Q&A: Outgoing ACP president reflects on tenure

Key takeaways:

• The ACP’s immediate past president spoke with Healio about his term, what he learned and more.
• Four pillars guided his priorities: humanity, health equity, value of internal medicine and collaboration.

As he leaves his position as president of the ACP, Ryan D. Mire, MD, MACP, reflected on his time in the leadership role.

During his 1-year term, the organization issued policy papers that advocated for policymakers and health officials to address food insecurity, denounced Florida’s ban on gender-affirming care for youth, called for better correctional health care and mitigations of health disparities for Indigenous people and climate change’s impact on health and much more.

In an interview with Healio, Mire reflected on his tenure as ACP president, what he learned in the position and what is next for both him and the organization.

Healio: When you entered the position, what did you hope to accomplish? How did that go?

Mire: As I entered into this leadership role, I decided my personal platform would be composed of four pillars that would guide my approach and priorities during my term: humanity, health equity, value of internal medicine and collaboration. Given that the presidential term is only a year and so much of health care is entangled in governmental legislation, I wanted to be realistic in my goal setting, which prompted the development of my four pillars as generalized guiding concepts to which I focused my energy. As I reflect on my year as president, I am proud to say that my personal platform was in alignment with the work of the ACP, so there was true synergy between the personal and organizational focus. I would like to be clear that the four aforementioned pillars were my personal priorities and not to be confused with official ACP strategic priorities set forth by the Board of Regents.

Healio: What are your some of your most notable achievements as ACP president?

Mire: As ACP President, I do not consider the work of the College as my own, but rather the achievements of a collective group of leaders composed of the governing body (Board of Regents) and the senior leadership staff of ACP who worked as a unit for the betterment of patient care and health care.

Healio: What did you learn in this role?

Mire: Much of my leadership pearls were not learned so much as reinforced from what I previously learned and observed over my professional career to get me to this point. One concept is that in any organization, but especially a large organization such as ACP (160,000 members), there will be a diversity of thought, views and opinions in which decisions made by leadership will not make everyone happy. Leadership entails tough decisions in which there is not always a right or wrong; but rather deciding what is in the best interest of an organization and in a professional medical society such as ACP, what is in the best interest of those we serve — the patients. Even though each member will not agree with every policy or College decision, having a systematic and transparent process and being consistent with that process is essential.

Healio: What do you wish you had known before you started?

Mire: I really felt prepared as I entered into this position because I diligently observed prior ACP presidents and had numerous conversations with ACP president emeriti, along with leaders of other nonmedical professional organizations to make sure I was prepared as well as I could be for this presidential position. I had extensive conversations and sought out advice and counsel as a part of my preparation during my president-elect year. One piece of advice was to be prepared for the unexpected — not in a literal sense, but more of a concept to adapt to any situation or crisis you may be confronted with while in a leadership position.

Healio: What do you hope your successor focuses on and accomplishes?

Mire: Well, honestly, I don't feel it's my place to hope or decide that my successor focuses on something that is important to me; but rather to support my successor in what they personally want to accomplish as an individual and in their efforts to further advance the organization. Fortunately, I have a wonderful relationship with my successor Dr. Omar Atiq, so I remain available to support him in any way possible because this is his year to make an impact on how he deems necessary. Dr. Atiq and I have already had supportive check-ins and conversations since the transition occurred.

Healio: What’s next for you?

Mire: Well, being a private practice internal medicine physician, I will now redirect my focus back to my practice, my partners and my patients — especially after spending the past year trying to balance and share my time between my clinical private practice with my ACP leadership duties. I will still remain available to assist ACP in any possible way, but I am a true advocate for sponsorship, and I want to get out of the way to create room for the next generation of leaders to step up and manifest their talent within the organization.

Healio: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Mire: ACP has given me so much in my professional journey, so it was a true honor and privilege to give back my time, energy, efforts and leadership to serve ACP. I have so many memorable moments as president, but one that truly stands out is the renaming of the ACP Summer Internship Program announced at the 2023 Internal Medicine annual meeting to the Ryan Mire, MD, Summer Internship Program, in honor of my personal passion and commitment to mentorship, especially those who are underrepresented in medicine. I am so grateful to have a legacy to leave behind and so appreciative of those who made this a reality.