The Kern National Network for Flourishing in Medicine

As 2023 begins, we are pleased to announce a new name and logo for the KNN to better reflect our long-term aspirations heading into our next growth phase. Going forward, we will be known as the Kern National Network for Flourishing in Medicine with a tagline of "Character. Caring. Practical Wisdom."

Every journey needs a constant point to navigate by, and the integrated framework shines brightly as the KNN's north star. Flourishing offers the profession of medicine a new aspirational course to chart—and together, the foundational elements of character, caring and practical wisdom provide a potential pathway.

Many of you have shared that the idea of flourishing as “a wholeness of being and doing” very much resonates with your aims and efforts. We will continue to foreground this shared goal as a movement at the headwaters of flourishing in medicine.

The year ahead will bring many new developments and opportunities to get involved:

• A series of five national convenings on the framework—one on each foundational element and one on the integration of the four—to explore lessons learned so far, opportunities to strengthen the framework and ways to measure impact.

• New individual and organizational membership options rolling out soon.

• A second national conference this fall, following last year’s successful inaugural event, which will focus on flourishing in medicine.

It remains a privilege to collaborate with you in the work to advance flourishing in medicine. As always, we welcome your thoughts and perspective on the path forward.

Best wishes for the year ahead,

The KNN Team

Upcoming Events 

February 13 - 15, 2023, San Francisco, CA | Developing Medical Educators of the 21st Century

In collaboration with the KNN, the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine is hosting a 3-day in-person course, focused on supporting medical educators to engage in transformational change during challenging times and explore ways of fostering equitable, inclusive learning environments for medical students.

REGISTER >

May 2 - 4, 2023, Wellesley, MA | Millennium Conference

The Shapiro Institute for Education and Research at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) announced a request for applications to participate in the 2023 Millennium Conference, the twelfth working conference in medical education. Applications must be submitted by 4 pm CT on January 20, 2023.

APPLY >

May 3 - 5, 2023, Washington, D.C. | 2023 AAMC Health Workforce Research Conference

The AAMC is seeking abstracts that can be delivered in the following formats: individual research presentations, individual presentations of program and policy evaluation, organized 90-minute panels, and poster presentations for the 2023 AAMC Health Workforce Research Conference. Submitters are urged to leverage evidence that can help navigate the impacts of the pandemic and provide guidance, best practices and lessons learned to the health workforce community. Submission deadline is January 6, 2023.

SUBMIT A PROPOSAL >

Resources



• Careful, Kind Care is Our Compass Out of the Pandemic Fog | Read as Dr. Victor Montori and Dr. Dominique Allwood argue for a necessary change in healthcare to create the conditions for careful and kind care in the midst of COVID-19.
• Character Strengths – Compassion (Video) | Watch as Kim Vinson, MD, of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and others discuss compassion as a necessary character strength for leaders and learners in medicine.
• What Brings You In Today?: Significant Others As Support Systems (Audio) | Listen as students from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health discuss the importance of having a support system during the journey through medical school.

Kern National Network | knn@mcw.edu | website