each other. It warms my heart to watch presidents and past presidents of the organization thoughtfully engaging with our future physician colleagues.”
Larry Robinson, MD, shared his perspective on strategies for neuromuscular specialists to engage with the younger generations of physicians. The changes in the classroom have been palpable, and his counsel for physician educators to utilize humor, flipped classrooms, and storytelling as strategies to improve the learning environment got me thinking about ways I can improve as an educator when I return to Lubbock on Monday morning.
I had the pleasure of giving a plenary myself on “Thinking Outside the Box,” where I was joined by a patient of mine, Jim Dines, who shared how he went from a locked-in state making his funeral arrangements to returning to full function and walking on stage to share his experience. We had diagnosed Jim with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy two years ago. Thanks to the conversations I had with my colleagues at the AANEM during his care, we were able to tailor a treatment plan to bring him back from the edge and achieve a full remission so he could return to his family and be a “walking, talking, and golfing” testament to the advances in neuromuscular medicine and the achievements of the AANEM over the past seven decades.
James “Chip” Howard received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the AANEM. During his acceptance speech, he shared how we are more like a family than a professional organization. I couldn’t agree with him more. The collegiality and networks we strengthen every year with the AANEM make this organization my “happy place” that I look forward to year after year. It’s the only professional organization I know that has the vibe of a family reunion more than that of a professional organization.
Dr. John Norbury is a physiatrist in Lubbock Texas and is Division Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and has been in practice 11 years. He is board certified in electrodiagnostic medicine and specializes in the treatment of patients with neuromuscular conditions, musculoskeletal disorders, spasticity, and conditions related to disability. His research interests include MSK/Neuromuscular Ultrasound, Ultrasound-Guided Procedures, and medical education. He received the Master Educator Award while he was at the Brody School of Medicine, the highest award for teaching at the medical school. Dr. Norbury has no conflicts of interest to report.
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