In the summer of 1976, the Federated Council for Internal Medicine (FCIM), then comprised of representatives from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), the American College of Physicians (ACP), the American Society of Internal Medicine (ASIM), recognized that of the slightly more than 400 graduate medical education programs in internal medicine, 75 percent were not represented by any type of national organization (the other 25 percent were led by university department chairs who belonged to APM). In oder to rectify this situation, FCIM appointed a steering committee comprised of Robert G. Petersdorf, MD, Saul J. Farber, MD, Monte Malach, MD, Alvin Tarlov, MD, and John A. Bensen, Jr, MD. This group subsequently met with William Denny, MD, Richard Farmer, MD, John Gamble, MD, David Grob, MD, Milford Maloney, MD, Milton McDowell, MD, and Frederick Platt, MD, all of whom represented a diverse group of residency program directors.
A meeting took place in November 1976 and was chaired by Dr. Petersdorf. He pointed out the need for and desirability of an exchange of information about medical residency training between all program directors. It was also agreed that there was a need for discussion between program directors and organizations such as ABIM, ACP, ASIM, the Residency Review Committee for Internal Medicine (RRC-IM), and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The common theme was the idea to improve residency education and develop a better understanding of those organizations whose activities impinged upon residency training both in community and university settings. The group hoped that such a dialogue might be able to promote a broader understanding among program directors.
Under the sponsorship of FCIM, a meeting of program directors in internal medicine was held on April 22, 1977, in Dallas, TX. 285 individuals attended the one-day session tht was characterized by widespread interest in the formation of an "Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine" (APDIM). Under the direction of Dr. Petersdorf, the previously mentioned program directors formed the first APDIM steering committee and elected Dr. Farmer its chair. The first official APDIM meeting was held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, on November 5, 1977.
In 1978, APDIM was officially established as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and its constitution and bylaws were duly recorded. In September 1979, APDIM was admitted as the fifth member of FCIM. In November, 1979, APDIM became a member of the Council of Academic Societies of the AAMC.
For the first several years, APDIM was housed in the office of the presiding president. In 1980, Pervis Milnor, MD, at the Baptist Medical Center in Memphis, TN, provided a permanent office. Between 1980 and 1987, APDIM grew and began sponsoring two national meetings each year. The spring meetings were linked with the ACP annual session and the fall meetings were linked with the AAMC meeting or as co-sponsors of the Teaching Internal Medicine Symposium. In 1984, APDIM initiated the first Chief Residents' Workshop. It was also during this time that Careers in Internal Medicine evolved from a previous publication known as "Update." Under the editorial direction of James Bernene, MD, outside sponsorship of Careers allowed APDIM to reach all of its members and residents and begin to build a sound financial base.
In 1987, the APDIM Council decided to become a more effective voice in public policy issues pertaining to graduate medical education and made the decision to move its offices to Washington, DC. For 10 years, the organization shared space with ACP's public policy office. Information about legislative initiatives was provided to the membership along with the Educational Clearinghouse for Internal Medicine, the annual membership directory, the biannual publication of the Program Director's Manual, the annual publication of the Chief Resident's Manual, and the membership newsletter. During this period, the bylaws were amended a number of times to allow for greater representation in the nomination and election of council and officers. Additionally, the organization fostered the development of special interest groups such as the Medicine-Pediatrics Program Directors Association and the New York State Special Interest Group. Precourses were identified to meet the educational needs of program directors in areas such as evaluation, curricula, and management skills. These precourses were linked to the national meetings. Council leadership began playing a larger role both within FCIM and the organized medicine community at large, and dialogue with the RRC-IM took a major step forward in 1988 with what is known as the first "Broder-Stickley" questionnaire.
In the winter of 1997, the council decided to move form the offices of ACP and become a truly independent organization. The space we rent today is contiguous with other internal medicine organizations (APM, the Association of Subspecialty Professors, the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine, and the Administrators of Internal Medicine). We are proximate to the Society of General Internal Medicine, the National Resident Matching Program, and the AAMC. This move has also allowed APDIM to further pursue new technologies and electronic communication options both for the council and the membership at large. Louis Leff, MD, is the creator of the APDIM website and listservers.
In 1998, APDIM and APM came together in the formation of the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM). AAIM focuses on issues that directly impact all its members, unlike FCIM. These issues may range from the Match and communicating with the RRC and ACGME, to developing position statements on GME financing, workforce, researche, and federal regulations affecting GME. In the three years since its founding, AAIM has been recognized as the voice for academic internal medicine by organizations such as the ACGME, ABIM, AAMC, and ACP.
in 2002, APDIM celebrated 25 years of leadership in internal medicine education and training. APDIM's accomplishments are many, and the volunteerism demonstrated by our members and leaders is extraordinary.