A Wayne State University School of Medicine representative was invited to join a committee of select thought leaders established by the American Medical Association to explore the future of medical education in America.

Tsveti Markova, M.D., F.A.A.F.P., associate dean for Graduate Medical Education and professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, was one of 20 medical thought leaders from around the country asked by the AMA to join a small-group "ideation session" to envision the association's next steps in creating the medical school of the future. Their input will help guide the AMA's medical education resource investments in 2018 and beyond.

"The experience was fascinating. I was honored and humbled to be amongst the 20 thought leaders invited to provide input on the future direction of medical education," Dr. Markova said of the Dec. 2 session, held at the AMA's headquarters in Chicago. "Together with the AMA leadership and other stakeholders from the fields of medical education, health care, population health, information technology, patient advocacy groups and students, we spent time generating ideas and concepts through a series of activities and feedback loops."

The two main questions the group focused on, Dr. Markova said, were, "What projects should the AMA focus on to prepare the physicians of the future?" and "What can the AMA do to help optimize the transition from medial school to residency?"

"An important element of the discussion was around the patient perspective, and, on external health care trends shaping the future health care provider profile and life-long training," Dr. Markova said. "We live in such exciting times for medical education and health care transformation."

The AMA will develop a white paper to summarize the ideas and share them with stakeholders.